Objectives Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated illness that primarily affects the skin, nails and joints. This illness may predispose people to mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. This study aims to determine the prevalence of depression and anxiety in patients with psoriasis and their correlation with quality of life and associated factors. Methods This cross-sectional study involved 174 patients with psoriasis at the dermatology clinic of Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah, Alor Setar. All patients were instructed to complete four sets of questionnaires relating to: sociodemographic profile, clinical characteristics of illness, the validated Malay version of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Malay validated version of Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Data were analysed using a descriptive analysis and correlational and multiple logistic regression analyses. Results We have found that 8.5% patients had depressive and 16.9% had anxiety symptoms. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that higher DLQI scores, presence of lower limbs' lesions and dyslipidaemia were associated with depression in the sampled population. Conclusion This study has shown that the cohort with psoriasis exhibited notable symptoms of depression and anxiety. This emphasises the need for the assessment of anxiety and depression among patients with psoriasis as these symptoms predict poor quality of life. Such correlation of psoriasis with anxiety and depression essentially leads to psychological sequelae. Affected psoriasis patients need appropriate intervention. Our study paves the way for further research by involving other underlying constructs such as perceived body image and stigma.

The primarily rural and agrarian Kelantan province of Malaysia has high rates of drug use and is characterized by unique sociocultural factors. Combining qualitative and ethnographic methods, we investigated drug use and treatment needs of people who use drugs (PWUD) in rural areas of Kelantan. In February 2014, field visits, participant observation, and focus group discussions (FGDs) with 27 active PWUD were conducted in rural areas surrounding the capital city of Kelantan. The findings indicate a high prevalence of opiate and amphetamine type stimulants (ATS) use in these areas. FGD participants reported initiating drug use at early ages due to peer influences, to relieve boredom, to cope with problems, and a high saturation of villages with other PWUD was reported as a major contributor to their own continued drug use. They reported a trend of drug use initiation at younger ages and increased drug use among females. Participants were interested in treatment; however, their limited knowledge about treatment options and perceived limited availability of services were barriers to treatment seeking. Easy access to drugs, primarily from Thailand and facilitated by the use of mobile phones, resulted in an expanding prevalence of drug use that underscores the need to bolster education and prevention efforts and accessibility of treatment services in Kelantan.

The findings support clinical tolerability and safety and suggest potential efficacy of atomoxetine for treating ATS use disorder in this population.

Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) use is increasingly prevalent in Malaysia, including among individuals who also use opioids. We evaluated cognitive functioning profiles among individuals with co-occurring opioid and ATS dependence and their lifetime patterns of drug use. Participants (N=50) enrolling in a clinical trial of buprenorphine/naloxone treatment with or without atomoxetine completed the Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure test, Digit Span, Trail Making and Symbol Digit Substitution tasks. Multidimensional scaling and a K-means cluster analyses were conducted to classify participants into lower versus higher cognitive performance groups. Subsequently, analyses of variance procedures were conducted to evaluate between group differences on drug use history and demographics. Two clusters of individuals with distinct profiles of cognitive performance were identified. The age of ATS use initiation, controlling for the overall duration of drug use, was significantly earlier in the lower than in the higher cognitive performance cluster: 20.9 (95% CI: 18.0 – 23.8) versus 25.2 (95% CI: 22.4 – 28.0, p = 0.038). While adverse effects of ATS use on cognitive functioning can be particularly pronounced with younger age, potentially related to greater vulnerability of the developing brain to stimulant and/or neurotoxic effects of these drugs, the current study findings cannot preclude lowered cognitive performance before initiation of ATS use.

Malay-Muslim identity is the regular norm among Malays in Malaysia; however, this identity has been challenged with the emergence of sexual-and-gender minority (SGM). Even though Malay cultural values and Islamic teachings prohibit same-sex orientation and cross-gender, a SGM group has evolved among Malay-Muslim natal females. This meta-synthesis was conducted to explore the psychosocial factors involved in the construction of SGM and its consequences among Malay natal females in Malaysia using the Sandelowski-Barroso approach. A systematic search of articles was done in the selected databases by using identified keywords between October to December 2020. Twelve full articles were included after proper screening and in-depth reviews. The quality of these articles was assessed independently by two researchers. The articles were then analysed using ATLAS.ti 8 software to group the data into subthemes and themes. Lastly, the effect sizes of each subtheme were calculated. Three main themes were identified: affection seeking, hurtful experience and nurturing influences. Malay natal females also shared consequences following construction of SGM identity which include acceptance from community, continuous conflicts in life and mental health consequences. This meta-synthesis revealed the influences that shape the construction of Malay SGM women. Thus, interventions shall be planned to aid them according to cultural and psychosocial factors.