Efficacy of aftercare services for people with severe mental disorders in Iran: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether aftercare services reduced the number of rehospitalizations and length of hospital stay among patients with severe mental disorders.

Methods: A total of 120 patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective or bipolar disorder between the ages of 15 and 65 were recruited from 2010 to 2012 for a randomized controlled trial. The participants were followed up for 20 months after discharge from a university-affiliated hospital in Tehran, Iran.

The Persian Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale and mood disorder questionnaire in screening the patients with bipolar disorder.

Background: Considering the difficulties in diagnosing bipolar disorder in clinical practice and lack of needed screening instruments in Persian language, the present study aimed at assessing sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values for the Persian Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale.

Methods: The study was conducted in a university-affiliated hospital in Tehran, Iran, in a sample of 181 consecutive outpatients aged 18-65 years. The used instruments were the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV axis I disorders, the Persian Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale, the Persian Mood Disorder Questionnaire, and the Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder.