Menstrual psychosis, mostly documented in Euro-American populations, was examined in four patients at a tertiary care unit in Oman. The cyclical nature of their episodes fit Brockington's subtypes of catamenial and paramenstrual psychosis, but the spectrum of distress did not fit existing psychiatric nosology. In traditional Omani society, the symptoms are termed "spirit possession." Psychometric evaluation showed adequate intellectual functioning but impairments in neuropsychological functioning, including processing speed, episodic memory, and executive function. This case series suggests menstrual psychosis involves neuropsychological impairments similar to those seen in manic episodes or brief psychotic disorders.
A mindfulness- and acceptance-based digital self-management program called MY-ENDO, co-developed with women who have symptomatic endometriosis, was evaluated as positive by participants. The program aims to help women manage negative physical, psychological, and social consequences of the condition. Based on 35 interviews with seven participants, analysis identified two crucial parts—'knowledge of the disease' and 'management of the disease' with eight related subthemes—plus a generic theme of 'motivation and alliance'. Women valued that the program was specifically tailored to endometriosis and developed with patient input. Having a contact person was important for maintaining motivation, which has implications for clinical implementation.
A meta-analysis of 13 trials (11 in the quantitative synthesis) examined mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for breast cancer survivors. At the end of the intervention, anxiety, pain, and depression scores decreased significantly, while mindfulness scores increased significantly. Heterogeneity was moderate to high for anxiety, depression, and mindfulness, making the results inconclusive for those outcomes. The authors suggest MBCT may be beneficial for this population but call for more research to clarify its clinical significance.
A quasi-experimental study tested whether mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) could improve resilience in vulnerable women, including sex workers and addicted women, in Kerman, Iran. Sixty-three women were randomly assigned to an MBSR group (eight 90-minute sessions) or a control group. Before the intervention, resilience scores were similar between groups. One month after the intervention, the MBSR group showed significantly higher resilience scores (60.66) than the control group (53.88). The control group's resilience scores decreased significantly from pre-test to post-test. The authors suggest MBSR can increase resilience in this population.