Altan Eşsizoğlu

Double Standard for Traditional Value of Virginity and Premarital Sexuality in Turkey: A University Students Case

This study investigates the prevalence of myths regarding virginity and the hymen and their associations with sexuality prior to marriage. This study was conducted with 534 single, heterosexual male and female students from various faculties of Dicle University in Turkey. The findings demonstrated that the rates of masturbation (11.1%) and premarital sexual intercourse (4.3%) were much lower in women than in men (87.7% and 44.2% respectively) who were traditionally expected to maintain their virginity until marriage. A higher degree of commitment to religious faith was associated with a lower rate of masturbation and sexual contact experience. Also, the myth that the hymen symbolized virginity was slightly more prevalent among male students (74.2% vs. 72.1%). Female virginity was significantly more important among male students (76.7%) than females (11.1%), and male students more frequently (30.1% vs. 11.1%) stated that “the blood-stained bed sheet” should be displayed to the family on the day of marriage. Although some myths about virginity were frequently reported by females, less significance was attributed to virginity by females than by males. In conclusion, the traditional social structure that incites sexual double standards still prevails over the sexual attitudes and behaviors of university students in Turkey.

Risky Sexual Behavior among Patients in Turkey with Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Heroin Addiction

AIM Risky sexual behavior associated with such sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as hepatitis B and C, herpes, Treponema pallidum, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, is more frequent among psychiatric patients and parenteral drug abusers than the general population. The aim of this study was to investigate risky sexual behavior in psychiatric outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia (SCH), bipolar disorder, and heroin addiction (HA), and to compare them with those observed in healthy controls. METHODS The study group (N = 485; 234 females and 251 males) consisted of patients that consecutively presented to Bakırkoy State and Training Hospital for Psychiatric and Neurological Diseases in Istanbul and normal healthy controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The chi-squared test was used for comparisons between groups and categorical variables. One-way analysis of variance (post-hoc Bonferroni test) was used for demographic data. A 22-item questionnaire for collecting demographic, illness history, and sexual activity data, and a structured 23-item form for collecting data on risky sexually behavior were administered to the participants. RESULTS In all, 10% of the participants had a positive history for STIs. The majority of risky sexual behaviors was observed among the HA patients. The frequency of being sexually assaulted and having homosexual acts among the SCH group were higher. None of the patients had a positive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) test result. The frequency of positivity for hepatitis B and C markers was highest among the HA patients. CONCLUSIONS The provision of information and training about all STIs and risky sexual behavior should become routine in the treatment of mentally ill patients, especially those that abuse drugs.

The relationship between insight and the level of expressed emotion in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Abstract Aim: The aim of this study is firstly to compare the obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) patients with good insight and OCD patients with poor insight in terms of socio-demographic and clinical features; to investigate the relation between insight and the level of the expressed emotion (EE) in the patients; and lastly to specify the factors that predict level of insight. Methods: OCD patients with good insight and patients with poor insight were compared in terms of clinical features and the perceived EE level of the patients and the individuals that they live with in order to specify the factors that predict the insight level, and to investigate the relationship between insight level and EE. Results: It was found that the total Expressed Emotion Scale, total Level of Expressed Emotion (LEE), LEE-Emotional Response and LEE-Tolerance/Expectation subscale scores of the group comprised of patients with poor insight are higher than the other group. The results also show that the duration of illness and Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) total score predict insight level. Conclusions: This study shows that the level of EE perceived by the patients with poor insight and the person that he/she lives with, is higher than the group with good insight. The studies that investigate the relationship between the factors of insight level and EE level, which are indicated to determine the level of the illness severity and its chronicity, will enable the researchers to understand the importance of the role of the family on the treatment processes of OCD.

