Ebubekir Dirican, Halil Özcan, Sevgi Karabulut Uzunçakmak, Uğur Takım. Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci 2023;21:171-8. https://doi.org/10.9758/cpn.2023.21.1.171

Adult ADHD,personality disorders,empathy,narcissism,psychostimulant treatment

This study aimed to investigate the potential differences in childhood trauma (CT), theory of mind (ToM), a significant component of social cognition, and alexithymia in bipolar disorder (BD) patients and healthy controls. The study included 50 BD patients who met the study criteria and were under follow-up at our clinic along with 50 healthy controls. The two groups were matched for age, gender, and educational status. A sociodemographic questionnaire, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), Dokuz Eylul Theory of Mind Index (DEZIKO), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) were applied to all participants. The CTQ-Total, TAS total, and DEZIKO total scores were significantly higher in the BD group compared to the healthy group (p < .001). A significant positive correlation was identified between the TAS total score and CTQ physical neglect (r = 0.472, p = .001), CTQ emotional neglect (r = 0.449, p = .001) and CTQ total scores (r = 0.5, p < .001) in the BD group. A statistically significant negative correlation was identified between the DEZIKO faux pas score and the CTQ physical neglect score (r = −0.437, p = .002). BD patients had more adverse childhood experiences, lower ToM abilities despite being in remission, and more pronounced alexithymic personality features compared to healthy controls. We also identified a relationship between ToM, alexithymia, and adverse childhood experiences in BD.

Although mind-wandering (MW) is a part of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the impact of psychostimulants on excessive MW remains unclear. We aimed to elucidate how psychostimulants impact the MW of adult ADHD patients post treatment. This cross-sectional cohort study consisted of 54 randomly selected ADHD patients who applied to our psychiatry outpatient clinic and 40 healthy controls. The ADHD patients were administered methylphenidate or atomoxetine. A Semi-Structured Sociodemographic and Clinical Data Form, the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS), and the Mind Excessively Wandering Scale (MEWS) were applied. Routine psychiatric assessments in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd months of pharmacological treatment were carried out by a psychiatrist. The pre-treatment MEWS score of the ADHD patients was 26.09 ± 1.92, which significantly decreased to 12.78 ± 2.54 post-treatment (F = 715.250, p < .001). A statistically significant difference was identified between the mean pre-treatment ASRS total score (44.07 ± 10.09) and post-treatment score (27.34 ± 11.22; F = 50.364, p < .001). A lifetime history of alcohol/substance use was positively associated with the MEWS score. ADHD pharmacotherapy led to significant reductions in MW. Recognizing the interaction between MW and ADHD could help in the design of more specific and comprehensive interventions.

In recent years, researchers have reported crucial advances in the understanding of “Dissociative psychosis” and “Dissociative schizophrenia”. While clinical studies in this area have been sustained for well, it remains to be established for some aspects that a clear and valid relationship exists between dissociation, childhood traumatic experiences, and schizophrenia or psychotic spectrum disorders. Methods: To test such hypotheses, we divided the patients into two groups; the first group consisted of patients with psychotic disorders not otherwise specified (PNOS), and the second group consisted of schizophrenic patients. Further, we have investigated the symptoms of dissociation, its relation to childhood traumatic experiences, and psychotic symptoms. The study included 81 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia according to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria and 81 patients diagnosed with PNOS. Researchers assessed participants using the Dissociation Questionnaire (DIS-Q), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ, and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Results: The present study showed that patients with PNOS have higher dissociation and childhood traumatic experiences scores than the schizophrenic group and that the patients with the PNOS group yielded elevated physical abuse, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, sexual abuse, and bodily neglect scores as compared to the schizophrenic group. However, the PNOS group exhibited significantly lower PANSS total, PANSS negative, and PANSS general psychopathology scores compared to the schizophrenia group. DIS-Q and total CTQ level were also significant predictors of PNOS. Conclusion: Our results of statistical comparisons have supported the existence of the clinical manifestation known as dissociative psychosis, not dissociative schizophrenia.