COULD AFFECTIVE TEMPERAMENT PREDICT OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE SYMPTOM DIMENSIONS?

BACKGROUND: In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between affective temperament characteristics and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptom dimensions and severity. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 100 patients diagnosed with OCD and 100 healthy controls by random sampling method were included in the study. SCID-5-CV was administered to all participants. Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS), Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A), Beck Anxiety (BAI), Depression Inventories (BDI) were provided to all participants. p<0.05 was taken as statistically significant. RESULTS: It was found that cyclothymic temperament predicted all OCD symptom dimensions except contamination dimension, and predicted the OCD severity. Moreover, irritable temperament predicted the OCD symmetry dimension. CONCLUSION: In our study, the first study in terms of scrutinizing the relationship between symptom dimensions of OCD and affective temperament, it was revealed that irritable and cyclothymic temperament significantly predicted the dimensions of OCD, and cyclothymic temperament was associated with OCD severity. Affective temperaments appear to make a remarkable contribution to OCD heterogeneity.

Psychometric evaluation of the Turkish version of the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale in adolescents.

The Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) was developed as a self-report measure to screen four high-risk personality dimensions (hopelessness, anxiety sensitivity, impulsivity, and sensation seeking) that predict specific patterns of vulnerability to substance use and other problematic behavior. The scale has previously been shown to have adequate psychometric properties in various other languages. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the SURPS. A cross-sectional total sampling design was adopted in which 875 Turkish participants took part (mean age 15.58 years, SD = 1.03). Using exploratory factor and correlational analyses, the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct validity, and concurrent validity were evaluated. The SURPS demonstrated good psychometric and construct validity. The results provide clear evidence that the Turkish version of the SURPS is valid and reliable. The Turkish version of the SURPS may become an important tool for daily clinical practice and clinical research.

The relationship between theory of mind and insight in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND: It is known that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients with poor insight display more severe neuropsychological impairments than other patients with OCD. There are limited studies of OCD and theory of mind (ToM). AIM: To investigate ToM skills in patients with OCD and the relationship between insight and ToM skills by comparing OCD patients with good and poor insight. METHODS: Eighty patients with OCD and 80 healthy controls completed the structured clinical interview for DSM-IV axis I disorders, the Yale Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, the Beck Anxiety and Beck Depression Inventories, and the Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale. To assess ToM skills, first- and second-order false-belief tests, a hinting test, a faux pas test, a reading the mind in the eyes test, and a double-bluff test were administered. RESULTS: Patients with OCD had poorer ToM abilities than healthy controls. All ToM scores were significantly lower in the poor insight group than in the good insight group (p < .001). A significant negative correlation was found between the BABS-total scores and all the ToM test mean scores (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The finding of significantly lower ToM skills in OCD with poor insight than in OCD with good insight may contribute to the idea of OCD with poor insight being a subtype with different clinical and neuropsychological characteristics.

Personality-related core beliefs in patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia plus depression: A comparison with depressed and healthy control groups.

BACKGROUND: Personality has an important role in understanding both fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and major depressive disorder (MDD). AIMS: This study considers the question that specific personality features may characterize depressed FMS patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To this end, 125 individuals were included in the study: 40 of them diagnosed with FMS+ MDD, 40 with MDD only and 45 healthy controls. Individual Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Personality Belief Questionnaire-Short Form (PBQ-SF) scores were compared between the three groups. RESULTS: The mean scores for each personality domain of the PBQ-SF were the highest in the MDD group and the lowest mean scores appeared in the control group. Dependent personality and obsessive-compulsive personality scores were higher in the MDD group (t = 2.510, P = 0.014 and t = 2.240, P = 0.028, respectively) in comparison with the FM+ MDD group. However, this difference disappeared when PBQ-SF scores were controlled for depression severity. CONCLUSIONS: Although some common personality features are evident in FMS patients, it seems that the differences identified are primarily related to depression symptom severity.