Executive function in parents of patients with familial versus sporadic bipolar disorder

OBJECTIVE Studies investigating the cognitive function of healthy relatives of patients with bipolar disorder are conflicting, and the neurocognitive profile of relatives of bipolar disorder probands is still unclear. We aimed to evaluate executive function in unaffected parents of familial and sporadic patients with bipolar disorder. METHODS The study included 24 unaffected familial parents (FP) of patients with bipolar disorder, 26 unaffected sporadic parents (SP) of patients with bipolar disorder and 26 controls matched with the parents for gender, age and duration of education (76 subjects in total). All of the subjects were interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-Axis I. Executive function was assessed using the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT), the Trail Making Test (TMT), the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the Stroop test. RESULTS In comparison to their respective matched controls, FP performed significantly worse on the CVLT, TMT, WCST and Stroop test, whereas SP performed significantly worse only on WCST perseverative errors and Stroop color test. FP performed significantly worse than SP on the CVLT, TMT, and WCST. CONCLUSION The present study investigated relatives with and without a family history of bipolar disorder separately and found that executive function was impaired in parents with a positive family history of bipolar disorder. These findings bring more evidence suggesting that deficits in prefrontal executive function and verbal memory are associated with familial vulnerability to bipolar disorder and that executive function and verbal memory impairments may represent a potential endophenotype of bipolar disorder.

Persistent genital arousal disorder misdiagnosed because of Islamic religious bathing rituals: a report of three cases.

Persistent genital arousal disorder is not well known or adequately understood by physicians. The disorder is characterized by a persistent and highly unwanted state of genital arousal and orgasm-like feelings. Ghusl is an ablution in Islamic culture, which is an obligatory ritual wherein the body is washed thoroughly after exposure to religious contaminants such as sexual intercourse, menstruation, and childbirth. Muslim women suffering from the disorder may bathe frequently because of their religious beliefs. The authors summarize the case histories of 3 patients with persistent genital arousal disorder who were initially misdiagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. All 3 patients presented with complaints of unwanted, persistent orgasms or orgasm-like arousals, and as a result, they performed ghusl several times a day. At previous interviews, the genital arousal was diagnosed as a sexual and somatic obsession, and repeatedly performing ghusl was considered a cleansing compulsion. Physicians’ lack of awareness or knowledge of persistent genital arousal disorder, combined with the unwillingness of patients to discuss sexual problems, can lead to a focus on the repetitive bathing, and thus, a misdiagnosis of the problem as obsessive-compulsive disorder. These cases are presented to highlight the possible pitfalls in the diagnosis of persistent genital arousal disorder cases in Islamic countries where ghusl is common.

Theory of Mind and Selective Attention, Response Inhibition, Cognitive Flexibility in Patients with Schizophrenia

INTRODUCTION The aims of the current study are to investigate the relationship between selective attention, response inhibition, and cognitive flexibility that are among executive functions and sociocognitive and socioperceptual theory of mind (ToM) functions and also to investigate whether selective attention, response inhibition, and cognitive flexibility are predictive factors for ToM functions in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS Forty-seven patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and a control group consisting of 42 individuals were administered demographic information form, Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST), Stroop test, Eye test, Hinting test. Positive and negative syndrome scale was applied to the schizophrenia group. RESULTS In comparison to the control group, the schizophrenia group performed significantly worse on Eyes test and Hinting test. Eyes Test score and age, WCST perseverative error scores were significantly negatively correlated; education and WCST categories achieved scores were significantly positively correlated in patients with schizophrenia. Age and cognitive flexibility were found to predict the Eyes test score in patients with schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS ToM functions that are important in maintaining socioperceptual functioning are closely related with cognitive flexibility, and impairment in cognitive flexibility may predict the ToM functions in patients with schizophrenia.

Case Reports of a Mother and Daughter Diagnosed With Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder

Despite various hypotheses based on biological and psychosocial assumptions, the etiology of persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD) is not still clarified, and there are no data on familial clustering of this disorder. Here, case reports of a mother and daughter are described. Ms. A (mother) was a 70-year-old widow. She was referred to a sexual disorders unit for continuous genital arousal during her hospitalization with a prediagnosis of major depressive disorder. She had spontaneous genital arousals four to five times a day, with each episode lasting 20 to 30 minutes and causing orgasms for 45 years. Her complaints were considered as either excessive sexual desire or part of an epileptic phenomenon. She had recently been prescribed

Psychiatric disorders comorbid with epilepsy in a prison sample.

