Decreased acylated and total ghrelin levels in bipolar disorder patients recovering from a manic episode.

Background: To date, only few studies have investigated ghrelin levels in bipolar disorders, and all have exclusively measured acylated ghrelin, with none investigating total ghrelin (acylated and des-acylated). We aimed to investigate peripheral levels of acylated and total ghrelin in subjects experiencing a manic episode of bipolar disorder.

Methods: Peripheral levels of acylated and total ghrelin were measured in hospitalised medicated individuals recovering from a manic episode.

Association between Depression and Factors Affecting Career Choice among Jordanian Nursing Students.

Background: Although stress reaction is high among nursing staff and nursing students in the Middle East and its effect on life is known, there are scant studies reporting on these clinical and social features. In addition, there are no studies reporting on factors that influence career choice among this group.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate factors that influence career choice among nursing students and their possible association with depressive symptoms.

Late Onset First Episode Psychosis Emerging as Delusional Misidentification of Familiar Sacred Places During a Holy Pilgrimage: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Background: The delusional misidentification syndromes (DMS) include a myriad of discrete but related syndromes, which have wide spectrum anomalies of familiarity. Several misidentification syndromes have been described in the psychiatric literature, the most common of these delusions are: the Capgras syndrome; the Fregoli syndrome; the syndrome of inter-metamorphosis; reduplicative paramnesia; and environmental reduplication.

Case Presentation: The reported case highlights the emergence of late onset first episode psychosis in a Middle Eastern 65-year-old female who has no previous psychiatric history.

Schizophrenia: Impact of psychopathology, faith healers and psycho-education on adherence to medications.

Background: Many patients suffering from psychosis are nonadherent to their medications. Nonadherence can range from treatment refusal to irregular use or partial change in daily medication doses.

Aim: To investigate whether symptom dimensions, post-discharge care plans and being involved with faith healer affect the adherence to treatment in patients with schizophrenia.

Higher frequency of C.3435 of the ABCB1 gene in patients with tramadol dependence disorder.

Background: Polymorphic variation at the ABCB1 gene has been shown to affect the pharmacodynamics and kinetics of various drugs.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the frequency of occurrence of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) in position A118G OPRM1 (rs1799971) gene and C.3435 (rs1045642) gene in tramadol users in comparison with normal controls.

Death anxiety (Thanatophobia) among drug dependents in an Arabic psychiatric hospital.

Aim: The primary aim of this study was, for the first time to our knowledge, to examine the level of death anxiety (thanatophobia) in drug dependents attending the outpatient clinic in a psychiatric hospital and to examine the relationship of demographic variables to death anxiety.

Method: Eighty-five patients were recruited from outpatient psychiatric attendees at the psychiatric hospital, Kingdom of Bahrain. The death anxiety scale was administered to assess death anxiety, and a clinical psychiatric interview was used to assess psychopathology.

Impact of self-reported life events on the profile of opioid dependence syndrome.

Aim: The aim of this work was to investigate the impact of life events on the profile of opioid dependent patients.

Method: Recruitment was achieved through outpatient drug treatment clinic in Birmingham, UK, and data were collected through semistructured interviews. One-hundred and twenty subjects with opioid dependence syndrome were interviewed, and 100 controls of non-drug-using family members and friends.

Subjective life satisfaction and mental disorders among older adults in UAE in general population.

Background: Life satisfaction is widely considered to be a central aspect of human welfare. Many have identified happiness with it, and some maintain that well-being consists largely or wholly in being satisfied with one's life. Empirical research on well-being relies heavily on life satisfaction studies.

Benzhexol-dependence resulting from self-medication for intermittent explosive disorder.

Objective. Recent observations in Iraq during the period of sanction suggest the existence of benzhexol prescribing linked to its calming effects on explosive behaviours. This inspired our group to research the existence of this practice and the characteristics of those involved in it.

Psychogenic Psychosis Revisited: A Follow up Study.

Background: Although brief and acute psychoses are usually dramatic in presentation, they usually have benign course. Studies investigating clinical features and changes in diagnosis between psychotic episodes have differed in design. However, some consistent findings have emerged.

Referrals to psychiatric service in United arab emirates: an analysis of the content of referral letters.

Objectives: To study all psychiatric referrals by General Practitioners (GPs) to the psychiatric service at Al-Ain Hospital for 7 years starting from July 1997 till December 2003. The study examined the appropriateness of referrals and the quality of information presented in the referral document. Also, it studied the outcome of this referral including the response of the psychiatrist.

Lycanthropy alive in Babylon: the existence of archetype.

Objective: Lycanthropy is the belief in the capacity of human metamorphosis into animal form. It has been recorded in many cultures. Apart from historic description of lycanthropy, there has been several case reports described in the medical literature over the past 30 years.

Frontal lobe changes in alcoholism: a review of the literature.

Alcohol can induce a wide spectrum of effects on the central nervous system. These effects can be recognized at the neurophysiological, morphological and neuropsychological levels. Several studies of the effect of alcohol on the frontal lobes were identified for review from MedLine, PsychLIT databases and by manual searching.

Lycanthropy: new evidence of its origin.

Two cases of lycanthropy will be described. Its possible aetiology and psychopathology will be discussed. In the first case there is clear evidence of an organic origin of the syndrome which is reported for the first time.

A neuropsychological perspective on three schizophrenic patients with midline structural defects.

Background: The relationship between midline structural defects and schizophrenia remains unclear, although a number of neuroradiological studies have reported an association between schizophrenia and a range of anomalies.

Method: Three patients are reported, each diagnosed with schizophrenia and neuroradiological evidence of midline structural anomalies. MRI scans are reported in conjunction with performance over a range of neuropsychological tests designed to assess frontal and lateralised cognitive functions.