Identification and treatment of individuals with attentiondeficit/ hyperactivity disorder and substance use disorder: An expert consensus statement

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder(ADHD)often co-occurs with substance use(SU)and/or substance use disorder(SUD).Individuals with concurrent ADHD and SU/SUD can have complex presentations that may complicate diagnosis and treatment.This can be further complicated by the context in which services are delivered.Also,when working with young people and adults with co-existing ADHD and SU/SUD,there is uncertainty among healthcare practitioners on how best to meet their needs.In February 2022,the United Kingdom ADHD Partnership hosted a meeting attended by multidisciplinary experts to address these issues.Following presentations providing attendees with an overview of the literature,group discussions were held synthesizing research evidence and clinical experience.Topics included:(1)A review of substances and reasons for use/misuse;(2)identification,assessment and treatment of illicit SU/SUD in young people and adults with ADHD presenting in community services;and(3)identification,assessment and treatment of ADHD in adults presenting in SU/SUD community and inpatient services.Discussions highlighted inter-service barriers and fragmentation of care.It was concluded that a multimodal and multi-agency approach is needed.The consensus group generated a table of practice recommendations providing guidance on:identification and assessment;pharmacological and psychological treatment;and multi-agency interventions.

Functional role of frontal electroencephalogram alpha asymmetry in the resting state in patients with depression:A review

Depression is a psychological disorder that affects the general public worldwide.It is particularly important to make an objective and accurate diagnosis of depression,and the measurement methods of brain activity have gradually received increasing attention.Resting electroencephalogram(EEG)alpha asymmetry in patients with depression shows changes in activation of the alpha frequency band of the left and right frontal cortices.In this paper,we review the findings of the relationship between frontal EEG alpha asymmetry in the resting state and depression.Based on worldwide studies,we found the following:(1)Compared with individuals without depression,those with depression showed greater right frontal EEG alpha asymmetry in the resting state.However,the pattern of frontal EEG alpha asymmetry in the resting state in depressive individuals seemed to disappear with age;(2)Compared with individuals without maternal depression,those with maternal depression showed greater right frontal EEG alpha asymmetry in the resting state,which indicated that genetic or experience-based influences have an impact on frontal EEG alpha asymmetry at rest;and(3)Frontal EEG alpha asymmetry in the resting state was stable,and little or no change occurred after antidepressant treatment.Finally,we concluded that the contrasting results may be due to differences in methodology,clinical characteristics,and participant characteristics.

Principles and Issues Related to PsychologicalEvaluation of Parental Competence in the Arab MoslemSociety in Israel

For the Arab Moslem citizens of Israel, the Shari＇a court is the supreme judicial body competent to adjudicate and rule onmatters of divorce, custody, adoption, and custodianship. Under Shari＇a law, a boy will be in the custody of his mother until the ageof seven and the girl, until the age of nine; at the end of this period, the children are transferred to the father＇s custody. In cases wherethere is no father, they are transferred to the custody of the grandfather. In cases of dispute between the parents regarding custody,the Shari＇a court is called upon to rule, and for this purpose, it seeks a professional psychological evaluation of parenting competenceIt should be noted that this evaluation in Arab Moslem society involves professional and ethical issues since it is culturally-biased interms of Moslem culture： （l） Arab society is a collective comprised of extended families （hamula = clans）; （2） Men have apreferential status over women; （3） The functions of the father and the mother with respect to the child＇s needs （instrumental,emotional, and educational） are distinct from each other. It is further noteworthy that the psychological evaluation is made bydiagnostic information and accredited tools of evaluation. In the present situation there are no psychological tests that were adaptedfor the Arab population. The test must be reliable and reflect the reality being tested. Lack of standardization for tests makes themirrelevant. Furthermore, it must be said that in the Arab world there is no consensus about the tools constructed for this purpose in theWest. Psycho-diagnostic tools including evaluations that deal with testing the level of general intellectual functioning are found innearly every psychological service or mental health clinic, but it is obvious to everyone that at the end of the testing, one must relyalso on the tester＇s experience and professional ability in order to determine the etiology or to make a diagnosis that will reflect thesubject＇s innermost emotional or mental state. Therefore the model for evaluating parenting competence in general Israel society isnot applicable in Arab Moslem society, since it is culturally-biased and the two cultures are different from each other. Therefore it isnecessary to build a model for evaluation that is grounded upon： （1） Shari＇a law; （2） Reference to the extended family; （3）Differential roles of father and mother; （4） Psychological tests adapted to the culture being examined.

