Vandad Sharifi

Tehran University of Medical Sciences | TUMS · Department of Psychiatry

Background Environmental research on mental health primarily originates from high-income countries, while information about the rest of the world remains limited. Aims This study examined: (1) the available published research evidence regarding the association between neighborhood-level deprivation and indicators of mental health and illness in lo...

Background: Crisis hotlines have become a popular means of providing mental health support during crises, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives: Our aim was to establish and evaluate the implementation of a freely accessible psychiatric crisis hotline in Iran. Methods: During each call, crisis counselors conducted crisis assessments...

Background Individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) often face challenges in obtaining and maintaining employment, resulting in low occupational rates. The Individual Placement and Support (IPS) program has been proven effective in promoting employment for people with SMI. However, its implementation in low-resource settings is limited. This st...

Background Number of opiate users worldwide has doubled over the past decade, but not all of them are diagnosed with opioid use disorder. We aimed to identify the prevalence and risk factors for OUD after ten years of follow-up. Methods Among 8,500 chronic opiate users at Golestan Cohort Study baseline (2004–2008), we recalled a random sample of 4...

Background: Several cognitive biases may be involved in the pathogenesis and continuation of symptoms in schizophrenia. Metacognitive Training (MCT) is a treatment program that targets cognitive bias in schizophrenia. The current work aimed to evaluate the influence of MCT on schizophrenia using a single-subject design. Methods: Five patients with...

Objective: This study aimed to investigate neurocognitive functioning, quality of life, and global functional performance in Ultra-High Risk (UHR) individuals compared to Familial High-Risk (FHR) individuals for developing schizophrenia. Method : An observational cross-sectional study was conducted using a convenient sampling method at Roozbeh Hosp...

Background Number of opiate users worldwide has doubled over the past decade, but not all of them are diagnosed with opioid use disorder (OUD). We aimed to identify the prevalence and risk factors for OUD after ten years of follow-up. Methods Among 8,500 chronic opiate users at Golestan Cohort Study baseline (2004–2008), we recalled a random sampl...

Background: In many developing countries, most patients referred for hospitalization for high suicide risk are deprived of adequate care, mainly because of limited psychiatric facilities. Objectives: We aimed to investigate the short-term outcomes of an outpatient psychiatric crisis intervention (PCI) service enhanced with case management for patie...

Background: Children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) households are at greater risk for mental illnesses. Socioeconomic status has different dimensions: Objective SES, subjective SES, and contextual SES. Evidence suggests that subjective SES partially mediates the impact of objective SES on mental health. However, these hypotheses have not be...

Objective: The present study aims to determine if psychotic experiences in a general population sample are a risk factor for depressive disorders at a 15-year follow-up visit. Method: A longitudinal population cohort of adults over age 18 from East Baltimore were followed from 1981 to 1996 with 1409 participants included in analyses. Delusions a...

Suicide and suicide attempt affect a considerable part of the general population, and in spite of their prevalence, the stigma associated with suicide remains an unsolved problem surrounding this important public health problem, especially in lower-income countries such as Iran. Evidence shows that help-seeking from formal mental health services fo...

Suicide and suicide attempt affect a considerable part of the general population, and in spite of their prevalence, the stigma associated with suicide remains an unsolved problem surrounding this important public health problem, especially in lower-income countries such as Iran. Evidence shows that help-seeking from formal mental health services fo...

Importance Integrated care for children is rarely studied, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where generalists often provide mental health care. Objectives To explore the effect of adding a child and youth component to an existing adult collaborative care program on mental health outcomes and receipt of care. Design, Setting, and Pa...

Background: Severe mental disorders impose a significant burden of illness directly on the patient and their caregivers. In this study, the prevalence of suicidal ideation and the severity of depression in patients who received home care were evaluated in comparison with other patients who experienced usual outpatient care. Methods: The study desig...

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the attitude towards professional help seeking and its association with stigma for depressive disorders in a specific group of Iranian youth. Method: Students from four different faculties of Tehran University and Tehran University of Medical Sciences entered in this cross-sectional study. Level of F...

Objective: This study examined the relationships between cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components of public stigma towards persons with schizophrenia, comparing the attribution and danger appraisal models of stigma. Method: This cross-sectional study involved 324 medical students and interns of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Result...

Background Burnout is common among residents, which could be associated with their professional network characteristics. This study aimed to assess the social networks of psychiatry residents and develop an intervention to improve their network characteristics, burnout, and perception of the educational environment. Methods We recruited a cohort o...

One in eight adults in Iran is estimated to have major depressive disorder (MDD) – a leading cause of disability in the country. Many remain undiagnosed, and some receive only partial treatment. An estimated 60% of those with MDD were reported to have received no treatment during the past year. In this paper, we have critically reviewed the current...

