Relationship Between Impulsivity and Clinical and Sociodemographic Variables Among Lebanese Patients With Bipolar Disorder: Results of a Cross-Sectional Study.

Impulsivity is a psychiatric symptom that seems to be more prevalent in some mental disorders such as bipolar disorders (BDs). It is a trait that seems to be influenced by many clinical and sociodemographic variables across BD. To examine the relationship between impulsivity and these variables, we performed a cross-sectional study on 50 patients diagnosed with BD and 50 healthy subjects. Both groups were administered the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale; the Structural Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, for borderline personality disorder; the Beirut District Scale; and the Athens Insomnia Scale to assess impulsivity, borderline personality disorder, psychological distress, and sleep disturbances, respectively. A significantly higher nonplanning impulsivity (p = 0.001), motor impulsivity (p < 0.0001), total impulsivity (p < 0.0001), body mass index (p < 0.0001), and insomnia (p = 0.002) were found in subjects with BDs compared with healthy ones. Exposure to violence (odds ratio [OR] = 7.63), the loss of a parent (OR = 3.83), being a current smoker (OR = 14.56), and a higher motor impulsivity score (OR = 1.27) were all significantly associated with the presence of BD. Impulsivity was shown to be strongly associated with the presence of a diagnosis of BD, and further studies are warranted to fully characterize it through the course of the illness.

Correlates of orthorexia nervosa among a representative sample of the Lebanese population.

INTRODUCTION: Orthorexia nervosa (ON), or the pathological preoccupation and "fixation on healthy food" has been emerging as a new eating disorder. A limited amount of literature exists today on the prevalence of ON. The objective of the current study was to assess factors associated with ON tendencies and behaviors among a representative sample of the Lebanese population. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study, conducted between January and May 2018, which enrolled 811 participants from all Lebanese governorates. The ORTHO-15 scale was used to evaluate ON tendencies and behaviors among participants. Scores below 40 indicate the presence of ON. RESULTS: The results showed that 589 (75.2%) participants had ON tendencies and behaviors. The results of the multivariable analysis taking the ORTHO-15 score as the dependent variable, showed that female gender (Beta = - 0.739), starving to lose weight (Beta = - 0.859), convincing others to follow a diet (Beta = - 0.971), thinking that eating out is unhealthy (Beta = - 0.931) and increased EAT (eating attitudes test) scores (Beta = - 0.087) were associated with higher level of orthorexia tendencies and behaviors (lower ORTHO-15 scores). CONCLUSION: A highly unexpected prevalence of ON tendencies and behaviors was found in our sample. The Lebanese population might have high preoccupation behavior towards healthy and proper nutrition. Social awareness and behavioral intervention programs are warranted to follow a healthy diet and lifestyle behaviors, and consequently overcome ON. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 5, cross-sectional descriptive study.