Evaluation of Coronavirus Anxiety Levels and Coping Strategies of Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Panic Disorder Patients During the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Objectives: This study aims to compare patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and panic disorder (PD), whom we have frequently seen in our hospital practice during the pandemic, with healthy controls (HC) in terms of coronavirus anxiety levels and coping strategies. Methods: In this study, the Sociodemographic Data Form, Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) scale were applied to the participants. 30 MDD patients, 32 GAD patients, 31 PD patients and 38 HCs, totaling 131 participants, constituted the sample of the study. Results: Evaluation of the CAS scores of the participants revealed that HC scored 3.306 (p=0.002) points lower than GAD patients and 3.014 (p=0.005) points lower than PD patients, while HC and major depression patients were not statistically different in terms of CAS scores (p=0.880). In the comparison of coping strategies, HC scored 3.151 (p<0.001) points higher than MDD patients and 2.059 (p=0.004) points higher than GAD patients in terms of "active coping." In terms of "planning," HC scored 2.726 (p<0.001) points higher than MDD patients, 2.589 (p=0.001) points higher than GAD patients, and 2.171 (p=0.006) points higher than PD patients. Conclusion: This study found higher coronavirus anxiety levels in GAD and PD patients but no difference in MDD patients compared to HC during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may indicate that MDD patients can COPE better with coronavirus anxiety. Determining the coping strategies that individuals use to COPE with coronavirus anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic may help mental health professionals to control disease-related stressors and contribute to the treatment process.

The Relationship Between Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Levels and Eating Behavior in Emergency Service Workers.

Introduction It is seen that shift work causes various biological, psychological, and behavioral problems in individuals. This study aimed to determine the eating attitudes and behaviors of health workers working in shifts in a stressful environment such as the emergency service and to examine the relationship between depression, anxiety, and stress levels and eating behaviors (emotional eating, restrictive eating, and external eating) in terms of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Material and Methods Sociodemographic data form; Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS); and Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) were used. The study sample consisted of 92 employees (doctor, nurse, emergency medical technician (EMT), medical secretary, and security, staff) who were actively on duty in the emergency department of Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University Medical Faculty Training and Research Hospital. Results In our study, when the eating behavior of emergency service workers was evaluated in terms of "emotional, external, and restricted eating" sub-dimensions, depression (p=0.043), anxiety (p=0.017), increased stress levels (p=0.002), being female (p=0.022), nurse-emergency medical technician profession (p=0.001), working in 24-hour shifts (p=0.001), and diet history (p=0.013) were associated with "emotional eating." In addition, an increase in depression levels (p=0.048), being single (p=0.015), working in 24-hour shifts (p=0.005), a decrease in age (p<0.001) with "extrinsic eating," an increase in body mass index (BMI) (p=0.020) and waist circumference (p=0.049), and diet history (p<0.001) were associated with "restricted eating." Conclusions In our study, among the sociodemographic factors, being female, being single, working in 24-hour shifts, diet history, nurse-EMT profession, and undergraduate education level were found to increase the tendency to develop eating behavior problems. An increase in depression levels, being single, working in 24-hour shifts, and a decrease in age were associated with "extrinsic eating." There is a correlation between depression, anxiety, and stress scores and emotional eating scores. Additionally, we found significant correlations between body mass index, waist circumference, diet history, and restricted eating scores. In the approach to eating behavior problems, it is important to determine the individual eating behavior disorder. Due to the increased risk of eating behavior disorder in those who work in long shifts such as 24 hours, it will be possible to organize work programs and increase the quality of service.

Evaluation of Temperament and Character Traits and Their Subscale Dimensions Associated with Major Depressive Disorder.

