Sexuality among People with Physical Disability

Physical disability is termed as disturbance or defect which impede or eliminate human body’s ability by disturbing human structure and shape. Physical disability may occur due to neonatal, natal or postnatal causes. People with physical disability have some natural needs as everyone. They are known to have difficulties in many areas of life. In society, sexual lives of these individuals are treated as an unknown and ignored issue, and moreover it has been assumed that they have no such needs. Disabled patients experience many troubles in their life domains including sexuality. This article provides information about physical disability and sexuality, and difficulties with which disabled people faces in their sexual life and overviews literature on this topic

IS THERE A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CAFFEINE INTAKE AND SMOKING AND POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYMPTOM SEVERITY IN SCHIZOPHRENIA?

Background: It has been reported that caffeine intake and smoking are more frequent in patients with schizophrenia than the general population. However, the cause of high caffeine and smoking and its correlation with positive and negative symptoms is unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to evaluate the correlation between daily caffeine intake and smoking and the severity of positive and negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. Subjects and methods: This study included 177 participants, 89 of whom were healthy controls and 88 patients with schizophrenia. Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) and Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) scales were applied to the patients with schizophrenia to measure the severity of positive and negative symptoms of the disease. Results: The amounts of caffeine and tobacco consumption were significantly higher in the patients group than healthy controls (p=0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). There was no significant correlations between daily caffeine consumption and SAPS or SANS scores in patients with schizophrenia. There was a significant positive relationship between SAPS-delusions score and tobacco consumption. Conclusions: Our study is the first study in the literature that examines the relationship between caffeine and cigarette intake and SANS and SAPS scales in patients with schizophrenia. Although caffeine intake is higher in patients with schizophrenia than healthy controls, this study is valuable as it shows that it is not associated with symptom severity. In addition, although it is known that smoking is high in patients with schizophrenia, this study showed a positive relationship between SAPS-delusion scores and tobacco consumption

Mean platelet volume level in patients with generalized anxiety disorder

OBJECTIVE: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by persistent and chronic anxiety state. Stressful life events and anxiety usually cause an increase in platelet volume and activity through various mechanisms. Mean platelet volume (MPV), which is indicative of platelet size, is accepted as an indication of platelet activity. METHOD: In this first retrospective cohort study about MPV among GAD patients, we compared complete blood count especially in terms of platelet count (PLT), platelet distribution width (PDW), plateletcrit (PCT) and MPV values of 60 GAD patients with 60 healthy controls. RESULTS: MPV was found to be significantly higher (p = .008) and platelet count was found to be significantly lower in the GAD group (p = .001). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of MPV levels for GAD was 0.655 (95% CI: 0.557–0.754, p < .001). DISCUSSION: Increased MPV levels in GAD patients in our study supports the hypothesis of increased platelet activation due to sympathetic system activation. Also platelet levels were found to be significantly lower in GAD patients in our study. This finding is consistent with the non-linear inverse relation between platelet volume and platelet count. According to ROC curve analysis for differentiation of GAD from those in the control group, MPV would be considered to be a “poor” biochemical marker. We believe that further controlled prospective studies about this issue will be valuable

Mental health of children of health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Children are exposed to large amounts of information and high levels of stress and anxiety from adults around them, the media, and social communication networks during the Covid-19 period. The purpose of this study was to compare the anxiety and depression levels of the children of health workers following the declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) of Covid-19 as a global pandemic with those of age-matched children of non-health worker parents. This prospective, case-controlled, cross-sectional study was performed between July and September 2020. One hundred forty-six participants were enrolled, 71 children of health worker parents in the study group, and 75 age- and sex-matched children of non-health worker parents in the control group. While no significant difference was determined between the children of health workers and non-health workers in terms of CDI scores, total STAI-C scores were higher among children of health workers (70.36 ± 12.43) than in children of non-health worker parents (65.62 ± 11.83) ( p = .02). This study shows that since their parents work in intensive and high-risk environments during the Covid-19 pandemic, the children of health workers may be at greater psychological risk than other children. </jats:p

Olanzapine-induced bilateral pedal and pretibial edema: A case report

Olanzapine is a second generation antipsychotic which has antagonistic action on serotonergic, histaminergic, dopaminergic, and muscarinic receptors. The most common seen side effects of olanzapine are weight gain, dry mouth, dizziness, and constipation. There are case reports with olanzapine especially as peripheral edema. Herein, we present a female patient who developed bilateral pedal and pretibial edema after treatment with olanzapine added to sertraline. In this case, the systemic causes of edema were ruled out. The edema resolved completely one week after cessation of the treatment. The patient was managed by aripiprazole and sertraline and the same side effect was not seen with this medication. [Med-Science 2019; 8(2.000): 462-3

Psychiatric disorders, developmental, and academic difficulties among children and adolescents at-risk for schizophrenia: a controlled study

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether there are differences in the presence of developmental delays, academic difficulties, and current mental disorders between offspring of parents with schizophrenia (High risk: HR) and offspring of parents with no mental illness (control group) up to the age of 16 years. The relationship of existing differences with psychosocial difficulties of having a parent with schizophrenia was evaluated. METHOD: The sample of the study consisted of 35 HR and 30 control offspring aged 7–16 years. All parents were assessed using the SCID-I by a psychiatrist and offspring using the K-SADS-PL by a child psychiatrist. Information about the early developmental stages and academic difficulties of children were obtained through interviews with healthy parents. Emotional and behavioural problem levels of children were determined by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham-IV Questionnaire (SNAP-IV), the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), and the Child Depression Inventory (CDI). All assessments were adjusted for socio-demographic variables. RESULTS: The rates of generalized anxiety disorders, delayed walking, delayed speech and reading difficulties, the levels of conduct problems (CP), depression, and school phobia were significantly higher in HR offspring than in control. When adjusted for socio-demographic variables, the presence of delayed speech and reading difficulties and only CP levels continued to be significantly higher in HR group (p  .05). CONCLUSION: Internalizing problems such as anxiety and depression are considered as a psychosocial result of having a schizophrenic parent. The higher rates of speech delay, reading difficulties, and CP level might be genetically associated with schizophrenia

Association of Lack of Dreaming and Forgetfulness: Presentation of a Case with Depression

Although the aim and the function of sleeping is not definitely explained, its relation with memory has been discussed for more than 200 years. We want to discuss literature on dream-memory relation in the light of a depression case who was complaining from forgetfulness. We present a depression case who presented with complaints of forgetfulness and lack of dreaming and both complaints were relieved after treatment with fluoxetine 20 mg/day. We believe that investigating dreaming in patients who have memory disturbances can shade light on dreaming-memory relationship. [Med-Science 2015; 4(4.000): 2890-6