Urinary neopterine levels in patients with major depressive disorder: alterations after treatment with paroxetine and comparison with healthy controls.

BACKGROUND: A close relationship has been shown between mood disorders and pteridine levels. The aim of this study was to examine alterations in the urine neopterine levels of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who responded to paroxetine during the initial treatment and to compare their levels to those of healthy controls. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Sixteen patients with major depression and 19 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. In order to assess depression severity levels, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were administered. Urinary neopterine values that were measured using high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) were compared using non-parametric tests for the MDD patients before and after treatment. Urine neopterine levels in MDD patients before and after treatment were compared to those of the healthy control group. RESULTS: Urinary neopterine levels were recorded as follows: For the MDD group before treatment the mean level was 187.92±54.79 µmol/creatinine. The same group under treatment at 4 to 8 weeks was at 188.53±4962 µmol/creatinine, and the healthy control group showed 150.57±152.98 µmol/creatinine levels. There was no statistically significant difference in the urinary neopterine levels among the MDD patients before and after treatment (p=0.938). When urine neopterine levels in MDD patients before and after treatment were compared to those of the healthy control group, levels in the MDD group were found to be significantly higher (p=0.004 and p=0.005, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Findings from the current study suggest that despite treatment response, depression is related to higher levels of urine neopterine. Paroxetine treatment has no significant effect on urine levels of neopterine in MDD patients.

Distress intolerance in substance dependent patients.

This study seeks to extend the literature by examining distress tolerance (DT) levels for a substance dependent group of individuals. Next, it considers the potential relationship of DT levels with substance dependence features and finally, it compares those factors with a healthy control group. This study included 93 individuals (49 substance dependent and 44 healthy controls). Participants were evaluated using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Diagnosis (SCID-I) and given the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and State & Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Consistent with our expectations, the substance dependent group showed higher scores on the BDI and STAI, and lower scores on the DTS. There was no difference between the single drug dependent group and multiple substance-dependent groups, and their DT levels were not correlated with the duration of substance use, nor with the age of first substance use. Instead, DT was strongly correlated with trait anxiety, state anxiety, and depressive symptoms. The DT levels of this group of substance dependent individuals were very low in comparison to controls and to other groups reported in the literature. Our results suggest that distress tolerance may represent a therapeutic target factor in substance dependency treatment. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed.

The validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the bipolar depression rating scale.

INTRODUCTION: Unipolar depression and bipolar depression differ in their clinical presentations, and the conventional depression rating scales fail to capture these differences. Recently, a new scale to rate the severity of depression in bipolar disorder was developed, and this study aims to evaluate the validity and reliability of this scale in a Turkish clinical sample. METHODS: A total of 81 patients (30 males, 51 females) diagnosed with bipolar depression according to the DSM-IV-TR criteria at three different sites in Turkey were interviewed with the Bipolar Depression Rating Scale (BDRS), the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale, the Young Mania Rating Scale, and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale Depression and Excitement subscales. Internal consistency, interrater reliability and concurrent validity of the BDRS were evaluated. RESULTS: The Turkish version of the BDRS had an acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.786). Moderate to strong correlations between the BDRS, and the MADRS (r=0.808), and the PANSS-D (r=0.426) were observed, and the BDRS correlated weakly to moderately with the PANSS-E (r=0.297), and the YMRS (r=0.368). The mixed symptom cluster score of the BDRS significantly correlated with the YMRS (r=0.755), and the PANSS-E (r=0.712). Exploratory factor analysis showed a three-factor solution. These factors corresponded to somatic depression, psychological depression, and mixed symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the Turkish version of the BDRS is a valid and reliable instrument to measure depressive symptomatology in bipolar disorder. The scale has good internal validity, strong interrater reliability, and moderate to strong correlations with other depression rating scales.

