Psychiatry and Psychology Research Center

Objective: We aimed to investigate the prevalence of ADHD and its comorbidities and some associated demographic factors in a large sample population-based study. Method: As part of a population-based survey among 30,532 children and adolescents between 6 and 18 years, we used K-SADS-PL to screen and detect ADHD and its comorbidities. Results: The prevalence of ADHD was 4%, with more prevalence among boys (5.2% vs. 2.7%), younger participants, urban residents, and offspring of mothers who had a history of psychiatric hospitalization. Anxiety disorders (37.9%) and behavioral disorders (31%) are the most prevalent group of comorbidities, and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is the most prevalent comorbid disorder (26.1%). Mood disorders and anxiety disorders are more common among girls, but conduct disorder has a higher rate among boys. Conclusion: ADHD is a common neurodevelopmental disorder which is accompanied by several comorbid conditions. The high rate of comorbidities makes it complicated and difficult to manage.

Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are both used to diagnose diabetes, but these measurements can identify different people as having diabetes. We used data from 117 population-based studies and quantified, in different world regions, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, and whether those who were previously undiagnosed and detected as having diabetes in survey screening, had elevated FPG, HbA1c or both. We developed prediction equations for estimating the probability that a person without previously diagnosed diabetes, and at a specific level of FPG, had elevated HbA1c, and vice versa. The age-standardized proportion of diabetes that was previously undiagnosed and detected in survey screening ranged from 30% in the high-income western region to 66% in south Asia. Among those with screen-detected diabetes with either test, the age-standardized proportion who had elevated levels of both FPG and HbA1c was 29-39% across regions; the remainder had discordant elevation of FPG or HbA1c. In most low- and middle-income regions, isolated elevated HbA1c was more common than isolated elevated FPG. In these regions, the use of FPG alone may delay diabetes diagnosis and underestimate diabetes prevalence. Our prediction equations help allocate finite resources for measuring HbA1c to reduce the global shortfall in diabetes diagnosis and surveillance.

Accessible summary As the emerging of PMS and related symptoms is at the onset of reproductive age, interventions related to it should focus on adolescents as a high risk group. As a result of current study researchers can use high schools as an appropriate setting for counselling and education especially in developing countries by the healthcare providers. Interventions aiming to modify and promote lifestyle include changes in diet and physical activity pattern can alleviate symptoms appropriately. Stress management strategies are main part of interventions regarding psychological symptoms of PMS (somatization, anxiety and hostility). According to this study some psychological symptoms (such as depression and interpersonal sensitivity) may need more professional intervention. Abstract Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a distressing group of symptoms related to menstrual cycle during reproductive age. Its substantial burden on daily function and quality of life, particularly on mental aspects, was to the impetus for this study with the aim of determining the effectiveness of a psycho‐educational package on premenstrual syndrome and related symptoms. In a randomized clinical trial, 123 (17–19‐year‐old) adolescent girls with PMS were randomized to psycho‐educational intervention (including 62 subjects) and control (including 61) groups. The participants completed a demographic questionnaire, premenstrual syndrome symptom daily record scale and the Symptom Checklist‐90‐Revised (SCL‐90‐R). A paired and two independent samples t ‐test and chi‐squared test were used for analysing data using spss statistical package. At the end of the study there was statistically significant decrease in severity of total PMS in intervention compared with control group ( P < 0.001). Also, a significant difference in somatization, anxiety and hostility was observed between two groups ( P < 0.05). However, depression marginally decreased ( P < 0.1) in intervention group, and interpersonal sensitivity was not statistically different between intervention and control groups. Intervention alleviated the severity of PMS and related somatization, anxiety and hostility, yet it could not change the severity of depression and interpersonal sensitivity.

