Even 30 or more years after the end of a war, veterans can suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the present study, we explored the influence on symptoms of PTSD among Iranian veterans of the Iran-Iraq war of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) as add-on to a standard treatment with citalopram. Forty-eight male veterans with PTSD (mean age: 52.97 years) took part in this eight-week intervention study. Standard treatment for all patients consisted of citalopram (30-50 mg/day at therapeutic dosages). Patients were randomly assigned either to the treatment or to the control condition. Treatment involved MBCT delivered in group sessions once a week. Patients in the control condition met at the hospital with the same frequency and duration for socio-therapeutic events. At baseline and at study completion, patients completed questionnaires covering symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and stress. At study completion after eight weeks, scores for PTSD (re-experiencing events, avoidance, negative mood and cognition, hyperarousal), depression, anxiety, and stress were lower, but more so in the intervention than the control group. Data suggest that, as adjuvant to standard SSRI medication, MBCT is an effective intervention to significantly reduce symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and stress among veterans.

BackgroundMalingering is prevalent in PTSD, especially in delayed-onset PTSD. Despite the attempts to detect it, indicators, tools and methods to accurately detect malingering need extensive scientific and clinical research. Therefore, this study was designed to validate a tool that can detect malingering of war-related PTSD by Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test (M-FAST).MethodsIn this blind clinical diagnosis study, one hundred and twenty veterans referred to War Related PTSD Diagnosis Committee in Iran in 2011 were enrolled. In the first step, the clients received Psychiatry diagnosis and were divided into two groups based on the DSM-IV-TR, and in the second step, the participants completed M-FAST.ResultsThe t-test score within two groups by M-FAST Scale showed a significant difference (t = 14.058, P < 0.0001), and 92% of malingering war-related PTSD participants scored more than 6 and %87 of PTSD group scored less than 6 in M-FAST Scale.ConclusionsM-FAST showed a significant difference between war-related PTSD and malingering participants. The ≥6 score cutoff was suggested by M-FAST to detect malingering of war-related PTSD.

BackgroundWar, as a stressor event, has a variety of acute and chronic negative consequences, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this context, early maladaptive schema-based problems in PTSD have recently become an important research area. The aim of this study was to assess early maladaptive schemas in patients with acute and chronic PTSD.MethodUsing available sampling methods and diagnostic criteria, 30 patients with chronic PTSD, 30 patients with acute PTSD, and 30 normal military personnel who were matched in terms of age and wartime experience were selected and assessed with the Young Schema Questionnaire-Long Form, Beck Depression Inventory second version (BDI-II), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Impact of Events Scale (IES).ResultsBoth acute and chronic PTSD patients, when compared with normal military personnel, had higher scores for all early maladaptive schemas. Additionally, veterans suffering from chronic PTSD, as compared with veterans suffering from acute PTSD and veterans without PTSD, reported more impaired schemas related, for instance, to Self-Control, Social Isolation, and Vulnerability to Harm and Illness.DiscussionThe results of the present study have significant preventative, diagnostic, clinical, research, and educational implications with respect to PTSD.

Introduction: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common neurological disease in young adults. In addition to physical problems, MS is associated with significant psychological effects, such as cognitive, mood, and behavioral deficits. Given the high prevalence of this disorder and effects on cognitive and psychological functions, the aim of the present research was to evaluate the effect of cognitive rehabilitation on cognitive function, memory, depression, and anxiety in patients with MS. Materials and Methods: Six patients with diagnostic criteria for MS, both men and women with the age between 20 and 40 years, at least high school diploma education and having participation motivation were selected. Research tools were included DASS scale, Wechsler Memory scale, and Wisconsin Card Sorting test. The Patients were trained for cognitive rehabilitation for three months. Clinical Results were compared before and after the treatment, and finally, the obtained data were analyzed. Results: Cognitive rehabilitation induced significant and considerable improvement in cognitive functions, memory, anxiety, and depression of all patients. Conclusion: This study suggested the possibility of improvement in the cognitive abilities and psychological health of MS patients by cognitive rehabilitation. This finding emphasizes the necessity of new rehabilitation methods for treatment of patients with MS.