Background One in four families has at least one member with a mental disorder and families are the main caregivers in most patients in low and middle-income countries. Caregivers experience disruption in their routine lives, increased responsibilities, increased need for support, and changes in their network. The role of personal support networks...

Background: This study aimed to investigate factors associated with adherence to follow-up in patients diagnosed with a depressive disorder in the collaborative care program in Tehran between May 2017 to October 2017. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed in three community mental health centers (CMHCs) in Tehran. Results: A...

Objective: Three categories of interventions are considered for reducing the prevalence of mental disorders in Iran: mental health promotion, increasing mental health and social service utilization and controlling mental health risk factors. In this regard, we designed a community action program in a national plan to provide comprehensive social an...

Background: Given the overwhelming mental health consequences of infectious epidemics, timely identification and treatment of people with mental health problems is essential. In this narrative review, screening instruments and procedures for identification of mental health problems at the time of epidemic crises are reviewed and the results are di...

Introduction: Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) is used to improve cognitive functioning in patients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders (SSDs). Most of the previous studies had incorporated a long rehabilitation program. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a short and easy to implement computer-based CRT on cognitive performance in pat...

Objective: A national program on providing comprehensive social and mental health services, entitled “SERAJ”, was developed and piloted in three districts of Iran. The present study aims to thoroughly explain the educational needs for implementing the provision of comprehensive mental and social health services in districts of Iran (SERAJ). Method:...

Objective: The main objective of this study was to review aspects of the current situation and structure of the integrated mental health care services for planning a reform. Aspects of the newly designed infrastructure, along with specification of duties of the various human resources, and its relation with Iran’s Comprehensive Mental and Social He...

Background: The Islamic Republic of Iran is a majority Muslim country, with a culturally low acceptance of high-risk behaviours. Aims: To investigate co-occurrence of risk behaviours in the Iranian general population. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Data were obtained from a random subsample of 3508 participants in the Iranian Menta...

This article aims to explore the barriers and challenges of implementing psychiatric rehabilitation services at a psychiatric hospital in Iran. We performed an internal mixed-methods evaluation by adopting a multi-method approach. The data were organised, analysed and interpreted by the evaluation team. A low participation rate, administrative issu...

Objective: A national program on providing comprehensive social and mental health services, entitled “SERAJ” was developed and piloted in three districts of Iran. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of SERAJ by conducting assessments before and after the implementation in the intervention and the control areas. Method: This was a...

Background Iran has well-established networks for primary care staffed by general practitioners who provide services to patients across the lifespan. Iran recently established collaborative care networks to build general practitioners’ capacity to provide adult mental health services. In an NIH-funded study, we are designing and evaluating a traini...

Objective: The Iranian Mental Health Survey (IranMHS) indicated that almost 1 in 4 people had one or more psychiatric disorders (23.6%); however, two-thirds of patients did not benefit from health interventions, many provided services were inadequate and imposed a high burden on Iranian families. Therefore, the development of a national program on...

Objective: The social component of health plays a significant role in improving the mental health of the people of a district. A national program on providing comprehensive social and mental health services, entitled ‎‎“SERAJ”, was developed and piloted in three districts of Iran. The present study aims to determine its model for improving the indi...

Objective: The Iranian Mental Health Survey (IranMHS) in 2011 has demonstrated that almost 1 out of 4 adult individuals suffer from psychiatric disorders; however, more than two-thirds are left unrecognized and untreated and many of the services have poor quality of care. In this paper we present our experience in developing and employing community...

Background: Loss of social skills in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders affects their quality of life. Social skill training is an effective intervention to improve the patient’s function and quality of life. Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of short-term social skills training on symptoms, quality of life, an...

Context: Self-immolation is defined as ending life by suicide, particularly through burning, which carries considerable morbidity and mortality. Although its prevalence is low in developed countries, in developing countries, it’s an important problem. Evidence Acquisition: We systematically searched studies published in international and local data...

Background: The strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) is one of the most common screening tools to detect children and adolescents who are at risk of mental health problems or have psychiatric disorders. The standard mode of SDQ completion is on paper; however, some studies used phone administration and argued that this is a feasible and v...

BACKGROUND Psychoeducation for bipolar disorder has significant impact on symptoms and treatment adherence. In Iran, as a low-resource setting, infrastructural barriers may hinder optimum delivery of this evidence-based intervention to patients, such as inadequate mental health professionals and difficulties in transportation and costs of care. OB...

Background Psychoeducation for bipolar disorder has a significant impact on symptoms and treatment adherence. In Iran, as a low-resource setting, infrastructural barriers, such as inadequate mental health professionals, difficulties in transportation, and costs of care, may hinder optimum delivery of this evidence-based intervention to patients. O...