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. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between April 2007 and June 2008, all newly diagnosed pemphigus patients attending the outpatient clinic of a dermatological hospital were given a questionnaire comprising the GHQ-28 and DLQI to fill out. RESULTS: Of 283 patients, 212 complete forms were returned. The bimodal score of GHQ ranged from 0 to 26 (Mean = 9.4) and the Likert score of GHQ ranged from 6 to 68 (Mean = 31.9). The DLQI score ranged between 0 and 30 (Mean of 13.8). A total of 157 patients (73.7%) were yielded to be possible cases of mental disorder considering GHQ-28 bimodal scores. Significant correlation was detected between the DLQI score and bimodal and Likert scoring of GHQ-28. CONCLUSION: Our study has depicted high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity in pemphigus patients. It underlines the fact that physicians, who are in-charge of care for these patients, are in an exceptional position to distinguish the psychiatric comorbidity and to take appropriate measures.

The Disaster Working Party was in existence for one year and reviewed the research literature on psychological aspects of disasters. Psychologists and others who were closely involved with recent disasters at Bradford, Zeebrugge/Dover and King’s Cross provided written and verbal evidence to the working party. These summary recommendations will be followed by the publication of a full report.

OBJECTIVE: Siblings of children with autism are at a greater risk of experiencing behavioral and social problems. Previous researches had focused on environmental variables such as family history of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), behavior problems in the child with an ASD, parental mental health problems, stressful life events and "broader autism phenotype" (BAP), while variables like parenting style and family function that are shown to influence children's behavioral and psychosocial adjustment are overlooked. The aim of the present study was to reveal how parenting style and family function as well as BAP effect psychological adjustment of siblings of children with autism. METHOD: The Participants included 65 parents who had one child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder and one typically developing child. Of the children with ASDs, 40 were boys and 25 were girls; and they were diagnosed with ASDs by a psychiatrist based on DSM-IV-TR criteria and Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R). The Persian versions of the six scales were used to collect data from the families. Pearson's correlation test and regression analysis were used to determine which variables were related to the psychological adjustment of sibling of children with ASDs and which variables predicted it better. RESULTS: Significant relationships were found between Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) total difficulties, prosocial behaviors and ASDs symptoms severity, parenting styles and some aspects of family function. In addition, siblings who had more BAP characteristics had more behavior problems and less prosocial behavior. Behavioral problems increased and prosocial behavior decreased with permissive parenting style. Besides, both of authoritarian and authoritative parenting styles led to a decrease in behavioral problems and an increase in prosocial behaviors. Our findings revealed that some aspects of family function (affective responsiveness, roles, problem solving and behavior control) were significantly correlated with behavioral problems and prosocial behaviors in typically developing (TD) siblings of children with ASDs. CONCLUSION: Siblings of children with ASDs, due to genetic liability, are at a greater risk of psychological maladjustment. Furthermore, environmental factors like parenting styles and family function also have a significant effect on psychological maladjustment.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the differences between ADHD subtypes in executive function tasks compared to themselves and normal controls. METHOD: In this study, 45 school aged children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and 30 normal children who were matched based on age and IQ score in Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) were compared in terms of executive function. We used Wisconsin Sorting Card Test to assess executive function in both groups. We also used children's scores in Children Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4) for diagnosing ADHD and specifying ADHD subtypes. Data were entered in SPSS-17 and analyzed by T-test and ANOVA static tests to clarify the differences between ADHD and controls and between ADHD subtypes. Scheffe's test was also used to identify which groups were different from one another. The mean and standard divisions (SD) were used for descriptive analysis. RESULTS: ADHD subtypes are significantly different in terms of perseverative responses (p≤ 0/01) and perseverative errors (p≤ 0/001). Based on Scheffe's test, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders-Hyperactive type (ADHD-H) is not that different from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders-Inattention type (ADHD-I) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders-Combined type (ADHD-C), but there are significant responses and perseverative differences between ADHD-I and ADHD-C in terms of perseverative errors. ADHD-C shows more perseverative responses and perseverative errors than ADHD-I. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study revealed that executive function patterns are different in children with ADHD compared to normal children. In this study it was also found that ADHD subtypes are also different in terms of perseveration and response inhibition domains; ADHD-C has more deficits in these domains.

