Raşit Tükel - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Raşit Tükel
Turkish journal of psychiatry, 2021
KLINIK PSIKOFARMAKOLOJI …, 2005
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are used for the treatment of a wide range of psychiatric... more Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are used for the treatment of a wide range of psychiatric disorders spectrum. Although bleeding attributed to the use of serotonin reuptake inhibitors is reported frequently in the literature, its exact frequency and etiology are ...
Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2002
Beginning with DSM-III-R, the condition of an intact insight towards obsessive± compulsive sympto... more Beginning with DSM-III-R, the condition of an intact insight towards obsessive± compulsive symptoms, which was essential for the classical de®nition of obsessive± compulsive neurosis, has been removed, permitting inclusion of cases with poor insight. A total of 94 cases who met DSM-III-R criteria for obsessive±compulsive disorder were included in this study. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID-P), Yale± Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HRSA), and State±Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were administered to each patient. Two subgroups determined by DSM-IV item`p oor insight'' were compared for demographic variables and the scores obtained on the scales. Scores on the Y-BOCS, HRSA, HRSD and STAI-state were signi®cantly higher in the poor insight group. Current and past major depression were also more frequent. Among personality disorders (PDs), avoidant PD was more common in the good insight group and borderline and narcissistic PDs were more common in the poor insight group. HRSA, HRSD, and STAI-state scores had weak to moderate but signi®cant correlations with insight as de®ned by the item 11 of Y-BOCS. Findings are discussed in view of previous reports.
Drugs in Context, 2019
Comorbid disorders are highly prevalent in patients with social anxiety disorder, occurring in as... more Comorbid disorders are highly prevalent in patients with social anxiety disorder, occurring in as many as 90% of patients. The presence of comorbidity may affect the course of the disease in several ways such as comorbidity in patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD) is related to earlier treatment-seeking behavior, increased symptom severity, treatment resistance and decreased functioning. Moreover, comorbidities cause significant difficulties in nosology and diagnosis, and may cause treatment challenges. In this review, major psychiatric comorbidities that can be encountered over the course of SAD as well as comorbidity associated diagnostic and therapeutic challenges will be discussed.
Journal of Psychiatric Practice, 2017
Journal of attention disorders, Jan 4, 2015
Our aim in this study is to evaluate the impacts of inattentive and combined types of childhood A... more Our aim in this study is to evaluate the impacts of inattentive and combined types of childhood ADHD (ADHD-I, ADHD-C) in patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD). A total of 142 adult outpatients with a primary diagnosis of SAD were included. All patients were assessed by using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL), ADHD module and a clinical and sociodemographic data form and scales were filled out. Childhood ADHD comorbidity rates was found to be 88 (62%) in patients with SAD, and 63 of these patients had the diagnosis of ADHD-I. ADHD-I group had higher scores of social anxiety and avoidance and had earlier onset of SAD than the ADHD-C group. The inattentive subtype of ADHD may have a more specific relationship with SAD than ADHD-C.
Annals of clinical psychiatry : official journal of the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists, 2015
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is common in the general population and usually begins at an early ... more Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is common in the general population and usually begins at an early age. It is well established that patients with SAD rarely seek treatment, and their first treatment contact usually takes many years after onset. The aim of this study was to determine the predictors of early and late treatment seeking in patients with SAD. This study enrolled 180 patients with generalized SAD. The mean and median durations between the emergence of SAD and first treatment contact were 15 and 14 years, respectively. Multiple linear regression with the backward elimination method was applied to assess the factors that affect the amount of time between occurrence of the disorder and first treatment contact. Older age, earlier onset of SAD, and lower level of education were associated with late treatment seeking, whereas earlier onset of comorbid major depressive episodes and lifetime history of comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder were associated with earlier treatment se...
Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 2015
The main objective of this study was to investigate the gray matter volume (GMV) differences betw... more The main objective of this study was to investigate the gray matter volume (GMV) differences between the patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD) and healthy controls, using VBM analysis. A total of 27 consecutive patients (15 women and 12 men) with SAD and 27 age and sex-matched healthy control subjects were included in this study. With magnetic resonance imaging, we examined GMV differences between SAD and healthy control groups. We found that GMV in the right middle and inferior temporal, left superior parietal, left precuneus and right fusiform areas were significantly greater in patients with SAD than in healthy controls. In addition, GMV in the right inferior and middle temporal regions were positively correlated with the social avoidance and total social anxiety scores of the participants in the SAD group. Lastly, greater GMV in the left superior parietal and precuneal regions were correlated with the higher disability in the social life of the patients with SAD. Our results suggest that the regions that showed significant GMV differences between the two groups play an important role in the pathophysiology of SAD and increased GMV in these regions might reflect a pathological process of neural abnormalities in this disorder.
Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 2012
The aim of this study is to assess the measures of proinflammatory cytokines in patients with pan... more The aim of this study is to assess the measures of proinflammatory cytokines in patients with panic disorder in comparison with the healthy subjects. Methods: Twenty three patients with panic disorder with or without agoraphobia and twenty three controls were recruited for the study. Plasma samples of all subjects were analyzed for TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, and IL-12 concentrations and NK-cell activity is measured in the peripheral blood samples of the subjects. Results: We found significant differences on the mean values of IL-12 (p = 0.01) and IFN-γ (p = 0.02) between the panic disorder and control groups. In a logistic regression analysis, IFN-γ values were significant statistical predictors of the presence of panic disorder (B = − 0.07, SE = 0.03, p = 0.04). Conclusion: The most important implication of our results is to suggest a relation between panic disorder and low levels of IFN-γ, compatible with the results of the animal studies showing that IFN-γ plays a role by acting to regulate the development of anxiety-like behaviors.
