Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in the Treatment of Skin Picking Disorder: An Exploratory Trial.

OBJECTIVES: Skin picking disorder (SPD) falls into the category of "obsessive-compulsive disorder and related disorders" in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment has been reported to be a promising therapy in obsessive-compulsive disorder-related disorders. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy of rTMS treatment in patients with SPD. METHODS: Fifteen patients with SPD were assigned to receive 3 weeks' treatment with either active (n = 8) or sham rTMS targeting the pre-supplementary motor area. Patients were evaluated using the Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Skin Picking Impact Scale, and the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Modified for Neurotic Excoriation. Response to treatment was defined as a ≥35% decrease on Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale modified for Neurotic Excoriation. RESULTS: Treatment response was achieved in 62.5% of patients (5/8) in the active group and 33.3% of patients (2/6) in the sham group. However, there were no significant differences between the groups in terms of primary and secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: In this exploratory study, active rTMS could not be demonstrated to be superior over sham in treatment of SPD. The results of this study indicate the need for further rTMS studies to be conducted with larger sample sizes and subtypes of SPD.

The Relationship Between Anxiety, Depression, Suicidal Ideation and Quality of Life in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease and many patients with RA experience lifelong anxiety and depression. The aim of this study is to provide an assessment of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, disease activity and quality of life in patients with RA. Fifty patients were included in the study. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI) and Disease Activity Score (DAS-28) were applied. A statistically negative correlation was found between HADS-A and HADS-D scores and all subscales of SF-36. There was a statistically negative correlation between the DAS-28 score and the subscales of the SF-36 except mental health and bodily pain. Suicidal ideation was associated with anxiety and depression and BSSI scores of patients suffering from anxiety and depression are higher than the patients not suffering from anxiety and depression. There was a statistically negative correlation between BSSI and the subscales of SF-36 excepting physical role. This study indicated that anxiety, depression, quality of life, disease activity and suicidal ideation are related to each other in patients with RA. The presence of concomitant anxiety and depression may lead to suicide and poor quality of life and may worsen the prognosis of the RA.

Evaluation of Dermatology Life Quality Index, Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scores of Patients with Genital Dermatoses.

Background: Genital dermatoses contain a group of diseases that affect the skin of the genital area. Genital dermatoses are classified as venereal and nonvenereal. They can affect a patient's life quality and can cause depression, anxiety and stress. Aims: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the quality of life index, depression, stress and anxiety in patients with genital dermatoses. Materials and Methods: Patients admitted to the dermatology outpatient clinic with genital skin complaints between October 2020 and March 2021 were included. A questionnaire including demographic information, a 10-item dermatology life quality index (DLQI) and a 21-item depression anxiety stress score (DASS-21) was filled out by the patients and was calculated. Results: A total of 103 patients were included in this study. Seventy-seven (74.8%) were male and 26 (25.2%) were female. A total of 48.5% (n = 50) patients had venereal genital dermatoses, and 51.5% (n = 53) of the patients had nonvenereal genital dermatoses. In the venereal diseases, syphilis had the highest DLQI, depression, anxiety and stress score while in the nonvenereal diseases, scabies had the highest DLQI, depression, anxiety and stress score. In the nonvenereal group, the mean DLQI score, depression, anxiety and stress scores were statistically significantly higher than the venereal genital dermatoses group (P < 0.01, P = 0.04, P = 0.03 and P = 0.02). Conclusion: The quality of life of patients with genital dermatoses is often poor, with significant levels of depression, anxiety and stress. We believe that screening these patients with DLQI and DASS-21 scores at their first admission and follow-up will benefit dermatologists and patients.

Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness and Its Relationship With Executive Functions in Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Patients.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) with controls in individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and to examine the relationship between RNFL thickness and the level of performance in disease severity and executive function tests in ADHD cases. METHODS: The study included 38 volunteer patients diagnosed with ADHD and 30 healthy volunteers. Adult ADHD self-report scale was used for ADHD symptom severity. Executive functions were evaluated by Digit Span Test, Verbal Fluency Test, Stroop Test, and Trail Making Test. RNFL thickness of all participants was evaluated using optical coherence tomography (OCT). RESULTS: In the comparison of RNFL values, it was found that right mean, right temporal, right temporal inferior, left mean, left nasal, and left nasal inferior quadrant values were statistically thinner in ADHD cases compared to the control group (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant correlation between the mean RNFL thickness values of the right and left eyes of ADHD cases and the symptom severity and performance levels in executive function tests. CONCLUSION: This study is a guide in terms of being the first study investigating the relationship between RNFL thickness, symptom severity, and various neuropsychological tests in adults with ADHD.