The Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety and Their Lifestyle Determinants in a Large Sample of Iranian Adults: Results from a Population Based Cross-Sectional Study

Care Bermuda, families of the patients with chronic mental disorders in Iran surrounded by psychosocial problems and needs: a qualitative study

Background

A mental disorder is characterized by a clinically significant impairment of cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior. As a result of the shift in care from medical centers and hospitals to home care, we now see a change in the treatment of patients with chronic mental disorders. Consequently, families have become the main support system in the progressive care of these patients, leading to psychological and social problems. The current qualitative study investigated the social and psychological health needs and problems of family caregivers of patients with chronic mental disorders in Iran's cultural and social context.

Methods

This was a content analysis qualitative study. The study was conducted in three psychiatric hospitals in Farabi, Noor, Modares. Purposive sampling was done and continued until data saturation. Semi-structured, face-to-face, and individual interviews were conducted with 49 participants (15 family caregivers of patients with CMD and 34 members of the mental health care team). Data analysis was done using the conventional content analysis method.

Results

Eight hundred seventy-five primary codes were obtained, which were classified into 10 subcategories and 3 main categories of 'health challenges of caregiver', 'confused concept of care' and "the need for a coherent support system.

Conclusion

In Iranian society, after the patient is discharged from the hospital or care center, family members will change their role to the most important caregivers of these patients. The psychological and social health of these caregivers is destroyed because of the problems they have in providing care for their patients and their needs, which are not met.

Psychobiotic Effects on Anxiety Are Modulated by Lifestyle Behaviors: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial on Healthy Adults

Psychobiotics are modulators of the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis (MGBA) with promising benefits to mental health. Lifestyle behaviors are established modulators of both mental health and the MGBA. This randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial (NCT04823533) on healthy adults (N = 135) tested 4 weeks of probiotic supplementation (Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175). We assessed effects on wellbeing, quality of life, emotional regulation, anxiety, mindfulness and interoceptive awareness. We then analyzed if lifestyle behaviors modulated probiotic effectiveness. Results showed no significant effects of probiotic intake in whole sample outcomes. Correlational analyses revealed Healthy Behaviors were significantly correlated with wellbeing across scales. Moreover, the linear mixed-effects model showed that the interaction between high scores in Healthy Behaviors and probiotic intake was the single significant predictor of positive effects on anxiety, emotional regulation, and mindfulness in post-treatment outcomes. These findings highlight the relevance of controlling for lifestyle behaviors in psychobiotic and mental health research.

Promoting Psychosocial Health of Family Caregivers of Patients with Chronic Mental Disorders: A Review of Challenges and Strategies

The present study aimed to investigate the mental and social health challenges of family caregivers of the patients with chronic mental disorders (CMD) and strategies which can be helpful in this regard. This study is a narrative review conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Elsevier, Google Scholar, Proquest, Magiran, and Sid databases where keywords such as Family caregiver, Chronic Mental disorder, Health Promotion, Program, Psychosocial, Support, Challenge, and Problem were searched in both Persian and English. A total of 5,745 published documents were found and were screened based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Finally, 64 studies were found which had examined the related challenges, needs and strategies. According to the results, information deficits, needs for support, community participation deficits, and psychological suffering were recognized as challenges of family caregivers of these patients. Moreover, empowerments programs for the enhancement of the knowledge and skills of caregivers and peer-centered support programs were used to improve the level of mental and social health of family caregivers of these patients. Psychosocial problems and challenges that family caregivers of the patients with CMD face affect their health, satisfaction and quality of life. Using a collaborative approach, mental health service providers and government systems can help improve the psychosocial health of caregivers. The related managers and policymakers can reduce the emotional and psychological burden of families and promote their psychosocial health through developing a comprehensive program including practical objectives and strategies and taking into account the challenges that exist for caregivers in caring for patients with CMD.

An Islamic Form of Logotherapy in the Treatment of Depression, Anxiety and Stress Symptoms in University Students in Iran

Previous research demonstrated that spiritually sensitive psychotherapy is an effective treatment for clients with depression or anxiety, with outcomes equivalent to secular control interventions. The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of spiritually sensitive logotherapy intervention in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms in university students in Iran. Sixty students with elevated depression symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory II, BDI-II, 22 or greater) were randomly assigned to either a twelve-session group logotherapy programme or a control group. Results showed that spiritually sensitive logotherapy significantly reduced depression, anxiety, and stress, and significantly more so than in the control group (e.g. interaction effect for BDI-II: F = 56.8, p < 0.001, with a large effect size).