Theory of Mind in Social Anxiety Disorder and Avoidant Personality Disorder Comorbidity.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to examine Theory of Mind (ToM) abilities in patients with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) with and without Avoidant Personality Disorder (AvPD) comorbidity. Methods: A total of 55 patients with SAD, 25 patients with AvPD and SAD, who presented to the Diskapi Teaching and Research Hospital Psychiatry Outpatient Unit and were diagnosed with SAD according to the Structured Clinical Interview Diagnostic Criteria for DSM-5 and 30 healthy controls were included in the study. Sociodemographic data form for SAD, Autism Spectrum Quotient (ASQ), Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), and Dokuz Eylül Theory of Mind Index (DEToMI) were used. Results: The ToM positive-emotion scores measured by the RMET were higher in the control group than in the SAD and SAD+AvPD groups. The ToM negative-emotion scores were lower in the SAD+AvPD group than in the SAD and control groups. The ToM neutral-emotion scores were similar in all three groups. There were statistically significant differences in favor of the control group in the total score of DEToMI and its subtests among the three groups. There was no difference among the three groups in the faux pas comprehension test. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that AvPD comorbidity is associated with a decrease in many ToM skills, both in decoding and reasoning, and that this decrease is mainly related to the perception of mental states with an emotional load. More specific methods are needed for ToM problems observed in patients with SAD and AvPD.

Emotion Dysregulation and Affective Temperaments in Opioid Use Disorder: the preliminary results of a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Substance use disorder is a growing health problem all over the world. The coexistence of substance misuse, affective temperaments, and emotion dysregulation has not been studied sufficiently. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to evaluate the role of affective temperaments and emotion dysregulation on substance use disorder. The Emotion Dysregulation and Affective Temperaments in Opioid Use Disorder study was designed observational. This paper presents only the baseline assessments of the patient and control groups. One-year remission rates of the patients' group will be reported elsewhere after 1-year follow-up. METHODS: Sixty-seven patients with opioid use disorder and 68 healthy controls enrolled. All participants were administered to The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5, Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, San Diego Autoquestionnaire, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Beck Depression Inventory. RESULTS: Patients with opioid use disorder had higher scores from all temperamental scales and showed higher difficulties on emotion regulation than the control group. Even controlling the confounding effects of anxiety and depression levels, dysthymic and anxious temperament scores were found correlated with the emotion dysregulation score in the patient group. CONCLUSIONS: The emotional traits (i.e., affective temperaments) and emotion regulation abilities play a crucial role in substance use disorder. While managing substance use disorder, being aware of affective temperament characteristics and/or interventions to improve emotion regulation skills may be helpful.

Emotion dysregulation and affective temperaments in opioid use disorder: a 1-year follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: Opioid use disorder (OUD) remains a significant public health challenge with high recurrence rates and varied long-term outcomes. Affective temperament and emotion regulation have been identified as influencing addictive behaviors and treatment outcomes in OUD. However, limited research has explored their association with reversion over an extended period. OBJECTIVES: The EDATOUD (Emotion Dysregulation and Affective Temperaments in Opioid Use Disorder) study aimed to evaluate the effects of affective temperament and emotion regulation characteristics on recurrence over a 1-year follow-up period. The study aimed to compare the baseline characteristics of patients who achieved remission versus those who did not and identify potential predictors of recurrence risk. METHODS: The study included 63 patients with OUD who were assessed monthly for return-to-use through self-report, psychiatric examination, and urine analysis. Sociodemographic data, affective temperament, difficulties in emotion regulation, anxiety, and depression were measured at baseline. Statistical analyses were performed to compare the recurrent and remission groups and determine the predictive value of these clinical features on recurrence. RESULTS: Within the one-year, 77.8% of patients returned to use. Affective temperament characteristics did not differ between the groups. However, the recurrent group patients exhibited significantly more difficulties in emotion regulation. CONCLUSIONS: Difficulties in emotion regulation are associated with an increased risk of recurrence in patients with OUD. Understanding these factors can inform the development of tailored treatment strategies to improve long-term outcomes. Further research is needed to explore additional factors contributing to reversion and enhance intervention and support systems for sustained recovery in OUD.