OBJECTIVE: Bad news disclosure is one of the most complex tasks of physicians. Recent evidences indicate that patients' and physicians' attitude toward breaking bad news has been changed since few years ago. The evidence of breaking bad news is different across cultures. The aim of this study is to evaluate the attitude of medical staff toward breaking bad news to provide a clinical guideline in Iran. METHODS: A descriptive study was conducted during 2008-2009 on a sample of 100 medical staff (50 physicians and 50 nurses) at Cancer Institute of Imam Khomeini hospital. The subjects' demographic characteristics and their attitudes toward the manner of revealing the diagnosis were registered in a questionnaire. RESULTS: The majority of the physicians (86%, n=43) and nurses (74%, n=37), mostly the older and more experienced, tended to reveal the diagnosis to patients. Only a few physicians (8%, n=4) had been trained how to disclose bad news, which discloused diagnosis more than non trained ones. Physicians and nurses preferred to inform the patients about the diagnosis when either the patients were alone or in the presence of their spouse respectively. Only a few physicians (14%) and nurses (24%) agreed to explain life expectancy to patients. CONCLUSION: Compared to past, physicians and nurses are more willing to share cancer diagnosis with patients. However, lack of adequate communication skills in caregivers, and their concerns about managing patients' emotional reactions reduce their tendency to disclose bad news to the patients. Therefore, training physicians and nurses to expose bad news to the patients seems to be necessary.

OBJECTIVE: Early screening of autism increases the chance of receiving timely intervention. Using the Parent Report Questionnaires is effective in screening autism. The Q-CHAT is a new instrument that has shown several advantages than other screening tools. Because there is no adequate tool for the early screening of autistic traits in Iranian children, we aimed to investigate the adequacy of the Persian translation of Q-CHAT. METHOD: At first, we prepared the Persian translation of the Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (Q-CHAT). After that, an appropriate sample was selected and the check list was administered. Our sample included 100 children in two groups (typically developing and autistic children) who had been selected conveniently. Pearson's r was used to determine test-retest reliability, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to explore the internal consistency of Q-CHAT. We used the receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC) to investigate whether Q-CHAT can adequately discriminate between typically developing and ASD children or not. Data analysis was carried out by SPSS 19. RESULT: The typically developing group consisted of 50 children with the mean age of 27.14 months, and the ASD group included50 children with the mean age of 29.62 months. The mean of the total score for the typically developing group was 22.4 (SD=6.26) on Q-CHAT and it was 50.94 (SD=12.35) for the ASD group, which was significantly different (p=0.00).The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the checklist was 0.886, and test-retest reliability was calculated as 0.997 (p<0.01). The estimated area under the curve (AUC) was 0.971. It seems that the total score equal to 30 can be a good cut point to identify toddlers who are at risk of autism (sensitivity= 0.96 and specificity= 0.90). CONCLUSION: The Persian translation of Q-CHAT has good reliability and predictive validity and can be used as a screening tool to detect 18 to 24 months old children who are at risk of autism.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), which consist of Autistic Disorder, Asperger Syndrome and PDD Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), are subsets of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) (1, 2). Obviously, ASDs are characterized by abnormalities in social interaction and communication, as well as repetitive and stereotyped behaviors (3). Although various studies have been conducted in ASDs etiology across the world, it seems that they are still unknown in developing and developed countries. In fact, ASDs have been introduced as multifactorial disorders; from ascendancy of genetic to environmental factors are involved in causing them (4-7). Although there are substantial biological bases for ASDs, no perspicuous symptoms exist for their diagnostic conditions. Therefore, behavioral criteria are mainly utilized to identify individuals with ASDs. Some assessment instruments are Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communicative Disorders (DISCO), Developmental, Dimensional and Diagnostic Interview (3di), Autism Spectrum Disorders-Diagnostic for Children (ASD-DC), Autism Spectrum Disorders-Comorbidity for Children (ASD-CC) and Autism Spectrum Disorders-Behavior Problem for Children (ASD-BPC) (8-15). There is universal agreement in diagnostic criteria of ASDs; however, the cultural differences influence their diagnosis ( With regards to obscure etiology of ASDs, they have not been specifically treated up to now. Nevertheless, several treatments have been performed to improve ASDs including behavioral, medical, biological, sensory-motor and relationship development interventions Hence, some scientific researches have been conducted on ASDs in Iran. Several preliminary investigations have been done to evaluate ASDs prevalence and some risk factors and effective variables have also been studied in the field of etiology. Diagnostic evaluation of ASDs, especially based on EEG, and several pharmacological and behavioral interventions for ASDs treatment have been performed in Iran. In parental studies, mental health, stress levels and personality characteristics were investigated in parents of children with ASDs, with focus on mothers.

