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Copyright of Arab Journal of Psychiatry is the property of Arab Federation of Psychiatrists and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Six recent and influential papers that have appeared in the three leading psychiatry journals from the Arab region are summarized in this review. The first paper examined the prevalence of eating disorders (EDs) in rural and urban secondary school girls in Sharkia; more EDs were found among urban than rural population. The second study reported the high prevalence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in primary school children in Iraq in context of the present situation in Iraq dominated by violence creating a traumatizing atmosphere for the population, especially children. The third paper reported that substance dependent patients manifest elevated traits of impulsivity; emotionally driven impulsivity in particular predicted substance related problems. The fourth study reported significant cognitive impairments at illness onset in a large sample of patients with a first psychotic episode. The fifth paper, investigated the cultural imprint on symptom profile of mood disorders. Culture effect on mood disorder was more prominent in depression than in mania. The last article examined the relations between social circumstances, medical morbidity, locus of control and depression in elderly patients suffering from medical conditions. Overall, the papers describe a wide spectrum of research initiatives in the Arab World that are likely to have implications for global mental health., (Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier B.V.)