Anorexia nervosa. Emphasis on its medical complications.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a well-recognized heterogeneous psychiatric disorder, associated with high morbidity and mortality with several medical complications. Besides a brief review, this paper also reports on a single female patient with AN. Eating disorders are reported to be slightly more common among western cultures, but developing countries are not immune to eating disorders.

General practitioners pre and post training knowledge and attitude towards psychiatry.

Objective: General practitioners (GPs) often lack sufficient knowledge of psychiatric diagnoses and have unfavorable attitudes towards mental illness. The first aim of this intervention study is to assess the pre-and post-psychiatric training knowledge and attitudes of GPs. The second aim is to explore certain factors, which predict gain in knowledge and changes in attitude.

Making gynecological and psychiatric sense out of premenstrual pains, tension and dysphoria.

Objective: Millions of women worldwide suffer from a variety of gynecological and psychiatric syndromes that are specifically linked to the late luteal phase of menstrual cycle and hence, need proper treatment for good quality of life. The objective of this qualitative review is to examine the latest developments in the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of premenstrual syndrome and its connections to premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

Methods: A selective search of MEDLINE/PubMed retrieved numerous peer-reviewed papers published in international journals for the past 10 years (the search was ended in 2003), which were screened extensively, but only the latest and most relevant articles were included in this review.

Pervasive developmental disorders. Etiological, diagnostic and treatment conundrum.

Pervasive developmental disorders are severe childhood psychiatric disorders that afflict millions of children worldwide. Despite availability of tremendous data on these disorders, there is a paucity of information among clinicians including mental health professionals. Pervasive developmental disorders, caused by multiple neurobiological and environmental etiologies, are characterized mainly by impaired social interactions, impaired communication and language, and abnormal repetitive interests and behaviors.

Psychiatric co-morbidity in primary care and hospital referrals, Saudi Arabia.

Psychiatric and physical morbidities among patients referred from primary health care (PHC) centres and general hospitals (GH) in Al-Qassim region were compared. Thus, 540 psychiatric referrals (GH = 138; PHC = 402) were selected randomly. Fifteen GH patients but no PHC patients were referred for admission.

Pharmacotherapies of addiction.

Objective: Millions of drug addicts worldwide require proper treatment together with good quality care. This article aims to critically review the psychopharmacology of drug addictions.

Methods: MEDLINE was systematically searched for studies describing drug treatment of addictions.

Drug addiction: a general review of new concepts and future challenges.

Relevant papers published in peer reviewed journals in the past 2 decades were identified and screened to abstract pertinent information. Substance dependence/addiction, involving both a common brain reward mechanism and longer-lasting molecular and cellular changes, is a preventable chronic, relapsing brain disease and as such a public health problem. Physical and psychological dependence, characterized by withdrawal syndrome, are now given less weight compared with compulsive behaviour and uncontrolled use of drugs in the comprehension of addiction.

Integration of mental health care into primary care. Preliminary observations of continuing implementation phase.

Objective: The authors mainly focus on the initial observations of the implementation phase of a health project that aims to integrate mental health into primary care.

Methods: In the light of specific aims and objectives of both planning and curriculum development phases, 2- weeks of intensive psychiatric training consisting of basic theoretical and clinical concepts of psychiatry was imparted to a group of general practitioners and paramedical staff. In addition to assessing their pre-and post-training knowledge, attitude, and practice toward psychiatry, 2 internal Consultant Psychiatrists and participants evaluated the training course providing appropriate feedback to the organizers and trainers for modifying several adopted training methods, as well as a curriculum for subsequent courses.

Integration of mental health care into primary care. Preliminary observations of continuing implementation phase.

Objective: The authors mainly focus on the initial observations of the implementation phase of a health project that aims to integrate mental health into primary care.

Methods: In the light of specific aims and objectives of both planning and curriculum development phases, 2- weeks of intensive psychiatric training consisting of basic theoretical and clinical concepts of psychiatry was imparted to a group of general practitioners and paramedical staff. In addition to assessing their pre-and post-training knowledge, attitude, and practice toward psychiatry, 2 internal Consultant Psychiatrists and participants evaluated the training course providing appropriate feedback to the organizers and trainers for modifying several adopted training methods, as well as a curriculum for subsequent courses.

Childhood enuresis. Epidemiology, pathophysiology and management.

The goal of this article is to review childhood enuresis, which is a common behavioral condition reported in millions of children worldwide. An online computer search was made, and the literature up to 1997 was screened in order to include relevant data for this review. The prevalence of childhood enuresis varies across reviewed studies.

Psychiatric referrals. In primary care and general hospitals in Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia.

Objective: From different perspectives, psychiatric symptoms have special significance in psychiatry. This study comparatively describes the psychopathological symptoms as noted in primary care (402) and general hospital (138) referrals.

Methods: Five hundred and forty psychiatric referrals, retrieved randomly, were reviewed extensively for collecting relevant data.

Psychotropic drugs prescriptions in Al-Qassim region, Saudi Arabia.

Psychotropic drugs prescriptions for patients attending psychiatric outpatient clinics were studied. Of the 52,168 prescriptions written in 1996, 18,265 were systematically, randomly selected and evaluated. Incomplete prescriptions were found; the data missing included duration of treatment (18.

Trihexyphenidyl (Artane) dependence: A controlled investigation between users and abusers.

This controlled study aims to identify the socioclinical factors predisposing psychiatric patients to abuse trihexyphenidyl (artane) and to document the extrapyramidal symptoms in artane abusers and users. Thirty patients (n=30), with mainly two major functional psychoses and who were abusing trihexyphenidyl, were compared with 90 artane user patients (n=90), who were matched for both the diagnosis and treatment. Besides a detailed clinical interview, each patient was assessed by using DSM-IIIR criteria, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Simpson and Angus Scale, and Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale.

Congenital malformations in primary health care in Al-Qassim region.

The objective of this predesigned research was to determine the prevalence, sociodemographic correlates, and pattern of congenital malformations (CMs) in a population less than 20 years of age. From January 1991 to December 1991, the extensive examination of family health files coupled with door-to-door survey identified 1736 patients with CMs. The results showed that the prevalence of CMs was 6.

A seroepidemiological study of measles: Some practical implications for measles immunization program, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

It was hypothesized that the recent outbreaks of measles in a geographically defined area of Al-Qassim might reflect significant changes in the epidemiology of measles and cast doubt upon the real protective value of measles vaccines. Therefore, the two objectives of this research were to study some epidemiological parameters of cases of measles (n=993) and the current immunological status of immunized children (n=2810). The crossmatched data about measles patients were collected on an official proforma and 3 mL of blood were extracted from each child for determining the measles IgG and IgM antibodies.

Munchausen' syndrome and trihexyphenidyl dependence.

The authors describe a woman with Munchausen's syndrome who, during the course of illness, developed dependence on Trihexyphenidyl which besides being partially treated was used in establishing the stable linkage with a hospital and was also successfully utilized in the management of Munchausen's syndrome.

Trihexyphenidyl (artane) abuse among Saudi psychiatric patients.

This preliminary study done by abstracting relevant data from different testing material and using multiple rating scales, describes the sociodemographic variables, psychopathological correlates, and features of trihexyphenidyl (artane) abuse in a sample of 14 Saudi psychiatric patients and, as a result of this research, various relevant issues have been discussed.