The world has faced a growing global health crisis caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. All nations have implemented measures to control the spread of COVID-19, including curfews, lockdowns, and restrictions on persons' movements with social distancing. The first case diagnosed with COVID-19 in Turkey was reported on 11 March 2020. As the world focused on measures to mitigate transmission of COVID-19, the Turkish government ordered a nationwide school closure by 13 March and, by
Although numerous studies have investigated the neurotrophic factors and hippocampal activity in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) separately each other, it is unclear whether an association between neurotrophic factors and hippocampal activity is present. The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional changes in hippocampus before and after treatment with escitalopram and to associate these changes with peptides related to neuronal growth in patients with chronic PTSD and trauma survivors without PTSD. Fifteen earthquake survivors with chronic PTSD and thirteen drug naïve trauma exposed individuals without PTSD underwent fMRI scans in a block design. Serum levels of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) and Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) were measured before and after 12 weeks treatment with escitalopram. Baseline median serum level of NGF was significantly lower in patients with chronic PTSD than trauma survivors; however, 12 weeks of treatment with escitalopram significantly increased it. Higher activation was found both in left and right hippocampus for chronic PTSD group than trauma survivors. Treatment with escitalopram was significantly associated with suppression of the hyperactivation in left hippocampus in patients with chronic PTSD. Bilateral hyperactivation in hippocampus and lowered NGF may associate with neurobiological disarrangements in chronic PTSD. Treatment with escitalopram was significantly associated with both improvement in the severity of PTSD symptoms and biological alterations. Patients diagnosed with PTSD may have further and complicated deteriorations in hippocampal networks and neurotransmitter systems than individuals who had not been diagnosed with PTSD following the same traumatic experience.
Background To examine the admissions to a refugee child outpatient mental health unit in the COVID-19 pandemic and to compare them with the pre-pandemic period. Methods This retrospective observational study, planned through the hospital information system and patient files, included the 1-year number of outpatient unit admissions, sociodemographic, and clinical data. Results Before the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2019–February 2020), a total of 2322 patients (local and refugee) applied to the same unit, and 236 (10.1%) of these patients were refugees. Since the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey (March 2020–February 2021), 1209 patients applied, and 10.4% ( n = 126) of them were refugees. While 19.66 ± 6.31 refugees applied per month in the pre-pandemic period, this number decreased to 10.50 ± 5.31 during the pandemic period ( p = 0.01). During the pandemic period, there was a significant decrease in the number of female refugee patient admissions. In addition, while admissions for external disorders increased significantly during the pandemic period ( x 2 = 13.99, p = 0.001), admissions for internal disorders decreased significantly ( x 2 = 4.54, p = 0.03). Conclusions The decrease in the mental health unit demands with the pandemic may lead to negative consequences in the long term. To determine mental health and psychological needs of patients during the outbreak will greatly contribute to the pandemic management process.
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