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.

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.