Alma Bravo-Mehmedbasic

Impact of Psychoeducation on Professional Stress Reduction Among Prison Guards

CONFLICT OF INTEREST: NONE DECLARED Introduction Through psychological support for prison guard’s awareness about professional stress and burn-out, cognitive assessment of stress consequences, insight in coping strategies, as well as prevention of stress consequences is achieved. Aim Evaluation of psychoeducation effects on professional stress consequences within prison guards. Method In the research were included 122 prison guards from three prisons in Bosnia and Herzegovina. All of them have been tested before and after psychoeducation was finished using following instruments: Index of reaction, STAI questionnaire, SAMAČA questionnaire. Results Differences between first and second measuring of subjects included in this study in Sarajevo prison indicated statistically significant reduction of stress reactions, improvement of coping strategies and communication skills. In prisons Zenica and Kula there are differences between first and second measurement in stress reactions reduction, improvement of coping strategies and overcoming of stress and improvement of communication skills as well, which are not statistically significant. In Kula prison, significant differences between two measurements in attitudes of prison guards toward detainees were observed. Conclusions Results of this study show that prison guards within prisons where are detained persons with long period of imprisonment are more exposed to professional stress, comparing to prison guards who are employed in investigation prison. Psychoeducation resulted in positive effects and it should be obligatory included in prison guards training with the aim of decreasing of psychological consequences of prolonged professional stress to which they are exposed to. Psychoeducation should be on continuous basis and led by educated mental health professionals.

Comparison of the Quality of Life Between Medical Students and Students of the Humanities at the Sarajevo University

Introduction Quality of life reflects comprehensive personal satisfaction with life. It represents subjective experience of individuals, which undoubtedly depends on objective circumstances of life. There are several studies dealing with quality of life within student population. Such studies provide important information considering the fact that students reprsnt the healthy part of the population. Goal The goal of this study was to register and compare parameters of subjective perception of QOL in medical students and students of humanities. Methods Study involved 200 students of Sarajevo University, 100 medical and 100 students of humanities. MANSA questionnaire was used to assess QOL. Results Statistically significant differences between the groups was found in repeated years of study, quality of teaching and professor-student relationship, sex life, finances and psychological wellbeing. No significant difference was found in satisfaction with life in general, number and quality of friendships, leisure time, accommodation, family relationships, health, and tobacco and PAS use. There was no difference in general assessment of QOL between the groups. Also both groups of students were satisfied with their current QOL. Conclusions Although no significant differences were found between groups, results reflect less satisfaction with quality of teaching and repeated study years in medical students. Clearly, study of medicine is a long and difficult process, and it should be a common goal for all involved in educating future physicians to contribute, in order to create professional and competent doctors, able to take care of quality of their own lives and the lives of their patients

Efficacy of Lamotrigine in the Treatment of Bipolar Depression

Introduction Depressive episodes are common in bipolar illness. Treatment of bipolar depression is often problematic because standard antidepressants carry a number of disadvantages: apparent lower efficacy than in unipolar depression; risk of inducing mania; risk of inducing rapid cycling. Anticonvulsants such as carbamazepine, valproate and lamotrigine are useful in the management of bipolar disorder and they can prevent episodes of depression. There is less evidence that they have antidepressant efficacy but lamotrigine was shown to produce antidepressant effects in a placebo-controlled trial in bipolar depressed patients. Lamotrigine has a role in acute management of bipolar depression and is probably free of a risk of inducing mania or rapid cycling. Objectives To determine the efficacy of lamotrigine in treatment of patients with bipolar depression. Aims Investigation of lamotrigine efficacy with bipolar depression in 3 month-follow-up and 6 months follow-up treatment with lamotrigine. Methods The sample consisted of 30 patients with bipolar depression, age range between 26 and 58. All subjects received monotherapy with lamotrigine in the period of six months. Subjects were assessed prior to therapy and in 3 and 6 months follow-up using the following instruments: The Clinical Global Impressions scale (CGI), and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D-21). Results The difference between three assessments on CGI was statistically significant. The results indicate statistically significant reduction of depression on HAMD-21 following six months treatment with lamotrigine. Conclusions Lamotrigine proved to be efficient in the treatment of patients with bipolar depression for the subjects in this study.

