D-serine and D-amino acid oxidase levels in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders in the first episode and 6-month follow-up.

BACKGROUND: D-serine and the D-amino acid oxidase (DAO) enzyme, which breaks down d-amino acids, may be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia by affecting the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. The exact role of D-serine and DAO, as well as the consequences of increased DAO activity in patients with schizophrenia, remain unclear. We aimed to investigate D-serine and DAO levels in patients with first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders before treatment and after six months of treatment. METHOD: Comparisons for the serum levels of D-serine and DAO were made between 81 healthy controls and 89 patients with first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders without a history of treatment. Further comparisons were made after 6 months for changes in these levels in the 41 patients in follow-up. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANNS), Calgary Scale for Depression in Schizophrenia (CDSS), Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA), Global Assessment Scale (GAS), and Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI) were used to evaluate the symptom severity and functionality. Secondary results included comparisons related to antipsychotic equivalent doses. RESULTS: Before treatment, patients had significantly lower levels of D-serine, DAO, and D-serine/DAO ratio compared to healthy individuals (p < 0.001; p < 0.001; p = 0.004). DAO and D-serine levels of the patients were higher after six months of treatment (p = 0.025; p = 0.001). There was correlation of DAO levels with antipsychotic dosage and with PANSS negative and total subscale scores (rho = 0.421, p = 0.01; rho = 0.280, p = 0.008; rho = 0.371, p = 0.000). No correlation was found between serum D-serine level, DAO level, and the D-serine/DAO ratio with cognitive function. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that D-serine and DAO may play a role that is sensitive to treatment effects in schizophrenia spectrum disorders. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the impact antipsychotic drugs have on NMDA receptor dysfunction, there is a requirement for studies that directly evaluates the activity of the DAO enzyme.

Symptom Exacerbations of Patients Attending a Community Mental Health Center During the COVID-19 Pandemic. / Bir Toplum Ruh Sagligi Merkezi'nde Takip Edilen Hastalarda COVID-19 Salgini Sürecinde Belirtilerde Alevlenmeler.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the clinical conditions of the patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) in a community mental health center (CMHC). METHOD: Symptom exacerbations, emergency service admissions, drug dose increases, additional medication prescriptions, and psychiatric hospitalizations of patients with BD and SSD in the CMHC were evaluated retrospectively. The data from the 1-year prior, 6-months prior, 6-months after the onset and 1-year after the onset of the pandemic were compared. Hospital and CMHC medical records were used for outcomes. Personal and Social Performance (PSP) Scale was used to assess the level of functioning. RESULTS: 107 patients with the diagnosis of BD and 121 patients with the diagnosis of SSD were recruited. In the BD group, there was increase in the frequency of symptom exacerbations (p=0.001) and additional medication prescriptions or increased dose (p=0.007), with decrease in emergency service admissions (p=0.039) during the pandemic. In the patients with SSD, the number of patients with exacerbation of symptoms (p=0.001) and with increased dose or additional medication prescriptions (p=0.004) were higher during the pandemic. There was no increase in the rate of hospitalized patients in the period of first 6 months and first one year. Symptom exacerbations were more frequent in the SSD group with Covid (+) in family (p=0.016). CONCLUSION: The fact that the hospitalization rates remained the same despite an increase in the acute exacerbations provides info on the role of CMHCs and how mental health system functioned during the pandemic.

Training in neuropsychiatry: views of early career psychiatrists from across the world.

BACKGROUND: Training and practice in neuropsychiatry varies across the world. However, little is known about the experiences and opinions of early career psychiatrists (ECPs) across different countries regarding neuropsychiatry. AIMS AND METHOD: To investigate neuropsychiatry training experiences, practices and opinions among ECPs across different countries. An online survey was distributed to ECPs in 35 countries across the world. RESULTS: A total of 522 participants took part in this study. Responses show that neuropsychiatry is integrated to a variable extent in psychiatric training curricula across the world. Most respondents were not aware of the existence of neuropsychiatric training or of neuropsychiatric units. Most agreed that training in neuropsychiatry should be done during or after the psychiatry training period. Lack of interest among specialty societies, lack of time during training, and political and economic reasons are regarded as the main barriers. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: These findings call for an improvement in the extent and in the quality of neuropsychiatry training across the world.

Personality Traits Interact With Sleep and Biological Rhythm in Patients With Bipolar Disorder.

