Author: Dr Artin Mahdanian

TO THE EDITOR: Serotonergic antidepressants are one of the most commonly prescribed psychiatric medications. The literature suggests that serotonergic antidepressants may be protective against ischemic cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs),1, 2 which has been thought to be due to effects on platelet activation and aggregation.3 However, the clinical relevance of the association between serotonergic antidepressants and CVAs has been challenged…

Abstract Background: Reports have suggested that citalopram and escitalopram may prolong the QTc interval, leading Health Canada to issue a warning to limit their dosages in 2012. Little is known about the effects of this warning and similar ones (e.g., by the Food and Drug Administration) on antidepressant prescribing in inpatients with acute medical illness, who…

Abstract Objectives: Recent investigations have shown that serotonergic antidepressant (SAd) use may increase the risk of peri-operative bleeding events. Our objective was to evaluate the possibility of a similar association in patients undergoing radiologic breast biopsies. Methods: We used data from 3890 patients undergoing 6300 biopsy procedures between January 2011 and October 2014 in the Breast Clinic…

Abstract Introduction: Serotonergic antidepressants (SAds) are known to increase bleeding events, with a number of recent studies investigating this risk in surgical settings. Our main objective was to synthesize the current evidence to evaluate the clinical importance of SAd-related bleeding risk in the perioperative period. Methods: A systematic review of MEDLINE, Embase and PsychINFO until November 2013…

Abstract The high comorbidity of medical and psychiatric diagnoses in the general hospital population requires collaboration between various medical fields to provide comprehensive health care. This study aims to find the rate of psychiatric consultations, their timing and overall diagnostic trend in comparison to previous studies. Tehran University of Medical Sciences has got an active…

Abstract Background: There exists a high prevalence of psychiatric disorders in dermatological patients. Although, investigators have evaluated psychiatric aspects of the patients suffering from skin diseases; there are rare studies concerning mental health in pemphigus patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate mental health status and quality of life of newly diagnosed pemphigus patients.…

The launch of the Family Physician Project in Iran1 provided an opportunity for general practitioners to practise as regular primary care providers for designated rural populations. However, there is still a strong atmosphere of dissatisfaction among physicians. Most family doctors have to work under conditions that are unacceptable in terms of workload, payment, workplace, professional satisfaction…