International Journal of High Risk Behaviors and Addiction
Volume:12 Issue: 2, Jun 2023

 Addiction is known as a gradual process leading to the uncontrolled abuse of a substance. The main problem facing the practitioners is the high rate of return among abusers after stopping substance consumption. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is considered as one of the methods for treating stimulant substance abuse, in which an electrical current is passed, typically at frequencies above 100 Hz, through electrodes implanted surgically in the subcortical brain nuclei.

 The present study aimed to investigate the effects of high-frequency DBS (HF-DBS) applied to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) on the electrical response of the accumbens nucleus as well as on the motor activity and dependency in morphine-addicted male rats.

 Experimental rats (n = 40) were assigned to five groups (n = 8), including saline, sham, morphine, saline+DBS, and morphine+DBS groups. The rats received DBS with a frequency of 130 Hz, amplitude of 0.2 to 0.5 mA, and repeated periods of 15 minutes with an interval of 45 minutes for 3 hours during the conditioning period in the conditioned place preference (CPP) box. Then, they were treated with saline or morphine and were subjected to stereotaxic surgery for insertion of the stimulator electrode in mPFC and the recorder electrode in AC. The electrical response of AC neurons to DBS was determined by adopting the single-unit recording method. Then, the motor activities of different groups were assessed to evaluate the effects of DBS on animal movement activities. Finally, data analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism 8.1.

 The injection of morphine enhanced the CPP score and reduced the average of spikes in the cortical neurons of the AC compared to those obtained in the sham group. These parameters were significantly decreased and increased in the animals receiving morphine+DBS compared to the morphine group, respectively. Moreover, a significant difference was observed between the morphine+DBS group and the morphine group in terms of the total traveled distance.

 The stimulation of the AC nucleus at high frequency reduced the addiction preference as well as enhanced the locomotor activity and primary neuron activity in the cortex of the AC nucleus.

 Abundant high-risk behaviors in trans-sexual people make it necessary to investigate.

 This study aimed to describe the frequency of high-risk sexual behaviors in sex-reassigned trans-sexual people in Tehran, Iran.

 This study was cross-sectional. Ninety-six sex-reassigned transsexual individuals of both genders presenting to Salamat Bonyan Psychology Clinic were enrolled in the study. The scales included a demographic characteristic form and a researcher-made questionnaire to evaluate high-risk behaviors and sexual health of sex-reassigned transsexual subjects.

 According to the results, 96 individuals completed hormone therapy, of whom 43 underwent sex-reassignment surgery. Also, 73 persons were female-to-male, and 23 persons were male-to-female. (62.5% CI: (0.52 - 0.72)) of the participants did not receive hepatitis B, and (95.83% CI: (0.92 - 0.99)) human papillomavirus vaccination. (87.09% CI: (0.68 - 0.85)) of the participants did not take an human infection virus (HIV) test and (97.9% CI: (0.95 - 0.99)) a Pap test. (99% CI: (0.89 - 0.99)) of the participants were never screened for prostate cancer, and (91.66% CI: (0.86 - 0.97)) for breast cancer. Oral sex was the most common sexual act way (93.75%), and (72.91% CI: (0.68 - 0.77)) never used condoms. (30% CI: (0.20 - 0.39)) of the participants smoked hookah and cigarettes and used alcohol.

 Considering high-risk behaviors and sexually risky behaviors in this group, it is necessary to carry out preventive interventions.

 Emotional disorders are common and recurring mental conditions that can severely affect individuals and have long-term economic consequences for society.

 This study aimed to predict emotional disorders, using neuroticism, emotion regulation, experiential avoidance (EA), and repetitive negative thinking as predictors.

 The study included a sample of 414 patients diagnosed with emotional disorders residing in Tehran. Participants were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Negative Repetitive Thoughts Questionnaire (NRTQ), Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (EAQ), Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms (IDAS), and NEO Personality Questionnaire (NEO FFI). Structural equation modeling, analyzed with SPSS-22 and AMOS-24 software, was employed for data analysis.

 Neuroticism significantly predicted negative emotional regulation, EA, emotional disorders, and repetitive negative thoughts (P < 0.001). The coefficient of determination for emotional disorders was calculated as 0.73, indicating that 73% of the variance in emotional disorders can be explained by the predictor variables (neuroticism, emotional regulation, negative repetitive thoughts, and EA).

