ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To date, the affective temperamental characteristics of adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have not been studied. The aim of this study is to explore those temperamental characteristics for adults diagnosed with ADHD as measured by the TEMPS-A and then to compare those results with results for individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BD) and with healthy controls. METHODS: Forty adults with ADHD, 40 patients with BD, and 40 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. The groups were matched by age and gender. All patients were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID I), the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, the Young Mania Rating Scale and the Wender Utah Rating Scale. Subjects' temperamental characteristics were examined using the Turkish version of the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego-auto questionnaire (TEMPS-A). RESULTS: Ten subjects (25%) in the ADHD group and 15 subjects (30%) in the bipolar group had at least one dominant temperament. There was no identifiable dominant temperament in the control group. Compared to the control group, the ADHD group scored higher than other groups on all domains of the TEMPS-A: depressive cyclothymic, irritable and anxious. However, the hyperthymic domain was not higher for this group. Adults with ADHD scored higher on the irritable temperament scale as compared to the BD group. The ADHD and BD groups had similar mean scores for each of the other four temperaments. CONCLUSION: The adults diagnosed with ADHD in this study had different temperamental characteristics from the control group, and these temperamental characteristics were similar to those of the bipolar patients. Recognizing the role of temperamental characteristics in adults with ADHD may increase our understanding of ADHD.
ABSTRACT
Objectives. Hypersensitivity reactions to drugs are not infrequent. A certain of anxiety, aggression or depression should be expected in patients with drug allergies, as they could experience symptoms ranging from mild to life-threatening reactions following consumption of drug. However, a literature search resulted in very limited data. This study was designed to evaluate the psychological status of patients with drug allergy and to assess the relationships between psychological evaluations of the patients and, duration of drug allergy, type of allergic reaction, hypersensitivity reaction of the type of drug involved. Methods. The study group comprised 61 patients (43 F, 18 M), age ranging from 16 to 75 years, with reliable history of drug allergy. A total of 55 healthy subjects (39F, 16M) age ranging from 17 to 70 years served as control group. Assessment tools consisted of Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Speilberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI Tx-2). Results. The prevalence of depression and anxiety among patients with drug allergies was not greater than that of the controls. There were no associations between the scores of these psychological assessments and duration of drug allergy, type of allergic reaction, type of drug. Conclusions. Our data suggest that follow-up studies including high numbers of patients and patients with specific and potentially life-threatening clinical pictures of drug allergies are needed to detect clinically relevant associations.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether Child Behavior Checklist/4-18 (CBCL) and Teacher Report Form (TRF) scores of children and adolescents with a first-time diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are different and whether there is a similar difference in normal control subjects. METHOD: We analyzed the CBCL and TRF scores of 146 patients (124 boys and 22 girls, aged 6 to 18 years; mean age 11.0 years, SD 3.6). We analyzed the same scores for 274 age and sex-matched control subjects recruited from a nationally representative sample. RESULTS: Subjects with ADHD had significantly higher CBCL and TRF scores than control subjects. Age was significantly correlated with scores on the CBCL and TRF subscales Social Withdrawal, Somatic Complaints, and Internalization Problems; with scores on the CBCL subscale Attention Problems; and with scores on the TRF subscale Anxiety-Depression. In the group with ADHD, age was negatively correlated with scores on the CBCL and TRF subscale Externalizing Problems and with scores on the TRF subscale Aggressive Behavior. In the control group, the only significant correlation was between age and the CBCL subscale Somatic Complaints score. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that underdiagnosis of ADHD in childhood may cause the emergence of greater internalization problems in adolescence.