Corporal Punishment of Minors in the Muslim Family in Israel

Corporal punishment was always considered a valid disciplinary measure in Muslim Arab culture to be used as deemed necessary to shape a minor＇s behavior. Applying physical force against children as punishment for unwanted behavior has become a normative part of parents＇ routine interaction with their children, despite the fact that it is forbidden by Israeli law. Psychologists that work with the Muslim Arab population find it difficult to convince parent of the difficulties and conflicts that they create by enforcing corporal punishment on their children. Parents tend to reject professional advice because it is viewed as conflicting with their cultural mentality and traditions and ignore the vast research that proves the ineffectiveness of this type of discipline and the complications that it may lead to. What＇s more, Sharia law, the religious Muslim legal code that governs the lives of Muslim Arabs in Israel, advocates and even encourages corporal punishment. Legislation and further professional intervention is necessary to change this harmful practice and to protect Muslim Arab children.

Is There a Correlation between Body Weight and Awareness of Healthy Life Style Components in Children?

Background: Incidence of obesity in children is increasing worldwide. Healthy eating and exercise are the major components of a healthy life style in the community. Objective: we aim to assess the knowledge of healthy eating and exercise in children?of varying weight?and to explore the correlation between knowledge and bodyweight. Method: School children are invited to fill in a 2 questions quiz about healthy life style.?BMI is calculated and children are classified into obese, overweight, normal and underweight. Answers are scored and results compared for different categories of the BMI. Results: 445 children participated. Age range (mean) was 7 - 13 (10) years. 67 were obese, 59 overweight, 237 normal weight and 34 were underweight. In the food question, 22%, 20%, 23% 15% of obese, overweight, underweight and normal weight children respectively gave wrong answers compared to 17.5%, 15% and 14.7%, 13.3% for the exercise question. Neither of the results was statistically significant. Boys are more knowledgeable about exercise than girls (P = 0.03). Conclusion: There is no difference in the level of knowledge about healthy eating and exercise among children with varying body weights. Tackling children behavior and attitude towards food and exercise is as important as improving their knowledge.

Social Work in Light of Jane Addams

Classics of literature and science may characteristically be read anew outside their time and interest area, giving birth to new insights, lane Addams is one such classic author. Her writings can be read as classic texts that educate readers in the discipline of social work, among other things. Her impact on the beginnings of modern social work is foundational. She contributed to radical changes on basis of thought, understanding, and practice in the field. Many have read her texts and written about her, resulting in multiple perspectives. The authors will highlight some relevant areas ripe to be re-examined in our time.

Correlation between Cognitive Functions, Fatigue, Depression and Disability Status in a Cohort of Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Objective: To investigate the relationship between depression, fatigue, disability and cognitive skills of patients with multiple sclerosis in a cohort of patients with multiple sclerosis in a single center in Tehran, Iran. Methods: One hundred and forty-seven patients with multiple sclerosis with mean age of 33 years, mean disease duration of 20.20 months, mean EDSS of 2.13, and F to M ratio of 76.5% over 23% were recruited for the purpose of this study. Cognitive function was compared with healthy control subjects (n = 100). Depression was measured by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), fatigue was assessed using Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), disability was evaluated by Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), and cognitive function was assessed by Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological tests (BRB-N). All data were analysed using Pearson correlation. Results: Age and disability level generally correlated negatively and significantly with task performance, whereas a higher level of education was associated with better task performance. While the correlation between BDI, FSS, and MIFS was significantly positive, BDI was negatively correlated with the two subscales of BRB, namely PASAT and WLG. Higher levels of depression in patients with MS are associated with lower cognitive performance in tasks requiring higher-order working memory (WM) processes. FSS showed the strongest negative correlation score with BRB, however, the same parameter displayed significant positive correlation with MFIS. Moreover, the global EDSS scores were negatively correlated with BRB. Relative to controls, cognitive performance of MS patients was deficient in all BRB-N measures except Symbol Digit Modalities Test which is a measure of attention and processing speed. Conclusions: Depression, fatigue, and disability (the most common problems observed in MS patients) are clearly related with cognitive impairment in MS patients. Also, MS patients exhibit a pattern of cognitive impairment running across the studied cognitive domains in comparison to healthy subjects.