Exploring the clinical characteristics and etiological factors of comorbid major depressive disorder and social anxiety disorder

The comorbidity between the major depressive disorder (MDD) and the social anxiety disorder (SAD) is significantly prevalent, necessitating a nuanced understanding of their overlapping clinical characteristics and shared etiological factors, including inflammatory biomarkers. To address this, we conducted a cross-sectional study from December 2021 to June 2022, encompassing 204 outpatients diagnosed with MDD-SAD comorbidity. We employed various psychometric assessments, such as the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-28), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS). Additionally, we analyzed inflammatory biomarkers including the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte platelet ratio (NLPR), systemic inflammation index (SII), and the systemic inflammation response index (SIRI). Our findings accentuated that patients primarily diagnosed with MDD exhibited elevated levels of certain inflammatory biomarkers. They reported more severe and atypical depressive symptoms (75.7% vs 58.5%; P = 0.010) and had significantly higher CTQ-28 subscale scores (P < 0.05). Our study unveils a complex relationship between MDD and SAD, with significant disparities in the symptom severity and inflammatory biomarker levels, thereby establishing a compelling case for dual-diagnosis treatment approaches. It elucidates the critical role of inflammation in the comorbidity of MDD and SAD, marking a pioneering step towards more comprehensive and holistic patient care strategies. These insights could potentially revolutionize therapeutic approaches in psychiatric care, promising significantly improved outcomes through early detection and integrated intervention strategies

Memory deficits and frontal lobe syndrome associated with bilateral globus pallidus lesions in a patient with synthetic cannabinoid use

Major strategic functions of the basal ganglia are thought to involve the fine tuning and modulation of the activity of the most parts of the frontal cortex, control of the skeleto-motor and oculo-motor movements, and modulation of the limbic system and associative functions. In this case report, a patient with a 10-year history of synthetic cannabinoid use and bilateral symmetrical hyperintense lesions of the globus pallidus in T2 weighed images following head trauma is described in conjunction clinical signs of global amnesia, behavioral changes consistent with frontal lobe syndrome, and reduced affect display, without any movement disorders. To the best of our knowledge, this patients represents the first case who had bilateral globus pallidus lesions due to synthetic cannabinoid use together with frontal lobe syndrome-like clinical signs without movement disorder. This case report points out to the fact that synthetic cannabinoid use may lead to development of bilateral globus pallidus lesions, which may be associated with amnesia without movement disorder, suggesting that this clinical picture may have resulted from the interruption of pathways between the prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia

Comorbidity of Adult Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder in Bipolar Patients: Prevalence, Sociodemographic and Clinical Correlates

Introduction: The aims of this study were to determine the frequency of adult attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) comorbidity in bipolar patients and to investigate the influence of this comorbidity on the clinical characteristics of bipolar disorder (BD)

Clozapine Therapy for Long-Term Prophylaxis in Bipolar Patients; Prescription Rates and Efficacy

Aim: It is reported that clozapine maintenance treatment could be effective in treatment-resistant bipolar patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prescription rates of clozapine, features of patients on clozapine prophylaxis and efficacy of clozapine prophylaxis in patients with bipolar disorder. Material and Method: 280 patients with DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder, type I were included in the study. The patients' medical records and life-charts were reviewed retrospectively and patients who took clozapine for maintenance treatment for at least one year were identified. Results: Twelve of 280 patients (4.8 %) took clozapine for prophylaxis for at least one period during lifetime. Among them 7 patients have only received clozapine, while 5 patients have used combination of clozapine and valproic acid. All of these twelve patients had resistance to at least two different maintenance treatments before clozapine prophylaxis. However, positive results were observed in all of the patients with clozapine prophylaxis. Discussion: These findings suggest that clozapine is regarded as an effective prophylactic choice for treatment of resistant patients with bipolar disorder. Consequently, this study demonstrates effectiveness and safety of clozapine use even in severe patients refractory to various strategies of prophylaxis. Retrospective nature of our study constitutes a limitation. However, when considering limited number of studies on this subject, it may still have a significant contribution. But more comprehensive prospective controlled studies are still needed

