Psychiatric disorders following the Tunisian revolution.

BACKGROUND: During the Tunisian Revolution, the constant threat of death and the feeling of insecurity brought about psychological reactions that tended to be excessive in some individuals, thus leading to genuine psychiatric disorders. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to outline the different psychiatric disorders which occurred following the Tunisian Revolution and to determine the social, demographic and clinical features associated with these disorders. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was undertaken. We included all patients who first presented at the outpatient clinic at Razi hospital with psychiatric symptoms attributed to the Tunisian Revolution between 15 January 2011 and 15 October 2011. We used a form detailing social, demographic and clinical characteristics. Diagnoses were made on the basis of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed., text revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria. RESULTS: Our population consisted of 107 subjects: 28 women (26.2%) and 79 men (73.8%), with a mean age of 40 ± 12. The majority (66.4%) were married. Most (57.9%) patients had a secondary education level. Agents of order represented the largest occupational group accounting for 36.4% of the population. The most prevalent psychiatric disorders included major depressive disorder (30.8%), adjustment disorder (30.8%) and post-traumatic stress disorder (27.1%). CONCLUSION: This study emphasizes the diversity of psychiatric disorders that can occur following a man-made disaster.

Psychological crisis intervention response to the COVID 19 pandemic: A Tunisian centralised Protocol.

In order to manage the urgent psychological need for support in response to the anticipated reaction of the population to the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed a new psychological crisis intervention model by implementing a centralised psychological support system for all of Tunisia. We set up a helpline which is accessible throughout the country, including those without access to Internet. This model integrates medical students, child and adolescent psychiatrists, psychiatrists, psychologists and social services to provide psychological intervention to the general population and medical staff. It will make a sound basis for developing a more effective psychological crisis intervention response system.

[The Usefulness of Clonazepam as an Augmentative Treatment in a Case of Severe Childhood Onset Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder]. / Siddetli Bir Çocukluk Çagi Baslangiçli Obsesif Kompulsif Bozukluk Olgusunda Güçlendirme Tedavisi Olarak Klonazepam.

The goal of this study is to report on the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a chronic disabling condition that often presents during childhood and adolescence. Reports on adults using clonazepam for the treatment of OCD are more numerous than on children. Clonazepam as an augmentative treatment in OCD is still controversial. Our aim is to illustrate in a case report the efficacy of clonazepam as an augmentative treatment for severe childhood onset OCD. We report on the case of a young teenage girl with an extremely severe form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (score of 32 on the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale), who, after a mild improvement with a combination of serotonin recapture inhibitors and second generation antipsychotics at high doses, has responded to clonazepam (3mg/day) augmentation of sertraline (200mg/day) and olanzapine (15mg/day). Clonazepam was effective not only in reducing anxiety symptoms, but also in lowering compulsions and obsessions frequency within 6 weeks with a drop in the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale of 16 points. It may be asserted that clonazepam could be useful in the initial stage for severe OCD in young patients.