Ahmad Ali Noor Bala told Iran Daily that based on latest research findings, 23 percent of Iranians suffer some different levels of mental disorders.
On the role of different factors in mental illnesses, he added that social conditions can play a role in 55 percent of psychiatric disorders.
However, behavioral factors and genetic factors can affect psychiatric disorders by 30 percent and 15 percent respectively, Noor Bala added.
He said that psychosomatic disorders are accompanied by pain and physical signs, but there is no medical explanation for them as they are rooted in mental issues.
Therefore, patients who suffer from physical illnesses should not only look for physical causes of their problem, he added. In case that they don’t get results by the physical tests, they should refer the psychiatrist and follow-up their treatment process, he pointed out.
On the other hand, he said that the specialists in different fields of medical science have to refer patients to psychiatrist when they don’t diagnose the physical causes of their illnesses.
As the reason of many diseases can be attributed to mental problems and social tensions, he added.
Noor Bala, a professor of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, further said that the rate of psychiatric disorders is on the rise across the country.
Iranians face many tensions every day, he said. If they are not successful to control their tensions, it can lead them to mental problems and physical illnesses as a result, he added.
According to data evaluated in 1999, 21 percent of Iranians were afflicted with mental problems, while the figure reached 23.6 percent in 2011, and 23.44 percent in 2014, he said.
Noor Bala cited anxiety, depression, social dysfunctional disorder, and physicalizing (physical signs of the mental illness) as four main reasons for psychiatric disorders among Iranians.
Mental disorders can cause some problems such as chronic headache, high blood pressure (hypertension), high blood sugar, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, he said.
On the effects of some emotions like sadness and anger in society, he added, “We live in a society full of stress, therefore, controlling these excitements and feelings can be a preventive way against mental illnesses.
Based on results of researches conducted about mental and social tensions of people who live in Tehran in 2016, he said more than 80 percent of citizens experience at least one severe tension during a year.
Severe tensions are mostly in health, family and economic fields which can lead to both physical and mental illnesses, he concluded.