OBJECTIVE: Bad news disclosure is one of the complex communication tasks of the physicians. Bad news is defined as:" any news that adversely and seriously affects an individual's view of his or her future". Recent studies indicate that the patients' and physicians' attitudes toward disclosure of bad news have been changed since few years ago. The evidence of breaking bad news is also different across different cultures. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the patients' prospect about breaking bad news and to provide a clinical guidance for Iranian patients and those patients in countries with a similar cultural background. METHODS: A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted on a sample of 200 cancer patients at a cancer institute in Tehran. The patients' demographic characteristics and their attitudes toward the manner of disclosing the diagnosis were registered in a research based questionnaire. RESULTS: In this study, 165 patients (82.5%) claimed to be aware of the diagnosis; however, only 121 patients (73%) were aware of the actual diagnosis of their disease. Most patients tended to know the diagnosis (n = 186, 93%) and accepted patient as the first person to be informed (n = 151, 75.5%) by their physician (n = 174, 87%). The preference of being alone or with a family member when exposed to bad news was almost the same. Most patients (n = 169, 84.5%) believed that physicians should consult the patients to make treatment decisions. Treatment options (n = 140, 70%) and life expectancy (n = 121, 60.5%) were the most desirable topics to be discussed. Most patients (n = 144, 72%) agreed upon allowing them to express their emotional feelings. CONCLUSION: According to the patients' preferences about being fully informed about the diagnosis, it is suggested that the disclosure of cancer diagnosis be done by a physician and in the presence of a family member. It is also recommended that physicians consult the patients about treatment options.

Waterpipe use among Iranian adolescents has become a matter for concern. A descriptive, cross-sectional community-based survey was performed in 2010 to determine the prevalence of waterpipe use and associated factors among Iranian adolescents in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. After multi-stage, random cluster sampling 1201 adolescents aged 15-18 years old responded to a questionnaire based on the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance. The prevalence of current waterpipe smoking (at least once in the previous 30 days) was 28.0%, significantly higher among males (34.8%) than females (21.4%). A total of 45.1% of adolescents reported lifetime use (ever use) of waterpipes and 34.2% had ever shared a waterpipe. In multivariate logistic regression analysis the significant correlates of current waterpipe use for both males and females were having smokers among friends and family members, while for males, older age and educational failure were also risk factors.

Objective: The mental health status of health care workers (HCWs) related to COVID-19 is of great importance. By designing cross sectional studies, we evaluated disorders related to the mental health of these health workers. Short-term and long-term diagnostic and treatment interventions are other components of this care protocol. Method: This study includes a collection of studies and interventions in the form of analytical cross sectional study at the level of educational hospitals of Alborz University of Medical Sciences. In this study, HCWs were evaluated for mental health disorders in quantitative and qualitative studies. Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DAS), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) questionnaires, and Stigma questionnaire in quantitative studies with thematic approach in qualitative study were used to evaluate and analyze the data. Conclusion: A series of coherent measures have been taken to prevent, screen, and treat mental health disorders of the staff who provide services to patients with COVID-19. We hope the results of these measures will be used as a guide for other professionals and academic and hospital centers in similar conditions to effectively control the disease and improve the mental health of HCWs.

