Dissatisfaction has arisen among psychologists due to a judicial decision concerning prominent actresses who became the centre of a scandal for violating the norms of wearing the hijab in Iran. Afsane Baygan and Azade Samadi were observed without a headscarf, and the court decided that they had abandoned the hijab due to psychological problems, prescribing mandatory psychological consultations for them once and twice a week, respectively, as reported by EurAsiaDaily.

In particular, Afsane Baygan received treatment for "personality disorder directed against family values," and the court diagnosed Azade Samadi with an "antisocial disorder." Local psychologists expressed their outrage at this decision, emphasising that the court should not determine treatment or establish diagnoses without the conclusion of an expert. Four Iranian psychologists' unions protested and wrote an official complaint letter to the head of the judicial authority in Iran, writes the EurAsia Daily publication.

Doctors pointed out that a person voluntarily seeks the help of a psychologist, and the principles of psychology exclude coercive attempts to change an individual's lifestyle. In their letter, the unions expressed indignation, comparing the methods of Iran's judicial system with "dark" periods in the history of the United States and the Soviet Union, when slaves were also diagnosed, and the Soviet authorities "treated" dissidents in psychiatric hospitals.

Psychologists argue that such verdicts undermine trust in their profession, and this may lead people to refrain from seeking help from professionals in cases of real problems.