A synopsis of recent influential papers published in psychiatric journals from the Arab world (2012)

This review includes six recent and influential papers that have appeared in the three leading psychiatry journals from the Arab region. The first paper examined the role of personality profile in the motivation to quit smoking and concluded that there is a positive correlation between Novelty seeking (NS), Persistence (P), Cooperativeness (C) and motivation to quit smoking. The second study discussed the prevalence of abuse history in patients with schizophrenia whether physical or sexual, and its impact on their condition and function. The third paper reported that patients with substance abuse problem show more risky sexual behaviors than normal controls. The fourth study high-lighted the similarities regarding complaints about sleep and polysomnographic changes in depression patients and somatoform disorder patients. The fifth paper, investigated the prenatal and perinatal risk factors in autistic disorders. The sixth and final article concluded that poor levels of maternal fetal attachment during the course of pregnancy should be managed in order to optimize fetal and maternal health. Overall, the papers describe a wide spectrum of research initiatives in the Arab world that are likely to have implications for global mental health.