Objective: Bad news disclosure is one of the complex communication tasks of the physicians. Bad news is defined as:" any news that adversely and seriously affects an individual's view of his or her future". Recent studies indicate that the patients’ and physicians’ attitudes toward disclosure of bad news have been changed since few years ago. The evidence of breaking bad news is also different across different cultures . In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the patients' prospect about breaking bad news and to provide a clinical guidance for Iranian patients and those patients in countries with a similar cultural background. Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted on a sample of 200 cancer patients at a cancer institute in Tehran. The patients' demographic characteristics and their attitudes toward the manner of disclosing the diagnosis were registered in a research based questionnaire. Results: In this study, 165 patients (82.5%) claimed to be aware of the diagnosis; however, only 12 patients (73%) were aware of the actual diagnosis of their disease. Most patients tended to know the diagnosis (n = 186, 93%) and accepted patient as the first person to be informed (n = 151, 75.5%) by their physician (n = 174, 87%). The preference of being alone or with a family member when exposed to bad news was almost the same . Most patients (n = 169, 84.5%) believed that physicians should consult the patients to make treatment decisions. Treatment options (n = 140, 70%) and life expectancy (n = 121, 60.5%) were the most desirable topics to be discussed. Most patients (n = 144, 72%) agreed upon allowing them to express their emotional feelings. Conclusion: According to the patients' preferences about being fully informed about the diagnosis, it is suggested that the disclosure of cancer diagnosis be done by a physician and in the presence of a family member. It is also recommended that physicians consult the patients about treatment options.

Objective: To describe a home care service developed in Roozbeh Hospital for patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and report baseline and 6-month follow-up data. Method: Roozbeh Home Care Program consists of home visits by multidisciplinary home care teams, including general practitioners, nurses, and social workers who are supervised by psychiatrists. Home visits are scheduled as biweekly for the first three months following discharge and then on a monthly basis and the care includes biopsychosocial assessments and interventions. Baseline and 6-month data were extracted using a chart review. Results: After 10 months of the Program development, 53 patients were enrolled and a total of 349 home visits were made. Of these, 29 were followed for at least 6 months. More than 86% of the patients remained in the community throughout the follow-up period, most in full remission and a small minority (4 patients) with a mild to moderate relapse that was overcome with interventions made by the home care teams. Conclusion: A home care service is a feasible mode of community-based aftercare for patients discharged from the hospital. Its effectiveness should be assessed by a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the mental health of patients admitted in Internal medicine, Surgery and Gynecology wards of Imam Khomeini Hospital of Tehran in 2009. Method: The symptom checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R) questionnaire was administered for 93 patients in internal, surgical and gynecological wards of Imam Khomeini hospital in 2009. Result: In this study, the mean age was (32.89±12.69) with a range of 14 to 70 years old. 42 patients (44.7%) were male and 52 (59.6%) were female; 56 patients (59.6%) were married and 37 (40.4%) were single. There is a significant relationship between gender& marital status (P0.7). In psychiatric symptoms, somatization has the highest prevalence (90.5%), and depression (77.9%) and anxiety (71.6%) have a higher prevalence than other symptoms among patients who suffer from psychiatric problems. Conclusion: According to the result of the current study, there is a high prevalence of psychiatric problems among the admitted patients in Internal medicine, Surgery and Gynecology wards of a general hospital according to SCL-90-R questionnaire. This study advises that more attention be given to mental health in general hospitals.

OBJECTIVES: Bipolar disorders (BD) are characterized by episodes of mania and depression. There is evidence that states of psychiatric disorders impact on neurotransmitters, endocrine system and membrane transport and, therefore, it is possible that specific phases of BD differentially influence the pharmacokinetics of some drugs. The aim of the present study was to investigate the drug-disease interaction between sodium valproate, one of the major drugs used in the treatment of bipolar disorder, and acute versus maintenance states of manic episodes. METHOD: 37 patients (mean age ± SD = 37.54 ± 11.27 years; 23 males, 14 females) suffering from bipolar disorder completed the study. Blood samples were taken during both acute and maintenance states. RESULTS: Neither the trough concentration (p = 0.567) nor the internal clearances (p = 0.729) of sodium valproate in the acute phase of mania differed statistically or descriptively from those in the maintenance phase. Marginally significant phase by gender interactions were observed. CONCLUSION: No significant effect of the acute phase of mania was observed in bipolar patients and no relationship could be found between drug pharmacokinetics and disease phase. This may be explained by specific pharmacokinetic features of the drug such as low extraction ratio values. However, phase by gender interactions indicate possible gender-related issues.