Objectives: This study evaluated the psychometrics of the Farsi translation of diagnostic interview for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults (DIVA-5) based on DSM-5 criteria. Methods: Referrals to a psychiatric outpatient clinic ( N = 120, 61.7% males, mean age 34.35 ± 9.84 years) presenting for an adult ADHD (AADHD) diagnosis,...

Individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) rely on "explicit learning" strategies in decision making. It is suggested that periods of brief distraction (in healthy individuals) result in better decisions in complex situations. It can be hypothesized that periods of unconscious thought would not lead to better decisions due to impairment o...

Introduction: The prevalence of anxiety disorders in children suffering from chronic diseases, such as asthma, makes it necessary to investigate the underling mechanisms of etiology and continuation of anxiety. Studies on the attentional bias of children with asthma have not only very limited but ended up in mixed results. The present study aims is...

Background: Child and youth mental health problems are leading causes of disability and particular problems in low- and middle-income countries where populations are young and child mental health services are in short supply. Collaborative care models that support primary care providers' efforts to detect and treat child mental health problems off...

Objective: The number of children with autism, who have many unmet needs, is increasing dramatically. However, the existing evidence shows that early identification and intervention are effective in reducing the later costs and burdens of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Thus, the present study aimed to develop evidence-based services for children w...

Objective: National surveys revealed a high prevalence of psychiatric disorders in Iran. Province-level estimates are needed to manage the resources and focus on preventive efforts more efficiently. The objective of this study was to provide province-level estimates of psychiatric disorders. Method: In this study, Iranian Mental Health Survey (Ira...

Objective: The present study is a part of a larger study that aimed at developing a comprehensive model of service delivery for individuals with autism in Iran based on the local needs and characteristics. In this study, the status of the services provided to those with autism in Iran was investigated based on the perspectives of parents of childre...

Purpose This study aims to explore how psychiatric residents and nurses experience the conditions of psychiatric emergency services. Design and Methods This qualitative study was carried out using content analysis. Data were collected through unstructured interviews conducted during three focus groups. Findings The results of the focus groups wer...

Background This study was aimed to determine the prevalence, predictors and cost of CAM practitioner use among traumatic patients in Iran. Methods This cross-sectional household survey of a nationally representative sample of Iranians 15 to 64 yr old was conducted in 2011, using a three-stage cluster sampling. Short Form Injury Questionnaire 7 (SF...

Background: It has been shown in the past two decades that anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders in general population across the world. This study sought to assess the prevalence of major anxiety disorders, their sociodemographic correlates and mental health service utilization as part of the Iranian Mental Health Survey (IranMHS...

Background: Past research suggests that individuals suffering from depressive disorders with bipolar features might have different clinical outcomes resembling bipolar disorders. The objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence of bipolar features among individuals meeting the criteria for 12-month major depressive disorder (MDD) in th...

Introduction and Aims There is a paucity of data on volume of alcohol use from Muslim majority countries. We aimed to present estimation methods for alcohol consumption with the use of survey data for these societies and provide an estimation for age 15+ per capita consumption of pure alcohol for Iran. Design and Methods The Iranian Mental Health...

Introduction: Team working is an important part of psychiatry but psychiatry delivery services with teamwork approach were limited in our country. Providing rehabilitation services in a coordinated and comprehensive manner requires a professional team consists of psychiatrist, psychologist, occupational therapist, social worker and their collaborat...

Objectives The aims of the study were to translate into Persian and culturally adapt the Kessler Psychological Distress Scales, K10 and K6, and to assess their reliability and validity. Method The sample was recruited from primary health care (PHC) settings by quota nonprobability sampling, stratified by sex and age. Validity was assessed against...

Extended Abstract 1. Introduction Psychiatric disorders have a high prevalence and impose a huge burden to societies all over the world. Despite the recent trend to develop community-based psychiatry services, hospital-based services are still an inevitable part of treatment process, especially for patients in acute phases. Nowadays, interventions...

Background: Family and patient psychoeducation have demonstrated significant improvement in clinical and social outcomes for patients suffering from severe mental disorders and their families. However, these evidence-based practices are not widely implemented at service delivery level and into routine clinical practice, especially in less develope...

Background: Drug use disorders are one of the major health problems in societies, which cause physical, psychological, and social damages to individuals. Socioeconomic status is often inversely associated with drug use disorders. The present study aimed at determining the effect of socioeconomic inequality on the prevalence of drug use disorders an...

Aim This study aimed to explore the experiences of stigma in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and their families. Methods This qualitative content analysis study was carried out in 2016–2017 in a psychiatric hospital in Tehran, Iran. A total of 16 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and their families were chosen purposefu...