PURPOSE Epilepsy is an extremely widespread and serious neurological disease. Although comorbidities of psychiatric disorders are prevalent in epilepsy patients, quite often this coexistence could be overlooked. Studies in this area demonstrated that depression, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia are the most common psychiatric disorders accompanying epilepsy. Mental health problems are known to be more common in prisoners compared to general population. The present study aims to demonstrate the psychiatric comorbidities in prisoners diagnosed with epilepsy. METHOD In this study, demographic data and the psychiatric comorbidity of 200 patients who were diagnosed with epilepsy by a neurologist at Ankara Penal Institution Campus State Hospital between January 2013 and January 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS The mean age of study population was 32.6±10.1years. 181 of these patients were male (90.5%). 81 of 200 patients (40.5%) had a comorbid psychiatric disorder. The most common comorbid psychiatric disorders were depression (18.5%), anxiety (11%), and personality disorders (11%), respectively. CONCLUSION The most common psychiatric comorbid disorders among prisoners diagnosed with epilepsy were depression and anxiety as general population with epilepsy whereas some disorders, personality disorder, substance dependence and bipolar affective disorders, were found to be more common among prisoners compared to the general population with epilepsy. It is crucial to question psychiatric symptoms and comorbidities while evaluating the patients with epilepsy, especially among prisoners.

Relationship between dysfunctional attitudes and childhood traumas in women with depression

Aim: Psychological traumas in childhood could lead to dysfunctional attitudes causing negative cognitive structuring and mistakes in data processing. In this study, we aimed to research the relation of childhood traumas with dysfunctional attitudes in female patients with depressive disorder. Method: Seventy female patients diagnosed with depressive disorder and 50 healthy volunteers participated in the study, and the participants were administered a socio-demographic form, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (DAS). Results: Comparing the two groups by median values of CTQ, total CTQ, sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect and emotional neglect, median values of the patient group were significantly higher compared to the control group, and comparison by median values of DAS revealed that median values of the patient group was significantly lower compared to the control group. In the correlation analysis carried out for finding the relation between CTQ and DAS, there was a significant negative correlation between DAS score and emotional abuse score. In the patient group, all kinds of abuses and neglects except for sexual abuse were at a higher rate in those with a history of depression in the family. Conclusion: In our study, a negative correlation was determined between DAS and only emotional abuse leading us to the finding that one of the factors mediating childhood traumas to cause depression could lead to dysfunctional attitudes.

The gender roles attitudes of medicals students: A cross-sectional study (tur)

Objective: Gender roles; refers to the roles traditionally associated with women and men. In studies conducted to determine the attitudes of university students towards gender roles in our country, it has been shown in different studies that male students have a more traditional view of gender roles than female students. In this study, it was aimed to determine the attitudes of university students studying gender roles and to investigate the effect of medical education on these attitudes. Method:This study is cross-sectional and conducted with the first and sixth year students who are studying medicine at Eskisehir Osmangazi University (ESOGÜ) Faculty of Medicine. Sociodemographic form and Gender Roles Attitude Scale (TCRSS) were applied to participants. Results: There was a significant difference between the first and sixth grades in terms of total TCRSS score and subscale scores (p> 0.05). There was no difference between the first and sixth grades (p> 0.05) in terms of averages of the scale scores for males (p> 0.05) when the scores of the groups were compared with the scores of the TCRSS and subscales after the participants had separated by sex. In the females, 6th-grade students had significantly higher traditional gender subscale scores (p = 0.033). Discussion: This study is, to our knowledge, the first study in the literature investigating attitudes towards gender roles in medical students in our country. In terms of content, it is recommended that medical education be organized to provide a transformative contribution to the attitudes of students towards gender roles.