Objective: Depression is a major health problem, which is not only underrecognized and undertreated, but is also associated with significant morbidity and mortality. It has been suggested that combination therapy rapidly reduces depressive symptoms in patients with moderate to severe depression and is more effective than monotherapy; but this suggestion remains controversial. Serotonergic and noradrenergic enhancement may be synergistic and more effective than serotonergic enhancement alone in the management of depression. The objective of this double blind, placebo-controlled study was to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of the combination of citalopram and nortriptyline for the treatment of moderate to severe major depression. Method: 45 patients, who met the DSM-IV criteria for major depressive disorder based on the clinical interview, were included in the study. Patients had a baseline Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score of at least 20. In this trial, patients were randomly assigned to receive nortriptyline 50 mg/day plus citalopram 40 mg/day (group1) or placebo plus citalopram 40 mg/day (group2), for an 8 week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Results: Both protocols significantly decreased the score of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale over the trial period, but the combination of nortriptyline and citalopram showed a significant superiority over citalopram alone in the treatment of moderate to severe major depressive disorder (t = 3.34, d.f. = 36, P = 0.001). The difference between the two groups in the frequency of side effects was not significant. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that combination of nortriptyline and citalopram is more effective than citalopram alone in the treatment of depression. This advantage is probably the result of reuptake inhibition of both serotonin and norepinephrine

and lacks a granular and systematic analysis of its dynamics. We used 4,050 population-based studies with measured height and weight data on 232 million participants to assess the worldwide dynamics of obesity from 1980 to 2024. The rise in obesity decelerated in school-aged children and adolescents throughout the 1990s in many high-income countries, and subsequently plateaued in most at age-standardized prevalences spanning 20 percentage points, from 3-4% for girls in Japan, Denmark and France to 23% for boys in the USA. There were indications of a small decline in obesity in children and adolescents in some high-income western countries (for example, Italy, Portugal and France) since the 2000s. Similar trends were seen in some countries in Central and Eastern Europe. In adults, the rise in obesity slowed down in high-income western countries about a decade after children, followed by a plateau or possibly a small reversal of the rise in some countries (for example, Spain). In most low-income and middle-income countries, the annual absolute change in prevalence has remained stable or increased over time, even though prevalence has surpassed that of high-income countries. These highly varied dynamics suggest that the social, economic and technological trends that influence the availability, affordability and use of different foods may have helped control the rise in obesity in high-income countries, but require policy interventions in low-income and middle-income countries.

Emotional adjustment in infertile people Ramazanzadeh, F. 1 (MD); Noorbala, A. A. 2 (MD); Abedinia, N. 3 * (MS) 1. Professor of Gynecology, Vali-e-Asr Reproduction Health Research Center, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 2. Professor of Psychiatry, Psychiatry and Psychology Research Center, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 3. Clinical Psychologist , Vali-e-Asr Reproduction Health Research Center, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Abstract Background and aim Infertility has mental, social as well as reproductive consequences, among which depression, anxiety, aggressiveness, feelings of guilt, lack of self-esteem, lack of confidence, psychosomatic complaints, obsessions, relationship difficulties and sexual dissatisfaction are evident. Many authors consider the psychological consequences of infertility as responses to grief. The aim of this study was to assess emotional adjustment of infertile couples and psychological outcomes of infertility (depression, anxiety, relationship as well as sexual problems, and personality disorders) in different phases of treatment. Materials and methods The review of literature included most studies in the past 2 decades. Search terms were infertility, pregnancy, depression, anxiety, psychology disorder, marital satisfaction, psychiatric as well as psychology interventions and personality disorders in such data bases as Pub Med, Scholar, Google, Scopus and Amazon. All data were in agreement with articles published earlier than 2006 and almost all of them are accessible. Findings Most studies have found that more than half of the infertile people (women, men, and couples) learn to some extent cope with this problem. Conclusion High prevalence of psychological disorders (particularly, anxiety and depression) appears as inappropriate emotional adjustment which requires psychiatric and psychotherapeutic interventions. Keywords: Infertility, Emotional adjustment, Depression, Anxiety, In vitro fertilization (IVF). * Corresponding Author: Nasrin Abedinia. Clinical Psychologist , Vali-e-Asr Reproduction Health Research Center, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. E-mail: abedinia_nasrin@yahoo.com