ABSTRACT: Sleep disturbances and circadian rhythm changes in bipolar disorder (BD) may have behavioral components as well as biological components. This study aimed to examine the relationship between personality traits, sleep and circadian rhythm in BD. A total of 150 participants with BD, and 150 healthy controls completed the Big Five Personality Test-50 (B5PT-50-TR), Biological Rhythm Interview of Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (BRIAN), Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Young Mania Rating Scale and Beck Depression Inventory. In the BD group, B5PT-50-TR emotional stability and openness subscale scores were significantly lower in comparison with the healthy control group. Agreeableness and emotional stability subscales were covariates for the BRIAN sleep subscale and emotional stability was a covariate for PSQI total score. Emotional instability might be a vulnerability factor for sleep disorders and biological rhythm abnormalities in BD. Improvement in emotional instability may relieve sleep disorders and biological rhythm, thereby leading to better treatment outcomes in BD.

Relationship of Long Acting Injectable Antipsychotics with Caregiver Burden, Quality of Life, Symptom Severity and Treatment Discontinuation in Schizophrenia. / Sizofrenide Uzun Etkili Enjekte Edilebilir Antipsikotiklerin Bakim Veren Yükü, Yasam Kalitesi, Belirti Siddeti ve Tedaviyi Birakma ile Iliskisi.

OBJECTIVE: Regarding the patients using long acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotic treatment; we aimed to investigate the effect of attitude towards drugs, antipsychotic type and side effects on quality of life, caregiver burden and continuation of treatment. METHOD: Our study sample consisted of 110 patients in the age range of 18-65 using LAI antipsychotics for at least 12 weeks with the diagnosis of schizophrenia according to DSM-5 criteria. Sociodemographic and Clinical Data Form, Drug Attitude Inventory 10 (DAI-10), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), UKU Side Effect Rating Scale, Quality of Life for Schizophrenia Scale were used for evaluation of patients. Sociodemographic Data Form, Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale (ZCBS) were used for the caregivers. RESULTS: It is observed that the patients with positive attitude against the treatment had longer antipsychotic treatment duration (13.7+9.1 years) compared to patients with negative attitude (7.7 + 6.6 years) (p<0.001). PANSS total scores of patients who were considering about treatment discontinuation (44.0+14.3) were higher than the other patients (38.6+9.0) (p=0.03) and DAI-10 scores of patients who were considering about treatment discontinuation were lower (1.4+4.9; 5.2+3.4; p<0.001). Duration of illness were also shorter (10.3+9.3 year) for the patients who were considering about treatment discontinuation than the other group (15.7 + 9.0 year) (p=0.01). There was no significant difference in caregiver burden, side effects, quality of life and reasons for treatment discontinuation between typical and atypical antipsychotics. According to the regression analysis results, PANSS score (ß=0.553, p<0.001) and male gender (ß= 0.225, p=0.003) were positive predictors of ZCBS scores. CONCLUSION: It is observed that the attitude towards drugs and psychotic symptom severity were the most important factors for treatment discontinuation in patients with schizophrenia using LAI antipsychotics. Atypical and typical antipsychotics were not different with respect to quality of life and caregiver burden for the patients on regular treatment with LAI antipsychotics.

Effect of long acting injectable antipsychotics on course and hospitalizations in bipolar disorder - a naturalistic mirror image study.

PURPOSE: To determining whether the addition of a long-acting injectable antipsychotic (LAI-AP) has a positive effect on prognosis in bipolar disorder. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records of patients with bipolar disorder who were using LAI-AP at least for one year in the community mental health center (CMHC) until March 2020 were investigated. Comparisons were made between the period of one year before and after the initiation of LAI-AP. Hospital admission was the primary outcome. Residual symptom severity and functionality were evaluated with Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). RESULTS: There were 197 patients with bipolar disorder who were attending to the CMHC and 17 of them were under maintenance treatment with LAI-AP for at least one year. The LAI-APs used were aripiprazole (n = 8), paliperidone (n = 5) and risperidone (n = 4). Duration of illness was 13.5 ± 8.02 years and duration of LAI-AP treatment was 24.8 ± 22.74 months (median: 18). During the one-year period after the LAI-AP initiation, there were fewer days spent in hospital (2.5 ± 5.68 vs. 15.5 ± 20.59 days, p = .026) and the number of hospitalizations was lower than the year before the LAI-AP use (0.1 ± 0.39 vs. 0.9 ± 1.24 hospitalizations, p = .013). During the recovery period with LAI antipsychotics, there were mild residual symptoms presented with mean PSP (70.2), YMRS (1.7) and BDI (7.6) scores. CONCLUSION: LAI-AP use may have positive effect on course for selected patients with a long history of bipolar disorder.

