Serum Uric Acid Level in Unipolar and Bipolar Depression

The purinergic system plays a role in the regulation of mood, motor activity, cognitive function, sleep, and behavior. Purinergic mechanisms can also play a role in various neuropsychiatric diseases. The objective of this study is to assess whether uric acid levels in patients with unipolar and bipolar depression are different in comparison to healthy controls and to determine the clinical parameters that can be associated with the uric acid level. This retrospective study consisted of 31 patients with major depressive disorder and 31 patients with bipolar disorder depressive episode and 31 healthy control subjects. The mean serum uric acid levels were found as follows: major depression patient group 4.56 (± 1.53) mg/dL, bipolar depression patient group 5.38 (± 1.43) mg/dL and control group 4.86 (± 1.56) mg/dL. There was no significant difference between patients and the control groups in terms of serum uric acid levels (P=0.075). Serum uric acid levels do not differ significantly in bipolar and unipolar depression. Also, there was no difference between patients and control. Therefore, studying the uric acid metabolism in major depression and bipolar disorder depressive episode according to the symptom severity with larger sample groups is suggested

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE SYMPTOMATOLOGY OF POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AMONG SYRIAN REFUGEES SETTLED IN A CAMP IN TURKEY

Background: This study firstly described gender differences in traumatic experiences and the symptomatology and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among Syrian refugees settled in a camp in Turkey. Secondly, we aimed to discuss the reasons for gender differences, by comparing with the studies conducted on these Syrian refugees of the same culture who are the victims of the same war in their new settlement where they had been forced to migrate. Subjects and methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 352 refugees, randomly selected from a single settlement. The diagnosis of PTSD was performed using face-to-face psychiatric interviews according to the DSM-IV-TR criteria. The Stressful Life Events Screening Questionnaire and a sociodemographic history form were administered to all participants. We compared our results with other PTSD studies on Syrian Refugees. Results: Men were exposed to traumatic events 1.29 times more frequently than women. However, the prevalence of PTSD was significantly higher in women (44.1%) than in men (18.1%), with a prevalence of 30.7% in the overall sample. While symptoms of intrusion and avoidance/numbing were more prevalent in women with PTSD, there was no difference in symptoms of hypervigilance between genders. However, women reported a higher prevalence of fear response to traumatic events. Conclusions: Female refugees may be more prone than men to develop PTSD, although both genders shared the same traumatic environment in the early post-traumatic periods. The higher frequency of intrusion and avoidance/numbing may originate from an increased tendency of anxiety structural dissociation among women, alongside possibly higher peritraumatic dissociation, which may be also boosted by the higher ongoing perception of threat among female refugees. The possible role of peritraumatic and ongoing dissociation in PTSD should be taken into consideration for further research, particularly among populations under ongoing threat

Somatic distress, mental health and psychological resilience among cancer patients during the Covid-19 pandemic

We aimed to investigate the somatic distress and psychological symptoms levels of cancer patients, and analyze the influencing factors on somatic distress during COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study included 216 eligible cancer patients. The Patient Health Questionnaire-15, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist for DSM-5, The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21, the Brief Resilience Scale, the Stressful Life Events List due to Pandemic were administered to the participants. The moderate to severe somatic distress rate was % 38 and probable PTSD rate was 20.4%. Depression, anxiety and stress symptoms were 36.1%, 49.1% and 45.4%, respectively, from mild to extremely severe. There were substantial association between somatic symptoms severity and high PTSD, anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms levels. Low education, high anxiety levels, high experience stressful life events, and low psychological resilience predicted high somatic distress. This study demonstrates the high risk of somatic distress, PTSD, depression, anxiety and stress in patients with cancer during the pandemic. In addition, somatic distress may indicate high levels of psychological symptoms, high experience stressful life events, and low psychological resilience. It underscores the need to assess psychological status during the pandemic, especially those with high level somatic symptoms