Psychiatric Disorders and Sociodemographic Characteristics in Children Intended to Get Married at a Young Age

Objective: The aim of the study was to psychiatrically eva-luate children who brought to a child and adolescent psychiatry clinic for a forensic evaluation and asked by the courts whether they were ready to marry mentally and physically. Moreover, the determination of factors related to the intention to get these children married at a early age and the examination of socio-demographic characteristics are among the other aims. Method: 54 children who were asked by the courts whether they were ready to marry mentally and physically were included in the study. The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version scale was applied. Additionally, WISC-R intelligence test was applied and a socio-demographic data form was filled. Results: 98.1 % (n=53) of the children intended to get married consisted of females. There was at least one psychiatric disorder in 27.8 % (n=15) of these children. When the children were brought to a forensic evaluation, 63% of them stated that they were married with religious marriage and 18% of them stated that they were engaged. 44% of those married with religouos marriage had children or were pregnant. Almost all children did not attend school (98.1 %). The educational level of the parents in these families, most of which were determined to have a low socioeconomic level, was considerably low. Discussion: The low level of education and socio-cultural level are considered to be among important factors related to marrying children at a young age. Children got married at a young age are devoid of many rights with education being in the first place and they may face situations such as being pregnant and having children before completing their cognitive and psychosocial development

Behavioural sleep problems in previously untreated children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

OBJECTIVE: Although sleep symptoms are not included in the diagnostic criteria of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), these problems are common in children with ADHD. The presence of sleep problems was associated with impairment in functionality and increase in ADHD intensity. The aims of the study were to evaluate sleep problems of children with ADHD who had never received any psychiatric treatment and investigate the effects of these problems in functionality. METHODS: The present study included 83 children who were diagnosed as having ADHD and had never received any psychiatric treatment. The control group consisted of 106 healthy children. Psychiatric diagnostic interview was applied to all children. The parents completed the Conner’s Parent Questionnaire to evaluate the intensity of ADHD in the children, the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) to evaluate sleep problems, and the Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale to evaluate the functionality of the children. RESULTS: The total scores of subscale and scales of CSHQ were significantly higher in the study group. ADHD children slept 1 hour later and sleep quantity was 1.5 hours less than the control group. There was a significant correlation between sleep problems, ADHD severity, and functionality of these children. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated that children with ADHD experienced more sleep problems and slept less than the children in the healthy control group, and functional impairments increased due to these problems. Another important finding is that sleep problems are not related to drug use. Maintaining sleep hygiene or interventions against sleep problems may increase sleep quality and may improve self and family functionality. Therefore, the standardized sleep evaluation must be performed in cooperation with parents in all children with ADHD

Broad autism phenotype: theory of mind and empathy skills in unaffected siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder

OBJECTIVE: Difficulties in social communication is core syptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and it is often present in first-degree relatives in varying degrees. However, these subclinical autistic traits, which are thought to be related to genetic susceptibility factors, may be heterogeneous in family members. This prospective, the aim of this study was to compare unaffected siblings of children with ASD in terms of theory of mind, empathy skills, and broad autism phenotype (BAP). METHODS: Fourty-one children who were diagnosed Autistic Disorder, Asperger Disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-not otherwise specified according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition and their unaffected siblings and 43 controls of typically developing children were included. The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-age Children – Present and Lifetime Version was conducted all children with the aim of excluding a psychiatric diagnosis. False-belief tasks and Emotion Recognition Scales were used to evaluate theory of mind and empathy skills. The Social Communication Questionnaire was administered by the clinician in order to evaluate subthreshold autistic symptoms. RESULTS: Unaffected siblings of ASD children exhibited worse performance in theory of mind and emotion recognition tasks. Additionally, these children had more autistic symptoms and there was a correlation with autism symptoms and social cognition tasks. DISCUSSION: In compatible with BAP, the results indicated that the siblings of children with ASD showed a neurocognitive profile associated with ASD at a slight level, and they had more subsyndromal autism symptoms compared with healthy children. The findings also indicated that there was a weakness in skills of empathy and theory of mind ability of siblings of ASD

Case report: GNRH treatment for hypersexual behaviour in a child with autism spectrum disorder

