Psychiatric disturbances in idiopathic epilepsy.

Introduction: The relationship between epilepsy and psychiatric disorders has been highlighted for a long time. Idiopathic epilepsy is known to have a benign course in most cases. However, the association of psychiatric disturbances could worsen the disease outcome.

Incidence of treatment-resistant depression during the first mood depressive episode.

Introduction: In spite of several approaches and therapeutic measures, treatment-resistant depression (TRD) continues to inflict serious, individual and collective consequences. Therefore, there is a persistent need to scrutinize the concept of TRD in order to adapt the therapeutic strategies.

Aim: To estimate the incidence of TRD in patients with a first major depressive episode (MDD), and study factors associated with resistance.

Antineuronal autoantibodies induced paraneoplasic syndrome in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: case report.

Unlabelled: Secondary psychiatric symptoms are usually suspected when there is an atypical presentation of the symptoms or a lack of response to psychotropic medication.

Case Presentation: Our case is about a woman aged 62 years old, with a history of mental disorder who presented psychiatric symptomatology after years of being stabilized by antipsychotics. She was later investigated due to a mass in her breast.

Accuracy of the Arabic HCL - 32 and MDQ in detecting patients with bipolar disorder.

Background: Studies about the two most used and validated instruments for the early detection of Bipolar Disorder (BD), the 32 - item Hypomania Checklist (HCL - 32) and the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ), are scarce in non-Western countries. This study aimed to explore the reliability, factor structure, and criterion validity of their Arabic versions in a sample of Tunisian patients diagnosed with mood disorders.

Methods: The sample included 59 patients with BD, 86 with unipolar Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and 281 controls.

Psychiatric Symptoms in Stiff-Person Syndrome: A Systematic Review and a Report of Two Cases.

Background: The clinical spectrum of stiff-person syndrome (SPS) encompasses a wide range of signs including psychiatric symptoms (PS).

Objective: Our objective was to provide an overview of the spectrum of PS in SPS through a systematic literature search and 2 illustrative case reports.

Methods: We reported 2 anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase-positive SPS cases that presented with phobic disorder, and we performed a systematic review by following the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

Validation of the Tunisian version of the Patient Health Questionnaire -9 (PHQ- 9) for Depression screening.

Background: Depression is a major burden for the health-care system worldwide. It is important to use standardized and easily applicable tools for large-scale population screening to improve the early detection of depression. The PHQ-9 has been recommended as the best available screening and case-finding instrument based on its brevity and ability to inform the clinicians on both depression severity and diagnostic criteria.

The stigma of severe mental illness: Beliefs and experiences of Tunisian patients.

Background: Stigmatization of patients with mental illness is a worldwide phenomenon which can jeopardize help seeking and treatment adherence and contribute to low self-esteem and quality of life.

Aim: To assess stigmatization as perceived and experienced by patients with severe mental illness in Tunisia.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted at Razi Hospital La Manouba, Tunisia in clinically stabilized patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia followed at our outpatient clinic.

Women's mental health: acute impact of COVID-19 pandemic on domestic violence.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created a situation of general distress. Although the focus has been initially more on the physical health during the pandemic, mental health concerns linked to the lockdown have quickly risen. This study aims to assess the effect of the COVID-19-related lockdown on Tunisian women's mental health and gender-based violence.

The Factor Structure of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire in Tunisian Patients.

Background: The Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) is a frequently used screening tool for the early detection of Bipolar Disorder (BD), which is often unrecognized or misdiagnosed at its onset. In this study, data from Tunisia has been used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Arabic MDQ.

Methods: The sample included 151 patients with a current major depressive episode.

Satisfaction with psychiatric in-patient care as rated by patients at discharge from hospitals in 11 countries.

Purpose: There is disregard in the scientific literature for the evaluation of psychiatric in-patient care as rated directly by patients. In this context, we aimed to explore satisfaction of people treated in mental health in-patient facilities. The project was a part of the Young Psychiatrist Program by the Association for the Improvement of Mental Health Programmes.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in First-Episode Psychosis: Prevalence and Related Factors.

Introduction: The experience of psychosis or related treatment can be conceptualized as a traumatic event, which might lead to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or PTSD syndrome (which is defined as the presence of PTSD symptoms irrespective of the DSM-IV criterion A definition of a traumatic event as an actual or threatened harm). Few studies explored the subject so far.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 52 clinically stabilized patients who were hospitalized for a first-psychotic episode during the two years preceding the study.