Examination of Some Important Posttraumatic Adaptation Predictors of War Veterans Who Were Seeking Treatment at Psychiatric Clinic, University Clinical Center in Sarajevo

Background: Recent research studies aim at the examination of predictors of posttraumatic adaptation of war veterans. General aim of our research is an examination of predictors of posttraumatic adaptation of war veterans, who actively participated in combat situations. Subjects and Methods: Research was conducted on 100 male participants, war veterans who were seeking treatment at the Psychiatric Clinic at the University Clinical Center in Sarajevo. All participants have experienced the combat related traumatic events during the war. Research was based on interviewing and test administration for each participant, using the following instruments: Sociodemographic Questionnaire, List of stresful events, Brief symptom inventory; Manchester Quality of Life and Impact of Events Scale. Results: Results of study indicate a high presence of war traumatization in our sample and high subjective distress index among examinees. Our results, also indicate the moderate rate of symptoms of PTSD and the presence of general psychopathology was moderate. Average perceived quality of life was in the category of being “relatively unsatisfied”. Effects of factors, frequency of experienced traumatic events and general psychiatric treatment were statistically significant on all dependant factors. PTSD symptoms, presence of General Psychopathology and Quality of Life, in addition to the predictors of perceived personal support by others, were statistically significant on dependant factors . Quality of life and general psychopathology were not statistically significant on dependant variables regarding the presence of PTSD symptoms. Conclusion: Results of our research indicate a high level of traumatization in our sample, but relatively moderate presence of PTSD symptoms and general psychopathology. Participants reported relative dissatisfaction with different aspects of life. Statistically significant predictors in posttraumatic adaptation were: the level of traumatization and help with a general psychiatric treatment. Help of close persons regarding dependant factors, regarding PTSD symptoms, were not statistically significant, but were significant on Quality of life and presence of general psychopathology. Results of this research are relevant in understanding, as to which aspects of posttraumatic adaptation contribute to a better and more distinctive rehabilitation of war veterans, to estimate the need for clinical services and to make other policy recommendations for these populations.

P03-322 - Effectiveness of olanzapine in patients with schizofrenia

Introduction Olanzapine is a novel antipsychotic agent. It has a pleotrophic pharmacology and affects dopaminergic, serotonergic, muscarinic and adrenergic activities. The therapeutic advantage of recent antipsychotics (so-called atypical antipsychotics) has been attributed to alpha-2 adrenergic antagonist effects. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluated effectiveness of Olanzapine in patients with schizophrenia. Methods Study was designed for 8-week, observational study. 40 patients, both genders, aged 20-65 years, with diagnosed various types of schizophrenia were enrolled in the study as outpatient and inpatient setting. The patients had to have a total score ≥40 on Positive and Negative scale - two parts of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The efficacy parameter was the percent of score difference between baseline and week 8 of therapy on two above-mentioned PANSS subscales. The difference was considered as significant improvement if decrease from the baseline was 20% or more. Results All 40 enrolled patients completed the study. After the 8 weeks of treatment, 32/40 patients (80%) had clinically significant improvement of 20% or more decreased total PANSS score (Positive and Negative subscale). In 8/40 patients (20%) clinical improvement was also reported with Conclusions In this observational study olanzapine appears to be very good effectiveness in patients with schizophrenia.

P01-295 Influence of depressive disorder on epilepsy patients life quality

Introduction Interictal depression as a co-morbid disorder can be seen among more than 40% of patients with epilepsy. Sex, epilepsy duration, type of seizures as well as applied antiepileptic drugs can cause development of depression which influence patients life quality. Goal To test relation between depressive disorders and patients sex, duration of illness, type of epileptic fits, antiepileptic therapy and life quality. Material and methods Prospectively, randomly selected, we tested 300 patients with epilepsy, with or without depressive affective disorder at the Outpatient Department for Epilepsies at the Clinical Center Sarajevo. All patients answered Beck and Hamilton depression scale. Results Baseline is consisded of male patients which made 54 % with the average age of 37.7 years, as well as female patients at average age 32.83 years. Depressive disorder according to the results at the Beck scale was present in 34%, and according to the Hamilton scale in 38.9%. Duration of illnesses longer than 20 years had 56% women with the expressed depressive disorder, compared to the 42% mens with depression (p Conclusion Depressive disorder is significantly more frequent among women with partial complex seizures, earlier epilepsy onset, and significantly more often on Phenobarbital therapy. Presence of depression with epilepsy significantly reduced patients life quality.

P03-241 Impact of psychoeducation on professional stress reduction within prison guards

Aim Evaluation of psychoeducation effects on professional stress consequences within prison guards. Method In the research were included 122 prison guards from three prisons in Bosnia and Herzegovina. All of them have been tested before and after psychoeducation was finished using following instruments: Index of reaction, STAI questionnaire, SAMACA questionnaire. Results Differences between first and second measuring of subjects included in this study in Sarajevo prison indicated statistically significant reduction of stress reactions, improvement of coping strategies and communication skills. In prisons in Zenica and Kula there are differences between first and second measurement in stress reactions reduction, improvement of coping strategies and overcoming of stress and improvement of communication skills as well, which are not statistically significant. In Kula Prison, significant differences between two measurements in attitudes of prison guards toward detainees were observed. Conclusions Results of this study show that prison guards within prisons where are detained persons with long period of imprisonment (Zenica, Kula) are more exposed to professional stress, comparing to prison guards who are employed in investigation prison (Sarajevo). Psychoeducation resulted in positive effects and it should be obligatory included in prison guards training with the aim of decreasing of psychological consequences of prolonged professional stress to which they are exposed to. Psychoeducation should be on continuous basis and led by educated mental health professionals.