Inappropriate sexual behaviours observed in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are difficult for both the family and the child, and they can significantly deteriorate social adaptation and functionality. Therefore, these behaviours need to be addressed and treated appropriately. Conventional treatments may be inadequate in a number of cases. In this case report, the treatment of inappropriate sexual behaviours using gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), despite the medical and behavioural treatment of a 13-year-old boy diagnosed with ASD with mental retardation comorbidity, is described. The use of hormonal therapy in inappropriate sexual behaviours is discussed

Induced Current Magnetic Resonance Electrical Impedance Tomography with z-Gradient Coil

Magnetic Resonance Electrical Impedance Tomography (MREIT) is a medical imaging method that provides images of electrical conductivity at low frequencies (0-1 kHz). In MREIT, electrical current is applied to the body via surface electrodes and corresponding magnetic flux density is measured by means of Magnetic Resonance (MR) phase imaging techniques. By utilizing the magnetic flux density measurements and surface potential measurements images of true conductivity distribution can be reconstructed. In order to overcome difficulties regarding current application via surface electrodes, Induced Current MREIT (ICMREIT) have been proposed in the past. In ICMREIT, electrical currents and corresponding magnetic flux density are generated in the object through electromagnetic induction by means of externally placed coils driven with time varying currents. In this study, use of z-gradient, z-Helmholtz, and circular coil configurations in ICMREIT are proposed and investigated. Finite Element Method (FEM) is used to solve the forward problem of ICMREIT. Consequently, excitation performances and clinical applicability of different coil configurations are analyzed

Differences in the perception of social support and traumatic experiences in adolescents with substance use disorder and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder

Objective: This study aims to examine the relationship between partner focused and romantic relationship obsessive compulsive with ruminative thinking style, body image, social appearance anxiety. The second aim of the study is to examine the sociodemographic variables thought to be related to relationship centered and partner focused obsessive compulsive symptoms. Method: The data has been collected via internet from 689 individuals who were in a romantic relationship between the ages of 18-30. For the aim of collecting information, demographic information form, Partner Related Obsessive Compulsive Scale, Relationship Obsessive Compulsive Inventory, Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire, Social Appearance Anxiety Scale and Body-Cathexis Scale have been used. Results: According to the performed structural equation modelling, it has been observed that ruminative thinking style predicts the relationship centered and partner focused obsessive compulsive symptoms and sub-dimensions positively. Body image and social appearance anxiety positively predict the partner focused obsessive compulsive symptoms and its sub-dimensions. Furthermore, it was found that partner focused obsessive compulsive symptoms positively predict relationship centered obsessive compulsive symptoms. Discussion: In this study, it was concluded that the model created with ruminative thinking style, body image and social appearance anxiety, which is thought to be effective in revealing partner focused and romantic relationship obsessive compulsive symptoms is an acceptable model. It is thought that investigating the structures that may be effective in revealing the symptoms will serve to better understand this obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) subtype and overall OCD and contribute to the diagnosis / treatment of this area

Evaluation of adolescents diagnosed with acne vulgaris for quality of life and psychosocial challenges

Background: Acne vulgaris is a common skin condition which affects most adolescents. It has a major impact on quality of life and psychosocial well-being. Aims: The aims of the study were to examine the psychosocial effects of acne on adolescents and changes in quality of life, and to reveal any difference in the possible effect between genders. In addition, an investigation of the association between acne severity and quality of life as well as psychosocial stress was conducted. Materials and Methods: The present study included 164 adolescents with a mean age of 12–18 years and was diagnosed with acne vulgaris without any previous treatment. The control group consisted of 188 healthy volunteers. Acne severity was evaluated by the global acne grading system. All patients filled in a Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index, Pediatric Quality of Life Questionnaire (PedsQL), and a Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results: The scores of SDQ and PedsQL were significantly lower in the case group. There was no significant correlation found between the genders in the control group for acne severity and scale scores. No significant correlation was found between acne severity and psychosocial challenges. Conclusions: The results of the present study show that acne has a significant effect on quality of life for adolescents, and this has an impact on their psychosocial life. Another important finding of the present study is that worsening in quality of life is not affected by some factors such as duration, severity of acne and age

Broad autism phenotype: theory of mind and empathy skills in unaffected siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder

OBJECTIVE: Difficulties in social communication is core syptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and it is often present in first-degree relatives in varying degrees. However, these subclinical autistic traits, which are thought to be related to genetic susceptibility factors, may be heterogeneous in family members. This prospective, the aim of this study was to compare unaffected siblings of children with ASD in terms of theory of mind, empathy skills, and broad autism phenotype (BAP)