IntroductionCannabis use has proliferated since ancient times. It is currently the most commonly used illicit drug that affects human psychological health. Many clinical trials have shown that cannabis is a gateway drug to use of other substances and has comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders, especially schizophrenia [1][2][3][4][5][6] . The psychosocial treatment models for cannabis dependence include motivational enhancement therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and contingency management for adults.In addition, brief strategic family therapy, family behavior therapy, family support network intervention and community reinforcement approach counseling, functional family therapy, multidimensional family therapy, and multisystemic therapy are other psychosocial treatment models for youths 7 .Only 29% of cannabis dependent individuals seek treatment 8 , yet significant decreases in cannabis use are seen in 31-36% of individuals that seek treatment 9,10 . Follow-up studies have found that over 60% in substance use disorders end in relapse, leading to potentially chronic and relapsing cases [11][12][13] . Treatment models have been developed to prevent relapse. However, clinical data has shown that treatments used in substance use disorders provide far from satisfactory results 14 . Although cognitive behavioral therapy 15 shows significant short-term effects on many substance users, 50-70% relapse ratio is still a serious problem of this therapy model 16 . New and effective therapies should be researched in order to increase the success of relapse prevention treatments 15 .In 2004, Hayes 17 described the third wave of cognitive behavioral therapies 17 as mindfulness-based therapies; new research and applications using mindfulness concepts are being developed for substance use disorders 18 . Although there are multiple definitions, mindfulness is commonly defined as the capacity to place one's attention and focus on the present moment in a non-judgmental, non-reactive, and compassionate manner [19][20][21][22] . Mindfulness has been described as a capacity that is present since birth and that Does trait mindfulness level affect quitting cannabis use? A six week follow-up study AbstractBackground: Only 29% of cannabis dependent individuals seek treatment, yet significant decreases in cannabis use are seen in 31-36% of individuals that seek treatment. Follow-up studies have found that over 60% in substance use disorders end in relapse, leading to potentially chronic and relapsing cases. New and effective therapies should be researched in order to increase the success of relapse prevention treatments. Objective: In this study we aimed to evaluate the relationship between trait mindfulness level, substance dependence severity and quitting cannabis use. Methods: A hundred and sixty four patients, diagnosed with cannabis dependence, were involved in the study; socidemographic datas were recorded and Addiction Profile Index (API), Mindfuness Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS) were carried out. Results: We found t...

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the frequency and severity of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in patients diagnosed with depression or anxiety disorder and the relationship of RLS with medications used in these disorders and clinical/sociodemographic characteristics of the patients. Methods: Four hundred and fifty-four consecutive patients who were treated with medication for "Depressive Disorder" or "Anxiety Disorder" in our outpatient clinic were included in the study. Subjects were screened by International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG) scale, Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale. Patients who met the criteria of RLS diagnosis due to the RLS screening scale (n = 104) were interviewed in detail. Patients' laboratory tests were performed to investigate medical conditions other than antidepressant/antipsychotic use known to be related with RLS and 40 (8.8%) of 104 patients were excluded from the study. The main study group consisted of 414 patients. Results: The mean IRLSSG score of 64 patients diagnosed with RLS was 18.95 ± 5.11 (min: 7max: 29), 7.8% of whom had mild and 55.1% had severe RLS. The incidence of RLS in patients receiving antidepressant treatment (n: 414) was significantly higher than the general population (15.5%). There were no significant difference neither between diagnostic groups (anxiety/ depression) nor individual antidepressants by means of RLS. Patients receiving combined treatment like SSRI + quetiapine, SSRI + mirtazapine or SSRI + trazodone scored 4.7 times higher on RLS scale. Discussion: There was no significant difference by means of RLS diagnosis or severity of RLS in patients with a diagnosis of anxiety/depressive disorder. However antidepressant using patients' RLS prevalence was higher than general population's. It was noticed that patients who received combined drug treatment had a 4.7-fold increase in RLS. In conclusion; beginning with as possible as the least number and dose of psychotropic drugs when treating a patient with depression or anxiety disorder does not increase RLS risk as well as providing advantages such as reduced risk of drug interaction and side effects.

No abstract

Background/aim: Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) are full agonists of both cannabinoid receptors. Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of SC users are mainly defined as diffusion restriction and T2/FLAIR hyperintensity. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies examining SC users have shown contradictory results. The aim of this study was to define white matter (WM) changes of SC users using DTI. Materials and methods: The study included 22 patients with a history of using SC for 5-37 months, and 22 healthy, age and sexmatched control subjects. A total of 41 diffusion gradient directions were used in the acquisition of diffusion imaging data. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) values were obtained. ROIs were placed on WM areas of normal appearance. Results: In the SC users, significantly lower FA values were determined in the left temporal lobe (216.2 ± 58.9 vs. 263 ± 27.4; P = 0.002) and right hippocampus (224.5 ± 61.5 vs. 255 ± 24.3; P = 0.040). The ADC values of the hippocampus and temporal lobe were significantly higher than those of the control group on both the left and right sides. Conclusion: The SC use causes WM microstructural changes, especially in the hippocampus and temporal lobes. DTI is a useful tool to reveal WM changes in SC addicts and can be used earlier than conventional MRI.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is very common in people who inject drugs (PWID). Studies about the prevalence and genotype distribution of the HCV among PWID are very crucial for developing strategies to manage HCV infection. This study’s objective is to map the distribution of HCV genotypes among PWID from various regions of Turkey. Method: This prospective, multicenter, cross-sectional study involved 197 PWID who tested positive for anti-HCV antibodies from 4 different addiction treatment facilities in Turkey. Interviews were done with people who had anti-HCV antibodies, and blood samples were taken to check the HCV RNA viremia load and genotyping. Results: This study was conducted on 197 individuals with a mean age of 30.3 ± 8.6 years. 9.1% (136/197 patients) had a detectable HCV-RNA viral load. Genotype 3 was the most commonly observed genotype by 44.1%, followed by genotype 1a by 41.9%, genotype 2 by 5.1%, genotype 4 by 4.4%, and genotype 1b by 4.4%. Whereas genotype 3 was dominant with 44.4% at the central Anatolia region of Turkey, the frequencies of genotypes 1a and 3, which were predominantly detected in the south and northwest regions of Turkey, were very close to each other. Conclusion: Although genotype 3 is the predominant genotype in the PWID population in Turkey, the prevalence of HCV genotype varied across the country. To eliminate HCV infection in the PWID, treatment and screening strategies that differ by genotype are essentially required. Especially identification of genotypes will be useful in developing individualized treatments and determining national prevention strategies.