Customary practices, domestic violence, and psychosomatic pain among adolescent mothers in Turkey.

Background: Adolescent motherhood is present in many societies worldwide, including Turkey.

Aims: We aimed to determine the demographical and cultural characteristics of adolescent mothers, lifetime domestic violence and history of miscarriage, and whether they suffer from any kind of medically unexplained (psychosomatic) pain in a study in south-eastern Turkey.

Methods: We included 501 mothers in this case-control study.

A Case of Skin Picking Disorder of a Patient with a History of Childhood Abuse.

Skin picking (excoriation) disorder is the recurrent excoriation of one's own skin, resulting in noticeable skin damage. People pick their skin for different reasons. For the majority of patients, first skin picking is associated with a history of childhood abuse and personal problems.

Evaluation of Paraoxonase, Arylesterase and Malondialdehyde Levels in Schizophrenia Patients Taking Typical, Atypical and Combined Antipsychotic Treatment.

Objective: Human serum paraoxonase (PON1) prevents lipids from peroxidation and functions as an antioxidant mechanism. Malonyldialdehyde (MDA) is the final product of lipid peroxidation and can be used as an indicator of oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to investigate PON1, MDA, and arylesterase (ARY) levels in schizophrenic patients who are taking typical, atypical, or combined (typical and atypical) antipsychotic drug treatment, with respect to those of healthy controls.

Decreased Prolidase Activity in Patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Objective: Many neurochemical systems have been implicated in the development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The prolidase enzyme is a cytosolic exopeptidase that detaches proline or hydroxyproline from the carboxyl terminal position of dipeptides. Prolidase has important biological effects, and to date, its role in the etiology of PTSD has not been studied.

Evaluation of Risk Factors for ADHD and Co-Morbid Psychiatric Disorders Among the Parents of Children With ADHD.

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the presence of ADHD and other psychiatric disorders among parents with at least one child with ADHD relative to parents with children who do not have ADHD.

Method: Eighty five parents of children with ADHD with 68 control parents who had healthy children without ADHD were interviewed for participation in present study. Each parent was evaluated for co-existing psychiatric disorders using the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM IV Axis I Disorders (SCID I).

Diagnostic performance of increased prolidase activity in schizophrenia.

We investigated whether prolidase activity has a diagnostic test value in schizophrenia and assessed the relation between prolidase activity and sociodemographic-clinical characteristics of patients with schizophrenia. Fifty patients with schizophrenia (diagnosed as schizophrenia according to DSM-V criteria) and 50 healthy volunteers were included in this study. Case and control groups had a similar distribution in age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and smoking status.

Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio in patients with major depressive disorder undergoing no pharmacological therapy.

Studies attempting to clarify the relationship between major depressive disorder (MDD) and the immune system have been increasing in recent years. It was reported that increased production of the main proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and that of acute phase reactants may play a role in the etiopathogenesis of depression. Stress and depression were reported to increase leukocyte and neutrophil counts and to decrease lymphocyte count.

Altered lipid peroxidation markers are related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and not trauma itself in earthquake survivors.

The traumatic life events, including earthquakes, war, and interpersonal conflicts, cause a cascade of psychological and biological changes known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Malondialdehyde (MDA) is a reliable marker of lipid peroxidation, and paraoxonase is a known antioxidant enzyme. The aims of this study were to investigate the relationship between earthquake trauma, PTSD effects on oxidative stress and the levels of serum paraoxonase 1 (PON1) enzyme activity, and levels of serum MDA.

Impact of Collagen Cross-linking on Psychological Distress and Vision and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Keratoconus.

Objective: To evaluate the changes in psychological distress level and quality of life (QoL) scores of keratoconus (KC) patients 1 year after corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL).

Methods: Observational cross-sectional study. Thirty-three, consecutive progressive KC patients who received CXL treatment were enrolled in the study.

Reduced PON1 enzymatic activity and increased lipid hydroperoxide levels that point out oxidative stress in generalized anxiety disorder.

In recent years, there has been an increasing focus on generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) which is one of the most prevalent mental disorders in general population. Psychological, genetic, neurobiological, and neurochemical factors are believed to play role in the etiopathogenesis of GAD. The role of oxidative stress, as a neurochemical cause, in various anxiety disorders has been studied in recent years; however, it has not been thoroughly studied in GAD, yet.

High social phobia frequency and related disability in patients with acne vulgaris.

Acne is an easily recognizable abnormality which may cause some adverse psychosocial consequences. We aimed to determine the social phobia frequency, social anxiety level, and disease related disability in a group of acne vulgaris patients. One-hundred and forty acne vulgaris patients and 98 healthy control subjects were included in the study.

Longer-term treatment of patients with bipolar disorder: a 9-month observational study in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Objective: To compare the longer-term outcomes of pharmacological treatment of patients with a diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder currently suffering a manic or hypomanic episode prescribed olanzapine or non-olanzapine medication in naturalistic, clinical practice settings in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Research Design And Methods: Prospective, observational, non-interventional study conducted over 9 months. Inpatients or outpatients who initiated or changed oral bipolar mania medication were grouped into (1) those prescribed olanzapine at baseline (n = 569) and (2) those not prescribed olanzapine (n = 325).

Randomized trial of sertraline versus venlafaxine XR in major depression: efficacy and discontinuation symptoms.

Background: The comparative efficacy of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) was recently debated. Meta-analyses, based mainly on fluoxetine comparator data, suggest that the SNRI venlafaxine has superior efficacy to SSRIs in treatment of major depression.

Objective: To compare quality of life (QOL), efficacy, safety, and tolerability associated with sertraline and venlafaxine extended release (XR) for treatment of DSM-IV major depression.

One-year follow-up study of posttraumatic stress disorder among earthquake survivors in Turkey.

Earthquakes and their consequences present a major global public health problem. In 1998, a major earthquake struck Southern Turkey. The aims of this study were to describe longitudinally the severity and the course of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression among earthquake survivors in Turkey and to explore risk factors associated with psychiatric disorders.

Frequency of PTSD in a group of search and rescue workers two months after 2003 Bingol (Turkey) earthquake.

This study aimed to determine the frequency of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a group of search and rescue workers 2 months after the May 2003 Bingol earthquake. Forty-four of 55 workers were interviewed. The Personal Information Form, the Clinician Administered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Scale, the State Anxiety Inventory, the Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire, and the Endicott Work Productivity Scale were used.

[Tobacco, alcohol and substance use prevalence among elementary and secondary school students in nine cities of Turkey].

Objective: Previous studies in Turkey regarding substance use have failed to take into consideration the elementary school students. The purpose of the present study is to determine prevalence of tobacco, alcohol, and substance use among elementary and secondary school students in Turkey.

Method: The study was conducted in 9 big cities that were selected from different geographic regions of Turkey.