Insight in schizophrenia is associated with psychoeducation and social support: Testing a new more comprehensive insight tool in Turkish schizophrenia patients.

Insight is a continuous and multidimensional phenomenon, including awareness of having an illness, the presence of symptoms and accurate symptom attribution, the need for treatment, and the consequences of treatment. Good insight into illness is associated with better adherence to treatment, better cognitive, psychosocial, and vocational functioning along with less symptom severity, decreased relapses, and hospitalizations. Several tools are used for insight evaluation. We recruited 90 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and analyzed the forms of 58 patients. The patients completed the VAGUS-SR (self-rated), Beck Cognitive Insight Scale, Knowledge About Schizophrenia Questionnaire, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Clinicians performed a mental status examination and completed the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Schedule for the Assessment of Insight, VAGUS-CR (clinician-rated), Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia, and Clinical Global Impressions. We found that the level of insight evaluated using the VAGUS forms increased with knowledge regarding schizophrenia. Upon investigating the relationship between perceived social support and insight, we identified a relationship between VAGUS-CR and only significant other subscales of MSPSS, and between one of the VAGUS-SR scale sub-dimensions and significant other and total scores of MSPSS. Our findings also suggest that the VAGUS-SR and VAGUS-CR scales can be used to evaluate insight in Turkish populations. The positive relationship between perceived social support and insight emphasizes the importance of increasing social support through interventions aimed at improving insight. Our data also highlighted the value of psychoeducational studies in this patient group. Considering the multidimensional effects of insight on patients with schizophrenia, it would be beneficial to use scales such as VAGUS, which allow the insights of individuals to be evaluated in detail by both the clinician and the patient.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Treatment of Schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous disorder that affects behavioral, affective, and cognitive domains and consists of positive and negative psychotic symptoms. Antipsychotic therapy is the first-line treatment for schizophrenia. However, treatment adherence levels are low. Even if there is good treatment compliance, residual symptoms and treatment resistance can be seen. As a result, recent schizophrenia treatment guidelines suggest Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as adjunctive to antipsychotic therapy. CBT is known effective, especially on positive symptoms. This paper aims to review CBT practices and their effectiveness in schizophrenia.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Treatment of Bipolar Disorder.

Biological underpinnings (i.e., "bio" of bio-psycho-social approach) of Bipolar Disorder (BD) comes to the forefront when addressing its etiology and treatment. However, it is a condition that is challenging to manage with medication, and often the medication alone is insufficient since the symptoms of the disease have different episode characteristics. When the prevalence and inefficacy of drug treatments are considered together, the cruciality of psychosocial interventions in the treatment of the is undeniable. Moreover, treatment non-compliance is another problem that needs to be addressed psychosocially. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has its unique place among psychosocial interventions with numerous features such as being empirical and flexible, and it is recommended as an evidence-based adjuvant therapy in all stages of the disorder except acute mania. In this review, we discuss how CBT is used in specific domains of the disorder, following a general outlook on the evidence for CBT in BD. We focused on the essentials of psychotherapy practice with a pragmatic approach from the CBT point of view.

Social Media Addiction among Turkish Young Adults Is Partially Mediated by Automatic Thoughts and Social Problem-Solving Skills.

Objective: This study aimed to reveal a process model of the relations between automatic thoughts, dysfunctional attitudes, social problem-solving skills, and social media addiction. In this context, the aim was to investigate the mediating effect of automatic thoughts and social problem-solving skills in the relationship between intermediate beliefs and social media addiction. Methods: This study included 56 male and 107 female young adults aged 18-25 years who were referred to the psychiatry outpatient clinic of Yenimahalle Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. The participants completed sociodemographic data form, social problem-solving inventory revised form, social media addiction scale, dysfunctional attitudes scale short form, and automatic thoughts questionnaire. In the data analysis, the effect and mediation were tested by the process method. Results: Dysfunctional attitudes positively affected social media addiction and automatic thoughts and negatively affected social problem solving. According to this, the effect of dysfunctional attitudes on social media addiction was mediated by automatic thoughts and social problem solving. Conclusion: In this sense, both cognitive and behavioral processes can be useful in the treatment of social media addiction, and cognitive behavioral therapies can be an effective option.