Relationship of Intolerance of Uncertainty and Attachment Styles with the Clinical Features of Bipolar Disorder in Remission. / Remisyonda Bipolar Bozuklukta Belirsizlige Tahammülsüzlük, Baglanma Biçimleri ve Klinik Özelliklerin Iliskisi.

OBJECTIVE: The intolerance of uncertainty and attachment styles may predict the severity and clinical characteristics of bipolar disorder. In this study, we aimed to investigate these features in remitted bipolar patients. METHOD: This cross-sectional descriptive study included 150 BPD patients who were followed up at the outpatient clinics of Bakirköy Prof. Dr. Mazhar Osman Research and Training Hospital for Psychiatric and Neurological Diseases. After the evaluation for the inclusion/ exclusion criteria, scores on the Young Mania Rating Scale and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were determined to confirm the state of remission. A sociodemographic data form, the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS-12), the Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ), the Inventory of Close Relationship Experiences 2 (ICRE- 2), the Suicidal Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ) and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS-2) were used to acquire data. RESULTS: Patients with a history of two or more suicidal attempts had significantly increased scores on the ICRE-2 avoidant subscale (p=0.001). Their scores on the ICRE-2 anxious subscale positively correlated with those on the IUS-12 prospective anxiety (p=0.000), and inhibitory anxiety (p=0.000) subscales. The linear regression model including the scores on the ICRE-2 avoidant and anxious subscales, the IUS-12 prospective anxiety and inhibitory anxiety subscales and the WHODAS-2 was predictive of the number of suicide attempts. CONCLUSION: The number of suicide attempts might be higher in BPD patients with avoidant or anxious attachment styles, high intolerance of uncertainty and high levels of disability.

The Burden of Care and Burnout in Individuals Caring for Patients with Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease imposes a severe burden upon patients and their caregivers. We examined the relationship between the sociodemographic factors, burden of care and burnout level of 120 of 203 professional caregiving staff dealing with Alzheimer's disease patients in eight geriatric care centers in Istanbul/Turkey. The Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale was used to measure the level of burden of care, and the Maslach burnout inventory to measure the level of burnout. High levels of emotional exhaustion were present in 25% of our sample, and depersonalization was found in 30% reduced personal accomplishment was present in 26% of the caregivers.

Effects of Gender Reassignment on Quality of Life and Mental Health in People with Gender Dysphoria.

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to compare the life style, family and social relationships (social adaptation) and the quality of life in people with gender dysphoria with and without history of sex reassignment surgery. METHOD: Twenty  individuals (SR group) who were earlier followed   in Istanbul University Psychiatry Department Psychoneurosis and Psychotherapy Unit with gender dysphoria diagnosis in  order  to  have confirmative reports for the sex reassignment (SR) surgery were interviewed at least one year after the surgery. For comparison, 50 individuals with gender dysphoria (NSR group) who had recently applied to the same unit were interviewed. Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), Family Assessment Device (FAD), Multidimensional Scale for Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale (WHOQOL-BREF) were administered. RESULTS: In the SR group, concerns about gender related discrimination and victimization were lower, but concerns related to the disclosure of transgender identity were higher compared to the NSR group. The SR group scored lower on FAD Affective Involvement, Problem Solving, Affective Responsiveness subscales, but scored higher on MSPSS family subscale and psychological domain of WHOQOL-BREF. CONCLUSION: The sex reassignment surgeries (SRS) required for legal change in gender status of individuals with gender dysphoria are helpful in relieving the conflicts. SRS causes improvements in the quality of life, family support, interpersonal relationships and reduces the concerns about the gender related discrimination and victimization.

[The Disease History, Sociodemographics, and Criminal Features of the Homicidal Forensic Psychiatric Patients]. / Insana Yönelik Ciddi Suç Isleyen Adli Psikiyatri Olgularinin Hastalik Öyküleri, Sosyodemografik ve Suç Özellikleri.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the disease history, treatment adherence, and the criminal history of individuals who committed a homicide offence, with no criminal responsibility due to their psychiatric illness METHODS: Of 197 who had been released from our forensic psychiatric clinic after one-year-mandatory inpatient treatment, we evaluated 160 patients whom we were able to contact. To determine the severity of the crimes, criminal violence rating scale was used. The sociodemographic characterictics and certain variables associated with the disease and the criminal acts of the individuals were documented. RESULTS: Out of 160 patients, 48 had committed serious homicidal crime while 112 had committed milder or moderate crimes. All homicidal offenders were male. Most were single or divorced, living in metropolitan areas. 29.2% were unemployed. Of the homicidal offenders, 89.6% had a legal guardian, 93.8% had social insurance, 83.3% had psychiatric disorder with psychotic features. 29.2% of homicide offenders had criminal history even prior to the mandatory treatment, most of which were severe violent criminal offenses targeting directly a victim's life. CONCLUSIONS: Among homicidal offenders, diagnosis of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders were more and psychiatric comorbidities were less prevalent. The correlation of homicide and unemployment points to the importance of occupational rehabilitation. Identifying preventive factors and determining the risk of the homicidal behavior in individuals with mental disorders are important for the protection of both the patient and the public.

