Sociodemographic Characteristics and Clinical Profile of Suicide Attempters Attending the Emergency Department at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Oman: A Retrospective Study.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of individuals who attended the emergency department of a tertiary care center in Muscat, Oman following a suicide attempt. METHODS: A retrospective study (N=154) was conducted between January 2015 and June 2018. Information that was collected included sociodemographic variables (age, nationality, sex, marital status, and occupation), risk (medical comorbidities, psychiatric history, substance misuse, alcohol misuse, and previous history of suicide attempts), and precipitating factors, as well as the chosen methods for the suicide attempts. RESULTS: In all, 83.1% of the sample were Omanis, and women constituted 69.5%. The mean age of the sample was 27 years; 30% were students, 42% were unemployed, and 40.9% had a history of psychiatric disorders. Family conflict, suffering from chronic illness, and having social problems were the most common precipitating factors for the suicide attempt. The most common method used in the suicide attempt was drug overdose (48.1%), mainly involving paracetamol (acetaminophen) (40%). Significant gender differences emerged in precipitating factors, history of substance misuse, and methods of suicide. CONCLUSIONS: The data from this study are consistent with international trends that suggest that women and younger age groups are the most vulnerable to suicide attempts. Although in its infancy, the type of research presented here could lay the groundwork for preventive interventions and programs.

Demographic and Clinical Profile of Patients Receiving Electroconvulsive Therapy at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Oman: A Cluster Analysis.

Objectives: We sought to identify subgroups of psychiatric patients in a sample of patients admitted at a tertiary care hospital in Oman who received electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) based on their demographic and clinical outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively collected data from patients who received ECT at Al Massarah Hospital, Muscat, Oman, between January 2015 and December 2019. Sociodemographic characteristics, clinical profiles, and psychiatric comorbidities were examined. Results: A total of 179 psychiatric patients received ECT; 96 (53.6%) were females. The average age at diagnosis was 42.5 years. Two-step cluster analysis showed 70 (39.1%) patients in cluster one and 109 (60.9%) patients in cluster two. Patients in cluster one included more (61.4%) females, were older (mean = 55.2 years), married (95.7%), and unemployed (88.6%). They reported they had comorbidities (55.7%) and less frequent ECT use (mean = 8.7) than patients in cluster two. Clusters differences were found on gender (p = 0.001), age (p < 0.001), marital status (p < 0.001), and occupation (p = 0.001). Significant differences were found for diagnosis (p < 0.001), comorbid medical conditions (p < 0.001), and use of ECT sessions (p = 0.006). Conclusions: Psychiatric patients receiving ECT are heterogeneous, with different demographic and clinical outcomes. Our study has shown that patients in cluster one are older females, unemployed, with more comorbidities, and depressive disorders, but received fewer ECT sessions. This study provides important information for clinicians to identify strategies to promote the use of ECT on its effectiveness and safety issues for each group.

Clinical Predictors of Depression among Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Cross-sectional Analytical Study from Oman.

Objectives: Many studies suggest that depression is prevalent among patients suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Both depression and IBD have a significant disease burden. However, these studies have mostly been conducted among European and American populations and there is a paucity of studies from Arab countries. This study aimed to examine the prevalence and predictors of depressive symptoms among adult IBD patients attending a tertiary care hospital in Muscat, Oman. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among a random sample of patients aged ≥ 18 years who attended the gastroenterology clinic at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman, between June 2018 and January 2019. Participants were asked to complete the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, which is used to assess depression, and a sociodemographic survey. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent predictors of depressive symptoms among the study sample. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) were also reported. Results: This study included 201 participants, with an average age of 36 years. Just over half (51.2%) of participants were female. The mean duration of the patients' IBD diagnosis was 1.9±0.3 years, the majority (n = 174, 86.6%) of the participants had UC, 80.1% (n = 161) of the participants had received steroids, and 5.5% of the sample had a history of a surgical stoma. The medical comorbidities among the participants were cerebrovascular accidents (24.9%), hypertension (24.5%), and diabetes mellitus (23.9%). The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 23.4%. The logistic regression analysis resulted in four independent predictors of depression: being female (OR = 2.090, p = 0.047), history of surgical stoma (OR = 5.737, p < 0.001), comorbid diagnosis of hypertension (OR = 2.846, p = 0.007), and history of a cerebrovascular accident (OR = 2.651, p = 0.011). Conclusions: Depressive symptoms are prevalent among Omani patients with IBD. Certain clinical factors appeared to increase the risk of depression among this population. The findings of this study fill a gap in the existing literature and call for further work aiming at screening and managing depression among IBD patients.

Exploring Factors Associated With Depressive Symptoms Among Patients With Chronic Pain: A Cross-Sectional Multicenter Study.

ABSTRACT: This cross-sectional study examined the factors associated with depression among people with chronic pain (PwCP) attending specialized pain clinics in Muscat, Oman. Two-hundred eighty-seven participants were recruited for the study, and univariate analyses were used to investigate the difference between individuals who scored above/below the cutoff points for depressive symptoms. A multiple regression analysis was used to detect the independent predictors. Twenty-six percent of participants scored above the cutoff point. Further analysis indicated that unstable family relationships pre-existing depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR], 2.86; p = 0.044), a family history of depression (OR, 4.75; p = 0.019), severe pain (OR, 4.21; p < 0.006), having fibromyalgia (OR, 28.29; p = 0.005), and lumbago/truck (OR, 2.41; p = 0.039) were independent predictors of depressive symptoms. This study indicates that one in four patients with chronic pain also presents with depressive symptoms. However, the role of culture needs to be taken into consideration when interpreting these findings and when building on these data.