The Effects of Art Therapy and Psychosocial Skills Training on Symptoms and Social Functioning in Patients with Schizophrenia and Their Relatives. / Sizofreni Hasta ve Yakinlariyla Yapilan Sanatla Terapi ve Ruhsal Toplumsal Beceri Egitiminin Hastalik Belirtileri ve Sosyal Islevsellik Üzerine Etkileri.

OBJECTIVE: The effects of antipsychotics on negative symptoms are limited. The most appropriate approach in the treatment of schizophrenia is the integration of drug therapy with psychological and social interventions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the effects of art therapy and psychosocial skills training (PSST) in the treatment of schizophrenia. METHODS: A total of 15 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia according to the criteria in DSM-5 and 12 patient relatives were included in the study. The patients were randomly divided into 2 groups, 7 were included in the art therapy program and 8 were included in the PSST program for schizophrenia. 90-minute sessions of art therapy and PSST were carried out once a week for 17 weeks. Participants with schizophrenia were evaluated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Social Functioning Scale (SFS) and the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia and the relatives were given Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory and Zarit Burden Interview. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in the PANSS negative symptoms, PANSS general psychopathology, SFS pro-social activities and SFS recreation scores in both groups, while the SFS social withdrawal scores decreased significantly only in the art therapy group. In the PANSS negative symptoms subscale, passive social withdrawal, difficulty in abstract thinking, lack of spontaneity and flow of conversation and stereotyped thinking scores were significantly lower in the art therapy group. In the PSST group only the score for difficulty in abstract thinking declined significantly. CONCLUSION: The findings of the present study suggest that art therapy and PSST have positive effects on the improvement of negative symptoms as well as improvements in social and cognitive functionality in schizophrenia.

Exploring the Personality Characteristics of Rhinoplasty Patients: Perfectionism, Rumination, and Self-Compassion.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates differences in personality characteristics, including perfectionism, ruminative thinking style, and self-compassion, between individuals who have undergone rhinoplasty and a control group without any history of cosmetic surgery. METHODS: The study included 33 adult patients who underwent rhinoplasty between 2021 and 2023 at Bursa Uludag University Faculty of Medicine Hospital and 33 adult patients who visited our centre for other complaints as a control group. The rhinoplasty group consisted of primary surgical patients with functional and cosmetic concerns, excluding those who sought revision surgery or had only functional problems. The control group consisted of individuals with no prior cosmetic surgery history and no expectations of aesthetic interventions. Psychiatric analysis was performed using Frost multidimensional perfectionism scale, ruminative thinking style questionnaire, and self-compassion scale. RESULTS: This research revealed that individuals who had rhinoplasty scored higher in perfectionism 109.3 (±23.3) and ruminative thinking 87.9 (±22) compared to those who did not undergo surgery 94.15 (±22.2) and 77.7 (±23), respectively. Additionally, the rhinoplasty group had lower self-compassion scores, 80.4 (±17.3), than the control group, 86.1 (±11.2). Statistically significant differences were observed in perfectionism between the groups (p = 0.009). In rhinoplasty patients, a notably positive correlation was found between perfectionism and ruminative thinking scores (r = 0.482; p = 0.005), while a moderately significant negative correlation was observed between self-compassion and ruminative thinking scores (r = - 0.465; p = 0.006). CONCLUSION: Individuals who undergo rhinoplasty generally show increased levels of perfectionism and are more prone to ruminative thinking. They also demonstrate reduced self-compassion compared to non-surgical control groups. Cosmetic surgeons should be aware of these psychological trends and consider using appropriate scales during pre-surgery consultations and follow-up visits. Adopting this informed approach can improve the surgeon-patient relationship and help overcome communication challenges. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

The Impact of theCovid-19 Pandemic on the Admission of Psychiatric Patients in Emergency Department During the Early Pandemic Period. / Covid-19 Pandemisinin Erken Dönemde Psikiyatrik Hastalarin Acil Servis Basvurulari Üzerindeki Etkisi.

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions cause increasing mental health problems in both the general population and psychiatric patients. In this study, it was aimed to compare the number and characteristics of emergency psychiatric consultations in the earlypandemic period and in the same period of 2019, in order to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affects psychiatric emergencies and the health care seeking behavior of people with psychiatric disorders. METHOD: A retrospective cross-sectional study was designed in which patients who applied to Emergency Department of Bursa Uludag University and were consulted to psychiatry between 11 March 2019 - 1 September 2019 and 11 March 2020 - 1 September 2020 were included. Sociodemographic characteristics of the patients, psychiatric diagnoses, hospitalizations, psychotropic drug use and treatment compliance, frequency of admission, indications for hospitalization/ referral and suicide attempts were compared. RESULTS: It was observed that the ratio of psychiatric admissions to the emergency department to all emergency department admissions was significantly higher in the early-pandemic period than in the prepandemic period. In the early-pandemic period, emergency department admissions due to depression disorders were found to be significantly lower; schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, and psychotropic drug side effects were found to be significantly higher than in the prepandemic period. CONCLUSION: In this study, it was shown that the COVID-19 pandemic may have a negative impact on psychiatric patients. Prompt implementation of measures to deal with the psychiatric effects of the pandemic, using online health services, developing coping strategies and identifying early signs of psychiatric illness exacerbations can reduce the negative effects of this stressful period on vulnerable individuals.