[First Episode Psychosis: Relationship of Symptoms, Initial Treatment and Clinical Response]. / Ilk Psikoz Atagi: Belirtiler, Tedavi Baslangici ve Klinik Yanit Iliskisi.

OBJECTIVE: It was aimed to explore the relationship of clinical psychopathology and treatment response with "duration of untreated psychosis" (DUP) and "duration of untreated illness"(DUI) in 15-20 years old (mean age: 17,34 ± 1.69) inpatients in Turkey. METHOD: Mood disorders with psyhotic features were grouped as affective psychoses (18 patients, mean age: 17,28 ± 1,75); schizophrenia, schiozophreniform disorder and other psychotic disorders were grouped as non-affective psychoses (25 patients, mean age: 17,38 ± 1,68). 43 patiens (11 females, 32 males) were evaluated for acute treatment response with Positive and Negative Scale-PANSS and Clinical Global Impressions Scale-CGI. RESULTS: Mean DUP was determined as 6,5 ± 12,4 weeks, mean DUI was determined as 37,8 ± 49,8 weeks. For the affective psychosis (AP) group; mean DUP was 1,9 ± 1,2 weeks, mean DUI was 24,6 ± 37,1 weeks, for the non-affective psychosis (NAP) group; mean DUP was 9,8 ± 15,5 weeks, mean DUI was 47,3 ± 55,9 weeks. Treatment response was better for the non-affective psychosis group and for the patients who had earlier access to treatment. Shorter DUP and DUI was related with better PANSS negative symptom severity at the time of the discharge. CONCLUSION: Better treatment response related with shorter DUP and DUI reveals the significance of early treatment for the disease prognosis.

Illness perception of dropout patients followed up at bipolar outpatient clinic, Turkey.

Dropout is a common problem in the treatment of psychiatric illnesses including bipolar disorders (BD). The aim of the present study is to investigate illness perceptions of dropout patients with BD. A cross sectional study was done on the participants who attended the Mood Disorder Outpatient Clinic at least 3 times from January 2003 through June 2008, and then failed to attend clinic till to the last one year, 2009, determined as dropout. Thirty-nine dropout patients and 39 attendent patients with BD were recruited for this study. A sociodemographic form and brief illness perception questionnaire were used to capture data. The main reasons of patients with BD for dropout were difficulties of transport (31%), to visit another doctor (26%), giving up drugs (13%) and low education level (59%) is significant for dropout patients. The dropout patients reported that their illness did not critically influence their lives, their treatment had failed to control their illnesses, they had no symptoms, and that their illness did not emotionally affect them. In conclusion, the nonattendance of patients with serious mental illness can result in non-compliance of therapeutic drug regimens, and a recurrence of the appearance symptoms. The perception of illness in dropout patients with BD may be important for understanding and preventing nonattendance.

Sociodemographic characteristics and drug abuse patterns of adolescents admitted for substance use disorder treatment in Istanbul.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent substance use is an increasing major health problem in developing countries. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the sociodemographic characteristics and drug abuse patterns of children and youth seeking treatment in Turkey. METHODS: This retrospective study reviewed the demographic and clinical data of substance users who visited the substance addiction treatment clinic for children and youth in Bakirköy Research and Training Hospital for Psychiatry, Neurology and Neurosurgery in Istanbul, between January 2011 and December 2012. RESULTS: The sample comprised of 1969 children and youth aged between 11 and 20 (346 female and 1623 male). Cannabis (60.1%), followed by solvents/inhalants (38.3%) and ecstasy (33.4%), were the most prevalent substances used. The use of solvents/inhalants was more common among males, whereas ecstasy and cocaine use were more common among females. The mean age for the onset of substance use was 13 years. The proportion of polysubstance use was 60.2%. There was a mean duration of 2.28 ± 1.91 years between the first substance use and seeking treatment. The risk factors for most of the drug usage were onset of substance use at a young age, gender, treatment admission at older ages, higher parental criminal history, and having substance using parents or relatives. CONCLUSION: Findings of the very early onset of substance and polysubstance use indicated easy accessibility of legal and illicit substances by children and youth in Istanbul. These findings on Turkish children and youth who seek substance use treatment can be useful in developing preventive early interventions and treatment facilities.