[Prevalence and predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder in road traffic accidents]. / Prévalence et facteurs prédicteurs des troubles post-traumatiques chez les accidentés de la voie publique.

Introduction: trauma-related disorders following a road accident have both a health and an economic impact. Methods: we conducted a prospective study to determine the prevalence of these disorders, and to identify risk factors in subjects victims of road accidents and hospitalized in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology of the University Hospital Center of Sfax-Tunisia. Results: a total of sixty-ten subjects were included in this study. The prevalence of acute stress disorder was 37.1% and was associated with female sex, low educational level, previous medical and surgical history, passivity during the accident, severity of injuries and the presence of anxious and depressive symptoms. Post-traumatic stress disorder was observed in 40% of subjects and was associated with urban residential environment, passivity during the accident and anxious and depressive symptoms. Low scores for functional coping strategies and high scores for dysfunctional coping strategies were significantly associated with both disorders. Low educational level, urban residential environment, high levels of anxiety and depression, and denial coping strategy appear to be independent risk factors for acute stress and post-traumatic stress disorder. Conclusion: It is therefore important to determine the profile of people at greater risk of post-traumatic stress disorder, to enable early diagnosis in victims of road accidents.

Evaluation des Troubles Cognitifs Chez des Patients Tunisiens Atteints de Trouble Bipolaire en Rémission : Étude Cas-Témoins: Assessment of Cognitive Impairment in Tunisian Patients With Bipolar Disorder in Remission: A Case-Control Study.

OBJECTIVES: Our aims were to assess cognitive impairment in bipolar patients in remission compared with healthy controls, and to study its connection to clinical and therapeutic factors. METHODOLOGY: This was a case-control study of patients with bipolar disorder (BD) in remission and matched healthy controls. It was carried out at the Hédi Chaker University Hospital in Sfax, Tunisia. The Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP) scale was used to assess cognitive function in patients and controls. This scale comprises subtests for verbal learning with immediate (VLT-I) and delayed (VLT-D) recall, working memory (WMT), verbal fluency (VFT) and information processing speed (PST). RESULTS: We recruited 61 patients and 40 controls. Compared with controls, patients had significantly lower scores on the overall SCIP scale and on all SCIP subtests (p < 0.001 throughout) with moderate to high effects. In multivariate analysis, the presence of psychotic characteristics correlated with lower scores on the overall SCIP (p = 0.001), VLT-I (p = 0.001) and VLT-D (p = 0.007), WMT (p = 0.002) and PST (p = 0.008). Bipolar II correlated with lower LTV-I scores (p = 0.023). Age of onset and duration of the disorder were negatively correlated with PST scores (p < 10-3 and p = 0.007, respectively). Predominantly manic polarity correlated with lower VFT scores (p = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that bipolar patients in remission presented significantly more marked cognitive impairments, affecting various cognitive domains, than the controls. These cognitive impairments appear to be linked to clinical and therapeutic factors that are themselves considered to be factors of poor prognosis in BD.