Objectives: The relationship between major depressive disorder (MDD) and, especially harm avoidance, self-directedness, and cooperativeness has been determined based on Cloninger's psychobiological personality model; there are not enough studies in the literature on the role of the subdimensions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the patients with MDD and healthy controls in terms of temperament and character traits and especially subdimensions and thus to determine the role and predictive value of temperament and character subdimensions in major depression patients. Methods: The sample of this cross-sectional study consisted of 105 participants, 65 of whom were MDD patients, and 40 healthy controls, who voluntarily agreed to participate in the study. Sociodemographic data form, temperament and character inventory, and Hamilton depression rating scale were administered to the participants. Results: Compared with healthy controls, patients with MDD had lower self-directedness (p<0.001), cooperativeness (p=0.017), persistence (p<0.001), self-transcendence (p=0.001), and higher harm avoidance (p<0.001) scores. While there was no significant difference in novelty seeking (p=0.774); it was determined that MDD patients got higher scores in "Impulsiveness" (p=0.013) and lower scores in "Exploratory excitability" (p=0.001) subscales. Reward dependence has been identified as the only personality trait that there was no significant difference between major depression patients and healthy controls (p=0.511). As a result of the logistic regression analysis performed to determine the predictors of temperament and character subdimensions in major depression patients, only three temperament and character traits "Fatigability, Purposefulness, and Spiritual Acceptance" were determined as significant predictors (p<0.001). Fatigability was determined to be a serious risk factor, increasing the probability of MDD 3.6 times (p<0.001); purposefulness and spiritual acceptance were found to be protective personality traits that together reduced the probability of MDD by 0.8 times (p<0.001). Conclusion: This study shows that the risk of developing MDD is increased in individuals with low self-directedness, cooperativeness, persistence, and self-transcendence profiles, and whereas with prominent Harm avoidance personality traits. Therapeutic interventions, especially considering the temperament and character traits of "Fatigability, Purposefulness, and Spiritual Acceptance" determined in our study, may contribute positively to MDD treatment.

Paracetamol alters empathy scores in healthy and headache subjects: Functional MRI correlates.

INTRODUCTION: Although previous evidence suggest that paracetamol decreases psychological reactivity in healthy subjects, there is still no confirmed correlation between the empathy scores and brain activity in healthy and headache patients after paracetamol treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study group included 16 patients with tension-type headache, and 12 healthy age-and sex-matched controls. After a detailed neurological examination Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and Empathy for Pain Scale (EPS) were applied to all subjects. Next, 1000 mg paracetamol tablet was administered orally, after administration of paracetamol, EPS were repeated, and fMRI was performed to all subjects. RESULTS: We have revealed increased empathy scores in the headache group after the paracetamol treatment which were associated with significant alterations in brain regions which play a critical role in the processing of empathy. DISCUSSION: The observed neuroimaging and clinical difference between healthy and headache subjects could be related to the fact that pain perception in healthy subjects might differ in some aspects from the mechanisms of empathy in headache-experienced patients. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that evaluated the paracetamol treatment and neural networks' correlation with pain empathy in healthy and headache individuals.

[Needs of Patients with Schizophrenia and Their Predictors]. / Sizofreni Hastalarinin Ihtiyaçlari ve Öngörülebilirligi.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the needs of patients with schizophrenia and to determine the sociodemographic and clinical variables associated with these needs. METHOD: The study was carried out with 94 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and their primary caregivers. The diagnoses were established based on DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association 1994) criteria. The patients' needs were evaluated with the Camberwell Assessment of Needs Scale (CAN), which reflects both the patient and the caregiver views on needs and problems. In addition, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia, the Personal and Social Performance Scale, the Quality of Life Scale for Schizophrenia and the Perceived Family Burden Scale were used as data collection tools. RESULTS: 'Psychotic symptoms' stood out as the most prevalent need to be met. 'Money' and 'intimate relations' were determined as the needs that the patients suffered most from. Being female, being married, living with families, having high school or higher education were found less associated with the needs. The variables explained 45.1% of the variance in predicting needs and 23.4% in predicting unmet needs. The Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia and Perceived Family Burden Scale were significant predictors for patients and the PANSSPositive Symptoms Scale for caregivers. CONCLUSION: Any treatment targeting solely the symptoms proves to be insufficient for patients with schizophrenia. Treatment planning should focus on the needs of patients and the needs identified by patients should be at the center of the treatment. A 'needs assessment' will make an important contribution not only to the planning of individual treatments but also to the planning of a community mental health services scheme and increasing its effectiveness.