 Therefore, it is essential to consider the influence of personality and psychological factors on the inclination toward disorders. The findings of this study offer valuable insights for the development of culturally sensitive, contextually relevant, and psychosocially oriented prevention and treatment programs for emotional disorders using an integrated approach.

 Methamphetamine use can lead to hallucinations and delusions, which can severely disrupt perception, thinking, emotion, and behavior and even cause self-harm and harm to others. Therefore, it is crucial to pay attention to the content of these experiences.

 This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and content of hallucinations and delusions in individuals with methamphetamine dependence.
Patients and

 This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 198 methamphetamine users recruited from compulsory residences using convenience sampling. The participants were interviewed individually using a structured checklist based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). Data were analyzed using SPSS software using descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, and the chi-square test.

 Auditory hallucinations (41.4%) and visual hallucinations (26.8%) were the most participants' common types of hallucinations. Persecution delusion (31.3%), grandeur delusion (17.7%), and reference delusion (16.7%) were the most common types of delusions reported. There were significant differences between the methamphetamine psychosis and non-psychosis groups regarding the rate, duration, and age of onset of methamphetamine use, as well as the prevalence of psychiatric diseases, suicide attempts, non-suicidal self-injury, and history of intoxication.

 The early detection of psychosis symptoms in methamphetamine users through follow-up reviews can prevent the occurrence of more destructive individual and social complications caused by these experiences. It is essential to consider all types of hallucinations and delusions to implement timely preventive actions for individuals with methamphetamine dependence.

 High-risk behaviors are among the most frequent behaviors in adolescents compared with other age ranges.

 The epidemiology and etiology of high-risk behaviors among high school girls and boys in Qom was the aim of this study.

 This survey research was carried out using Rashid Questionnaire (2015). The questionnaire was given to 1000 middle and high school students in 8 schools (4 boys’ and 4 girls' schools) in the south and north (two from each area) of Qom in 2015.

 Feeling deeply sad and hopeless 43.7%, experience of Hookah smoking 43.2%, feeling hurt outdoors 26.5%, the experience of cigarette smoking 26.4%, Physical fight out of home 22%, having sex with one’s own free will 20.7%, having suicidal thoughts 19.9%, planning for suicide 17.7%, experience of alcohol consumption 16.8%, forced sex 14.5%, and attempted suicide in the last 12 months 12.8% were the most common high-risk behaviors among adolescents, respectively. Meanwhile, the mean of high-risk behaviors in boys was higher than in girls. Moreover, among the 15 psychosocial factors studied, four factors of peer pressure, poor religious beliefs, feelings of emptiness, and antisociality had the highest potential to predict their high-risk behavior

 Total range of some high-risk behaviors among the sample in Qom is at a dangerous rate and needs more attention.

 Intentional swallowing of foreign objects is a relatively rare psychopathological behavior. Adolescents and young adults may carry out this act to hurt themselves or even suicide. Often, most reports related to deliberate swallowing are typically either surgical or gastrointestinal and rarely are found in psychiatric articles; more often, the swallowed foreign objects (80 - 90%) are disposed of spontaneously, and 10 - 20% of them require endoscopy for more study and less than 1% of them need surgery to be removed or its complications.

 The presented patient is a 17-year-old girl admitted to the psychosomatic ward of Afzalipour Hospital due to intentional poisoning. During the year before her admission, on three separate occasions, she detached the knife blade from its haft and swallowed it. She underwent laparotomy twice, one time for sigmoid tearing and damage to the left Ovary, to remove the knife and regeneration of the left ovary and sigmoid, and another time to remove the knife in order not to cause damage to her intestines. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case in the world in which an ovary has been damaged. Further investigation into her background shows some extent of privation due to her family's long-term economic problems and instability; moreover, sexual and physical abuse was also confirmed. The patient was prescribed clozapine, which decreased her suicidal behavior and attempts noticeably.

 Swallowing foreign bodies in this patient is interpreted as both self-punishment and punishing others (those who thought they were hurt or may be blamed for their despair or rejection). Intentional swallowing of foreign objects behavior is more resistant than other self-harming activities and may have a worse prognosis. Swallowing foreign objects requires a sophisticated process that, if not correctly managed, may result in serious complications; therefore, appropriate psychiatric counseling and supportive treatment are necessary for these patients. Specific to this patient eliminating the effects of suicide and reaching medical stability with a short admission was necessary. Her suicidal behavior and attempts decreased significantly after starting clozapine treatment. Therefore, clozapine treatment is recommended for patients with suicidal behavior and self-harm.