Background: There have been claims that community mental health principles leads to the maintenance of better health and functioning in patients and can be more economical for patients with severe and chronic mental disorders. Economic evaluation studies have been used to assess the cost-effectiveness of national health programs, or to propose eff...

Background: For nearly four decades, alcohol production and consumption has been banned in the Islamic country of Iran. However, little is known about the extent of alcohol use and associated problems in the country. The paper aims to present findings on the 12-month prevalence, symptoms, severity, correlates, and comorbidity of alcohol use disord...

To determine the incidence and cost of non-fatal burns in Iran; this cross-sectional household survey of a nationally representative sample of 15-64 years old was conducted. Through face-to-face interviews and telephone calls, the data on the demographics, history and cost of burns were collected. The annual incidence rate of burns was estimated 12...

Objectives Mental illnesses are common among outpatient clinics, but only some of these patients receive adequate treatments and attend. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the dropout rate and identify the predictors of dropouts in outpatient clinics in Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital. Methods A questionnaire designed by expert psychiatrists was...

Drug abuse has significant cost to the individual, the family and the society. This study aimed to assess out of-pocket costs of consequences of drug use disorder. Data were drawn from the Iranian Mental Health Survey (IranMHS) through face-to-face interviews with 7841 respondents aged 15–64 years. We used a bottom-up cost-of-illness method for eco...

Background: To assess the clinical course and outcome of patients with methamphetamine-induced psychosis in comparison with patients with primary psychotic disorders. Methods: This prospective study was conducted on patients with methamphetamine-induced psychosis, and 2 groups of primary psychotic disorders: affective psychosis and non-affective...

Background: The need for mental health care among children and adolescents in Iran, as in other low and middle income countries (LAMIC) remains mostly unmet. In this paper, we sought to provide an overview of the extent of unmet need and mental health services in Iran. We also aimed to propose approaches to address this gap. Method: We reviewed...

Background: Cognitive impairment is a chronic and disabling manifestation of schizophrenia. Objectives: This before-after study was conducted to examine the effect of a short course computer-assisted cognitive remediation on improving cognitive functions of patients with schizophrenia. Materials and Methods: Twenty patients with schizophrenia were...

Context:We aimed to conduct a scientometric study by investigating published papers of Iranian researchers on autistic disorders. Evidence Acquisition: We conducted a systematic review of the literature to retrieve all relevant studies on autism that are published by Iranian researchers. Seven databases were searched, of which three were local Iran...

Objective: To compare the performance of the general practitioners (GPs) in a collaborative care (CC) program in Iran with a control group of GPs in the usual care by employing simulated patients. Methods: Six trained simulated patients (SPs) made unannounced visits to 26 GP offices participating in the CC program and to 26 age and sex matched c...

Objectives: To assess the incidence rate as well as direct and indirect costs of non-fatal road traffic injuries (RTIs) in Iran in 2011. Methods: Data of the 2011 national household survey was used. In this survey, data on demographics, history and costs of injury were obtained in two steps; first, direct face-to-face interview and second, telep...

Aims Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic condition with high and increasing prevalence. Psychiatric disorders are very common among these patients. We aimed to assess the effect of a collaborative care program for management of common mental disorders among T2DM patients on their metabolic outcomes. Subjects and methods In this before-afte...

Background: Injuries and psychiatric disorders, notably both major public health concerns, are associated with a high burden and are believed to be bi-directionally correlated. Those inflicted with injuries face increased risks of mental illnesses. Psychiatric disorders may make the individual prone to injuries. The objective of the study was to a...

Background: Fall-related injuries are considered to be a leading cause of morbidity and disability worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of fall-related injuries and its determinants in Iran. Methods: A cross-sectional household survey of a representative sample of 15-64 years old Iranians was carried out in 2011. A t...

Background and aims: Drug abuse is a significant social and public health problem in Iran. The present study aimed to provide prevalence estimates and information on correlates of illicit drug use disorder and opioid dependence, as well as service use for these disorders in Iran. Design, setting and participants: This report is based on the Iran...

Objectives: Latent class analysis (LCA) is a solution for assessing and correcting measurement error. "Local independence" assumption in LCA expresses that indicators are independent from each other condition on the latent variable. This assumption may be violated in surveys due to: "behaviorally correlated error", "bivocality", and "latent hetero...

Objective: Schizophrenia and other psychoses have devastating personal and social impacts and many efforts have been devoted to study ‎prodromal syndromes for psychosis in order to achieve earlier detection and interventions. However, only few studies have been ‎performed in developing countries on this subject, and there is a dearth of evidence i...