Evaluation of personality profile in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome and healthy controls

Objectives. Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is associated with widespread musculoskeletal pain disorder characterized by various symptoms. Our aim was to compare the personality profiles and psychological aspects between FMS patients and control subjects. Additionally, we evaluated the FMS symptoms, pain and functional status. A total of 72 female patients with FMS and 64 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included

Examination of Adult Separation Anxiety and Bonding Styles in Patients with Panic Disorder Who Applied to a Psychiatric Clinic

WOS: 000450125200004Introduction: The attachment processes give us a theoretical framework to understandpsychopathological development. Unsafe attachment type is often associated with the emergence of psychopathology in later periods of life. Method: This study includes 65 patients from a psychiatry outpatient clinic with a diagnosis of panic disorder and 65 healthy volunteers as a control group.In order to determine clinical status and disease severity of patients with panic disorder according to SCID-I (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders-I) the Panic-Agoraphobia Scale, Adults Separation Anxiety Scale, and Relationship Scale Questionnaire were used. Results: The panic disorder group and control group had a statistically significant difference in separation anxiety levels. According to means of attachment style, only the obsessive sub-dimension showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups. In the panic disorder group, separation anxiety had significant differences according to gender and the presence of agoraphobia. When attachment styles of patients with an early parent loss or divorce of parents was assessed for the anxious and obsessive sub-dimensions, the differences were found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: High comorbidity of panic disorder (dominantly co-existing with agoraphobia) and adult separation anxiety was observed. This comorbidity was even higher in females. In both groups, obsessive attachment style was the highest among the attachment styles. In patients with panic disorder, there were no significant correlations between adult separation anxiety and/or existence of agoraphobia and attachment styles. Coexistence of adult separation anxiety and panic disorder was found to result in higher depression comorbidity rates

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of an Aerobic Exercise Program and the Personality Characteristics of Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Pilot Study

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a 6-week aerobic exercise program on pain, physical function, and psychological status, and to evaluate the personality characteristics of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) patients. [Subjects and Methods] Fourteen women with FMS were enrolled. They were trained for a 6-week home-based aerobic exercise program. The Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory, the visual analog scale of pain and sleep quality were measured at baseline and at the end of week 6. The personality profiles were evaluated using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). [Results] After the exercise program, significant improvements were determined in pain, sleep quality, physical function, depression and FMS symptoms compared to baseline. In addition, the hysteria item (71.21 +/- 8.84) of the MMPI was significantly higher in FMS. [Conclusion] Our findings indicate that home-based aerobic exercise may be a useful treatment in the management of FMS. Personality characteristics should be considered during the planning process of the treatment of FMS. Personality is a filter between life events and psychological responses. It is defined to be the integration of effective and behavioral patterns. Long-term studies involving larger clinical samples are needed to define the role of personality characteristics in FMS

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of an Aerobic Exercise Program and the Personality Characteristics of Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Pilot Study

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a 6-week aerobic exercise program on pain, physical function, and psychological status, and to evaluate the personality characteristics of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) patients. [Subjects and Methods] Fourteen women with FMS were enrolled. They were trained for a 6-week home-based aerobic exercise program. The Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory, the visual analog scale of pain and sleep quality were measured at baseline and at the end of week 6. The personality profiles were evaluated using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). [Results] After the exercise program, significant improvements were determined in pain, sleep quality, physical function, depression and FMS symptoms compared to baseline. In addition, the hysteria item (71.21±8.84) of the MMPI was significantly higher in FMS. [Conclusion] Our findings indicate that home-based aerobic exercise may be a useful treatment in the management of FMS. Personality characteristics should be considered during the planning process of the treatment of FMS. Personality is a filter between life events and psychological responses. It is defined to be the integration of effective and behavioral patterns. Long-term studies involving larger clinical samples are needed to define the role of personality characteristics in FMS