Association Between Nasal Obstruction Symptoms and Anxiety.

AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between nasal function assessment and anxiety scales. METHODS: A total of 120 patients with the complaint of nasal obstruction were classified as nasal septum deviation group (DNS) and no nasal pathology group (NON). A control group was formed of 57 healthy participants. Nasal obstruction severity was assessed using the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scale, nasal resistance level with rhinomanometry and anxiety levels with the Agoraphobic Cognitions Questionnaire (ACQ), and the Body Sensations Questionnaire (BSQ). RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference between both the DNS and the NON groups and control group in terms of NOSE scale, ACQ, and BSQ (P < .001). The total nasal resistance values were higher in the DNS group compared to both the NON and control groups (P < .001), although the difference between the NON group and control group was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that patients with nasal breathing complaints, but no organic pathology, had the same level of nasal obstruction symptoms as patients with nasal septal deviations. Anxiety levels are elevated in patients with symptoms of nasal obstruction, even when there is lack of organic nasal pathology.

Psychiatric Comorbidity in the Subtypes of ADHD in Children and Adolescents with ADHD According to DSM-IV.

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence rate of psychiatric comorbidity in children and adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was 60-80%. The objective of this study was to examine comorbid disorders associated with ADHD and the subtypes of ADHD in children and adolescents with the diagnosis of ADHD. METHOD: The study included 326 children and adolescents aged between 8-15 years who were diagnosed with ADHD for the first time as a result of an interview by psychiatry, in a child adolescent psychiatry clinic in Izmir. Sociodemographic form, Turgay DSM-IV Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale and Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children Present and Lifetime version were used to assess psychiatric comorbidity. RESULTS: The comorbidities accompanied ADHD were disruptive behavior disorder (28.8%), depressive disorder (13.2%), obsessive-compulsive disorder (9.5%) and anxiety disorder (6.1%). When the subtypes of ADHD were assessed according to psychiatric comorbidity, oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder were frequently seen with ADHD combined type, whereas anxiety disorder was more frequent with ADHD inattentive type. DISCUSSION: Comorbidity in ADHD Combined type increases the severity of disease, delays treatment response and exacerbates prognosis. Therefore, it is very important to determine which psychiatric diagnosis accompany with ADHD.

A comparison of symptom dimensions for obsessive compulsive disorder and obsessive compulsive-related disorders.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, it is aimed to determine obsessive compulsive-related disorders (OCRDs) comorbidity among the patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and compare patients with OCD with or without comorbid OCRDs in terms of the severity of their OCD symptoms, symptom dimensions, and comorbidity with other axis I disorders. METHODS: The study included 90 patients diagnosed as having OCD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria for OCRDs were used to determine the presence of OCRDs. In order to determine the symptom dimensions and severity of these individuals' OCD symptoms, we administered the Dimensional Obsessive Compulsive Scale (DOCS) and The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). RESULTS: In our study, 20% of the patients with OCD simultaneously met the criteria for at least one OCRD, we also found that a significantly greater proportion of this group were men. None of the mentioned disorders was associated with any symptom dimensions we evaluated using DOCS. In addition, no differences were found in the severity of OCD symptoms and comorbid axis I disorders between the group with comorbid OCRDs and the group without comorbid OCRDs. DISCUSSION: There was no significant relationship between the symptom dimensions of OCD and OCRDs. It is found that OCRD comorbidity does not increase the severity of OCD symptoms and the prevalence of an axis I diagnosis.

[Dimensional Approach to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale with Turkish Psychometric Properties]. / Obsesif Kompülsif Bozuklukta Boyutsal Yaklasim: Boyutsal Obsesif Kompülsif Bozukluk Ölçegi Türkçe’nin Psikometrik Özellikleri.