OBJECTIFS: Nos objectifs étaient d'évaluer les troubles cognitifs chez des patients bipolaires en rémission comparativement à des témoins sains et d'étudier leur rapport avec les facteurs cliniques et thérapeutiques. MÉTHODES: Il s'agissait d'une étude cas-témoins, menée auprès de patients atteints de trouble bipolaire (TBP) en rémission et de témoins sains appariés. Elle a été réalisée au centre hospitalo-universitaire (CHU) Hédi Chaker de Sfax (Tunisie). L'échelle the Screen for cognitive impairment in psychiatry (SCIP) a été utilisée pour l'évaluation des fonctions cognitives chez les patients et les témoins. Cette échelle se compose des sous-échelles d'apprentissage verbal avec rappel immédiat (VLT-I) et différé (VLT-D), de la mémoire de travail (WMT), de la fluence verbale (VFT) et de la vitesse de traitement de l'information (PST). RÉSULTATS: Nous avons recruté 61 patients et 40 témoins. Comparés aux témoins, les cas avaient des scores totaux du SCIP et de toutes les sous-échelles du SCIP significativement plus bas (p < 0,001 partout) avec des tailles d'effet modérées à élevées. Dans l'analyse multivariée, la présence de caractéristiques psychotiques était corrélée à l'abaissement des scores du SCIP total (p = 0,001), du VLT-I (p = 0,001) et VLT-D (p = 0,007), du WMT (p = 0,002), et du PST (p = 0,008). Le TBP de type 2 était corrélé à l'abaissement du score de VLT-I (p = 0,023). L'âge de début et la durée d'évolution du trouble étaient corrélés négativement au score PST (p < 10−3 et p = 0,007 respectivement). La polarité maniaque prédominante était corrélée à l'abaissement du score VFT (p = 0,007). CONCLUSIONS: Notre étude a montré que les patients bipolaires en rémission présentaient des troubles cognitifs touchant différents domaines cognitifs, significativement plus marqués que chez les témoins. Ces troubles cognitifs semblent être liés à des facteurs cliniques et thérapeutiques considérés eux-mêmes comme des facteurs de mauvais pronostic de la maladie bipolaire.

Prevalence and factors for anxiety and depression among secondary school teachers from Sfax city of Tunisia in times of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: teachers have to adapt during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to many changes that could potentially make them more vulnerable to psychological distress. We aimed to assess anxiety and depression in Tunisian secondary school teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore their associated factors. Methods: we conducted a cross-sectional survey concerning Tunisian secondary school teachers between May 1st, 2021, and June 30th, 2021, using an online survey platform via Google Forms. Participants were asked to fill in a form including two psychometric tests: the General Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9). We performed both univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses. Results: a total of 170 secondary school teachers were included, of whom 22.4% (n=38) were males and 77.6% (n=132) were females. The median age was 45.5 years (Q1=39, Q3=49). The overall anxiety prevalence was 34.7% (n=59) while it was 41.7% (n=71) for depression. In multivariable analysis, anxiety was strongly associated with sleep disturbances (aOR: 5.1; 95% CI: 1.80-14.45; p=0.002) and depression (aOR: 33.91; 95% CI: 12.32-93.33; p<0.001) while depression was strongly associated with dissatisfaction with working conditions (aOR: 3.99; 95% CI: 1.49-10.65; p=0.006), the irregular wearing of protective masks (aOR: 3.94; 95% CI: 1.33-11.66; p=0.013) and anxiety (aOR=51.63; 95% CI: 17.74-150.25; p<0.001). Conclusion: secondary school teachers in Tunisia are characterized by a high rate of anxiety and depressive disorders which are related to personal and professional factors on which we can act by supplying of educational institutions by protective masks, the implementation of programs for adjusting working conditions and the practice of non-pharmacological interventions for insomnia management.

Criminal liability and epilepsy: a case report of a postictal attempted homicide from Tunisia.

OBJECTIVE: Patients with epilepsy who have been charged with a serious offense may be referred by the courts for forensic psychiatric examination. A detailed psychiatric and neurological examination is often necessary to assist the courts in making the right decision, as exemplified in the current case presentation. METHOD: The forensic case of a 30-year-old Tunisian male with temporal epilepsy who exhibited an inadequate response to the treatment is presented here. The patient attempted to kill his neighbor after a cluster of seizures, showing apparent postictal aggression. An antiepileptic treatment was introduced a few days after the person's detention and was followed by forensic psychiatric examination, but the latter was not done until three months afterwards. RESULTS: On forensic examination, the patient's thought processes were clear with no evidence of a thought disorder or psychosis. Both medical and psychiatric opinions stated that the attempted homicide was due to a postictal psychosis. The patient was transferred to a psychiatric facility for further management and was found not guilty by reason of insanity. CONCLUSION: This case illustrates the difficulties that experts may encounter in establishing criminal liability after aggressive behavior associated with epilepsy. It highlights shortcomings in Tunisian law (and promptness of forensic psychiatric examination) that should be addressed to ensure fairness of the legal process.