Purpose
High prevalence of sleep problems has been reported in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, there is limited literature about the types and clinical correlates of sleep problems. This study aims to compare sleep disturbances between children with ASD and healthy children and investigate the relationship between sleep difficulties and clinical symptoms of ASD.
Materials and methods
The sample consisted of 112 children in ASD patient group and 112 healthy controls, with an age range of 2–18 years. The Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) was used for sleep problems; Turgay DSM-IV Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale parent form (T-DSM-IV-S) was used to assess hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattentiveness; Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Autism Behavior Checklist, and Aberrant Behavior Checklist were used to evaluate the severity of autistic symptoms and behav-ioral problems.
Results
Total score, bedtime resistance, and sleep anxiety subscores of CSHQ were significantly higher in children with ASD than the control group. Among ASD children, intellectual capacity was not found to be associated with CSHQ scores. Bedtime resistance and night waking sub-scores of CSHQ were found to be positively correlated with CARS total score. Inattentiveness subscore of Parent T-DSM-IV-S was significantly higher in children with moderate-to-severe sleep problems.
Conclusion
Sleep difficulties in ASD patients may occur independently of intellectual disability. Bedtime resistance and night waking appear to be linked with ASD symptoms. Inattentiveness in ASD children may be associated with moderate-to-severe sleep problems.
Amenorrhea is one of the clinical consequences of hyperprolactinemia. Although symptomatic hyperprolactinemia is among the well-described adverse reactions of antipsychotic agents, it may also be reported with the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Hereby, we present a case of sertraline-related hyperprolactinemic amenorrhea in an adolescent. Amenorrhea occurred 2 months after starting sertraline, and menstrual cycle restored after stopping the treatment.
Levetiracetam is an antiepileptic agent that is used for partial and generalized epilepsy. Although it is well tolerated in most cases, behavioral and nonbehavioral adverse effects may be observed. Among behavioral symptoms, depression, hostility, and agitation have been frequently reported. However, mania or mania-like symptoms are relatively rare, especially in children and adolescents. Hereby, we report mania-like symptoms with levetiracetam use in a 15-year-old boy. Mania-like symptoms emerged 3 weeks after starting levetiracetam and disappeared after adding risperidone to ongoing levetiracetam treatment.
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