OBJECTIVE: The Dimensional Obsessive Compulsive Scale (DOCS) is a measurement tool that examines the severity of thematically distinct symptom domains of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). In this study we assess psychometric properties of the Turkish version of DOCS. METHODS: Ninety-six patients who presented consecutively to the Diskapi Yildirim Beyazit Teaching and Research Hospital outpatient unit and who were diagnosed with OCD according to the DSM-IV-TR criteria were enrolled in the study. The DOCS, Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS), and Padua Inventory (PI) were completed by the participants. Internal consistency was estimated using Cronbach’s Alpha values and item-total correlations. Principal component analyses with Varimax rotation were used to assess latent factor structure . RESULTS: Explanatory Factor Analyses (EFA) revealed a 4-factor solution for the DOCS. Chronbach’s alpha values for the whole scale, “contamination” sub-scale, “responsibility” sub-scale, “unacceptable thoughts”, and “symmetry” sub-scales were 0.874, 0.932, 0.933, 0.948, 0.921, respectively. There was a high correlation between both total scores and sub-scales scores of DOCS, YBOCS and PI. CONCLUSIONS: Internal consistencies were good for the total scale and excellent for the sub-scales. The factor structure and the contents of the factors were perfectly in line with the original scale (i.e. 4 factor). Positive correlations between DOCS, its sub-scales, and similar OCD scales suggest that the DOCS accurately measures the structures it claims to assess. Thus the DOCS Turkish version can measure dimensional obsessive compulsive symptoms among the Turkish speaking OCD population.

Psychometric Properties of the Revised and Abbreviated form of the Turkish Version of the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale.

Dysfunctional attitudes are considered to be important risk factors in the onset and maintenance of depression. Thus, a psychometrically reliable and valid measure is necessary for understanding depression. The Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS) is widely used and has good psychometric properties, but there is no consensus about its factor structure. To examine its psychometric properties and factor structure, a total of 885 individuals consisting of patients with depression and healthy controls were evaluated. After the sample was randomly divided into two subsets, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed. Then the DAS was abbreviated according to the factor profiles and theoretical background. Analyses indicated two factors, named Perfectionism/Achievement and Need for Approval/Dependency for the revised DAS . Reliability analyses revealed a good internal consistency, and the concurrent validity indicated significant correlations with the Beck Depression Inventory and the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire.

Evaluation of the Relationship between Major Depressive Disorder and Bereavement Symptoms in Elderly Patients Who Present Either to Psychiatry or Family Medicine.

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to determine the level of bereavement and depression symptoms among elderly patients who experience the loss of a significant other and the relationship between depressive symptoms and bereavement symptoms. METHODS: The study sample consisted of elderly adults who lost a significant other at least 6 months prior to the submission time. Participants were recruited from patients who presented to either the psychiatry or family medicine outpatient unit of a Training and Research Hospital. Cognitive functions were assessed using Standardized Mini Mental Examinations for Educated and Uneducated People (SMME/SMME-U). Participants were excluded from the study if their SMME or SMME-U scores were lower than 23 points. To assess the severity of depressive and bereavement symptoms, the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and Core Bereavement Items (CBI) scales were used, respectively. RESULTS: Overall, 33 out of 67 individuals (49.2%) who presented to the psychiatry unit and 7 out of the 43 individuals (16.3%) who presented to the family medicine unit were diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD). CBI scale score means were higher in the MDD groups than in the non-depressive groups (p=0.012 and p=0.001, respectively). CBI scores were significantly correlated to acute (p=0.047) and chronic stress (p=0.007) in the psychiatry group and to chronic stress in the family medicine group (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Probing loss experiences and reactions to them can be important to understand depression, to evaluate its symptoms, and to help manage the relevant symptoms. Considering the significant contributions of bereavement to depressive symptom severity in elders, interventions specific to bereavement symptoms should not be ignored.