ISSN 1302-0099 | e-ISSN 2146-7153
TURKISH JOURNAL CLINICAL PSYCHIATRY - Turkish J Clin Psy: 7 (4)
Volume: 7  Issue: 4 - 2004
RESEARCH ARTICLE
1. Cognitine Impairments in Behçet's Disease Without Neurological Involvement
Nurper Erberk Özen, Ahu Birol, Cumhur Boratav, Mukadder Koçak
Pages 187 - 198
Objective: Behçet's Disease (BD) is a chronic disorder of unknown aetiology with neurologic involvement. BD with neurologic involvement is known as neuro-Behçet's Disease. In literature, BD related neuropsychological studies are based on mostly the neuro-BD group. The cognitive impairment is encountered in medical diseases as much as in neurologic and psychiatric diseases. The cognitive impairment in chronic diseases may be seen due to a comorbid depression or independently.The aim of this study is to assess the depression status and cognitive function in BD without neurologic involvement. Method: Thirty patients with non-active BD from the outpatient dermatology clinic and thirty matched healthy controls were studied. All patients were fulfilled the criteria of the International Study Group for BD and were excluded if they had any neurologic involvement. To assess the cognitive function and the depression status, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test -WCST, Stroop Test- TBAG version (ST-TBAG) and Beck Depression Inventory- BDI were administered respectively. Results: The test performances of the BD group, when compared with the control group, were much worse. Although some test scores were influenced by gender, age and education, there was no significant association between BDI and the test scores. Conclusion: Data obtained from the test scores suggest that the cognitive impairment in BD without neurologic involvement may be affected by various factors other than depression.

2. Personality Disorders, Anxiety and Depression in the Patients with Chronic Urticaria
İlteriş Oğuz Topal, İlknur Kıvanç Altunay, Sibel Mercan
Pages 199 - 209
Objective: Chronic urticaria is a polyetiological dermatologic disease associated with emotional factors, which causes itch, erythema and wheals on the skin. Some studies have showed that anxiety, depression and personality disorders influence the disease in some ways. We aimed whether there are anxiety, depression, personality disorders in the patients with chronic urticaria by using various psychological tests in this study. Method: Forty three patients with chronic urticaria (25 Male, 18 Female) who presented itchy, red lesions on their skin were included for the study between October 2003 and May 2004. Twenty seven healthy persons were taken as a control group (16 male, 11 female). All persons were asked to answer 27 questions of sociode- mografic clinical questionnaire, 21 questions of Beck depression scale, 21 questions of Beck anxiety scale and 120 questions of SCID personality. Results: There was also no meaningful statistical difference with regard to the distribution of gender, age, the frequency of personality disorder and the frequency depression between urticaria and control groups (p>0.05). Anxiety scores were significantly meaningful when compared the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: When considered generally, significant difference statistically was not established between chronic urticaria, which is thought to be a psychosomatic disorder, and the control group regarding depression and personality disorder scores. However, anxiety scores were statistically meaningful and therefore, anxiety was more common in chronic urticaria. Statistical analyses for chronic urticaria patients showed that female patients, those having the history of familial psychiatric disorder, those with chronic continuous course, the singles, those without physical disease and those not taking any medicine had particular personality disorders.

3. Psychosocial Effects of Epilepsy
Remzi Oto, İsmail Apak, Abdurrahman Altındağ
Pages 210 - 214
Objective: Psychosocial problems may result directly from the epilepsy or its treatment or indirectly from the consequences of living with a seizure disorder. Seizures can impair their ability to obtain education, to work, to drive, to establish families, and to develop and maintain social relationships. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of seizures on everyday life and the effects of epilepsy on health status and psychosocial outcomes. Method: The present study conducted at Dicle University Research Hospital. Thirty-six patients (21 males, 15 females) diagnosed as epilepsy at neurology outpatients clinic were included in the study. Of the 36 patients 50% had generalized epilepsy. The Epilepsy Psycho-Social Effects Scale (EPSES) was administered to the patients. The EPSES was translated into Turkish by our research team. Results: The areas of problems most commonly experienced were fear of having seizures, lethargy/lack of energy and attitude towards accepting the seizures. The areas of problems less commonly experienced were lack of confidence about traveling, lack of confidence about the future difficulty and communicating with the family. Conclusion: Epilepsy appears to be commonly associated with psychosocial problems. It is important for everyone who involved epilepsy treatment recognize the spectrum of issues facing patients with epilepsy. For this reason, collaboration among patients, families, neurologists and mental health professionals is necessary to relieve psychosocial problems and to improve the life quality of people with epilepsy.

4. Evaluation of Avoidance, Alexithymia and Self Esteem in a Group of University Youth
Gülseren Ünal
Pages 215 - 222
Objective: Alexithymia is a personality variable incorporating difficulty in identifying and describing feelings, difficulty in distinguishing between feelings and the physical sensation of emotional arousal, limited imaginal processes and an internally oriented cognitive style. Alexithymia is thought to develop as a result of childhood interactions with caregivers. In this study, the objective was to investigate whether there was a relationship between avoidance, alexithymia and selfesteem university youth. Method: The evaluations of university youth (n = 11 5) were based on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the The Rathus Assertiveness scale. The data were analyzed by mean, chi, square variance (ANOVA), correlation tests. Results: Participants were 115 university youth age mean ±20.2 and 60.9% youth were female. 55% youth were alex- ithymic or suspicious alexithymic. The mean Alexithymia scale score of the study group was 63.7±9.6. 40.9% youth were avoidance and the mean The Rathus Assertiveness scale score of the youth group was 17.3±18.9. According to the findings; alexithymia (55%) were positively correlated with avoidance. The mean Toronto Alexithymia Scale total score of the female and male youth was similar. There was not any significant correlation between gender and the measure of Alexithymia, but depression significantly different between gender group and the female depression scores were found higher than male group. Alexithymia also positively correlated with the magnitude of depression mood, low self esteem. Conclusion: The current study confirms that is avoidance associated with alexithymia in a group of university youth.

REVIEW
5. Asperger's Syndrome in Adult: A Review
Dilşad Foto Özdemir, Elvan İşeri
Pages 223 - 230
Pervasive developmental disorders in which development of language, communication and interaction skills, social and behavioral development and adaptation are affected in primary degrees and show symptoms in early periods of life and the progress goes through the adult age. Asperger disorder (AD) which placed in pervasive developmental disorder is the disorder with the best prognosis in this group and we come across with some cases firstly in adult age. In this article it is intended to review the diagnosis, developmental properties, appearance in adult age, comorbidity and differential diagnosis of Asperger disorder. Published literature in recent years is reviewed. Clinical appearance of the Asperger disorder could differ in the developmental aspect. Asperger's syndrome could be comorbid with other disorders and this situation requires to give attention about the diagnose and the treatment. When we thought the cases who was not diagnosed until the adult age and confused with other disorders we could understand the importance of early diagnosis, treatment and necessity of the follow up studies. Misdiagnosis of the Asperger disorder in adolescents and adults may be because of the comorbidity of the disorder which is also effective on the prognosis negatively. The follow up studies should be given importance because the symptoms of the developmental problems may vary according to the period of age.

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