Depression and Anxiety, 2005
We compared early-onset and late-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients in terms of d... more We compared early-onset and late-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients in terms of demographic and clinical features. One hundred sixteen outpatients whose primary diagnosis was OCD according to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria were recruited. Early-onset (n ¼ 50) and late-onset (n ¼ 66) OCD groups were compared with respect to demographic variables and scores obtained on various scales. A male gender predominance was found in early-onset OCD group. Symmetry/exactness obsessions, religious obsessions, hoarding/saving obsessions, and hoarding/collecting compulsions also were significantly more frequent in the early-onset group than in the late-onset group. The results may suggest a phenotypic difference between the two groups. Further studies are needed to investigate the differences between early-onset and late-onset OCD groups to examine the hypothesis that early-onset OCD is a distinct subtype of the disorder.
Depression and Anxiety, 2007
Our objective in this study was to compare the demographics and clinical characteristics of patie... more Our objective in this study was to compare the demographics and clinical characteristics of patients with episodic and chronic obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We recruited 128 outpatients with a primary diagnosis of OCD according to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. The episodic (n 5 24) and chronic (n 5 104) OCD patient groups were compared with respect to demographic variables and scores from various psychiatric rating scales. The severity of compulsions was found to be significantly lower in the episodic OCD group than in the chronic OCD group. When the frequency of Axis I disorders was assessed in the two groups, bipolar disorder was found to have a significantly higher prevalence rate in the episodic OCD group than that in the chronic OCD group. The results of our study point to the possibility of an association between a subgroup of OCD with an episodic course and bipolar disorder. The evidence of such a relationship, which needs to be confirmed in a larger sample, might expand the scope of the clinical assessment and therapy of this subgroup of OCD.
Comprehensive Psychiatry, 2012
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic disease characterized by repetitive, unwanted in... more Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic disease characterized by repetitive, unwanted intrusive thoughts and ritualistic behaviors. Studies of neuropsychological functions in OCD have documented deficits in several cognitive domains, particularly with regard to visuospatial abilities, executive functioning, and motor speed. The objective of the present study was to investigate systematically the cognitive functioning of OCD patients who were free of medication and comorbid psychiatric disorders. In the present study, 72 OCD patients were compared with 54 healthy controls on their performance in a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were administered to the patients, and a semistructured interview form was used to evaluate the demographic features of the patients and control subjects. Overall, widespread statistically significant differences were found in tests related to verbal memory, global attention and psychomotor speed, and visuospatial and executive functions indicating a poorer performance of the OCD group. A closer scrutiny of these results suggests that the OCD group has difficulty in using an effective learning strategy that might be partly explained by their insufficient mental flexibility and somewhat poor planning abilities.
![Research paper thumbnail of [Undergraduate psychiatric training in Turkey]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/103163581/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Türk psikiyatri dergisi = Turkish journal of psychiatry, 2010
The current trend in medical education is to abandon the experience-based traditional model and e... more The current trend in medical education is to abandon the experience-based traditional model and embrace the competency-based education model (CBE). The basic principle behind CBE is standardization. The first step in standardization is to determine what students must know, what they must accomplish, and what attitude they should display, and the establishment of educational goals. One of the goals of the Psychiatric Association of Turkey, Psychiatric Training Section is to standardize psychiatric training in Turkish medical schools. This study aimed to determine the current state of undergraduate psychiatric training in Turkish medical schools. Questionnaires were sent to the psychiatry department chairs of 41 medical schools. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. Of the 41 department chairs that were sent the questionnaire, 29 (70%) completed and returned them, of which 16 (66.7%) reported that they had already defined goals and educational objectives for their ...
American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 2012
In the present study, we have tested the hypothesis that brainderived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) ... more In the present study, we have tested the hypothesis that brainderived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene Val66Met polymorphism is associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and also investigated the association between the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and the performance on tests measuring executive functions in a sample of patients with OCD. A total of 100 patients diagnosed with OCD according to DSM-IV criteria and 110 control subjects were included in this study. Single nucleotide polymorphism (G/A) leading to Val to Met substitution at codon 66 in BDNF was screened in the DNA samples of all participants. The genotype frequencies of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism were compared in OCD patients and healthy controls. The four subgroups of OCD and healthy control subjects, determined according to being Val homozygous or carrying a Met allele, were also compared according to their performance in a battery of neuropsychological tests of executive functions and verbal memory. There was no significant difference for the allele and genotype distributions of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism between the OCD and healthy control groups. Compared to the other three subgroups, OCD-Met carriers were slower on Trail-Making Test part A (TMT A), part B (TMT B) score and its speed-corrected score (TMT B-A). OCD-Met carriers had also poor performance on verbal fluency tasks and several CVLT measures compared only to the healthy control-Met carriers. These results demonstrate that the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism does not appear to be a risk factor for OCD. However, the presence of a BDNF Met allele, which is a known attenuator of BDNF activity, may be associated with a poorer executive functioning in OCD.
European Psychiatry, 1998
Turkish Journal of Psychiatry
ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders
Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology
Background: The relationship between social anxiety disorder (SAD) and attention-deficit/hyperact... more Background: The relationship between social anxiety disorder (SAD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a subject which has recently become a topic of interest for research. Methods: In this study, 20 patients with comorbid SAD and adult ADHD who were treated with extended-release methylphenidate monotherapy were evaluated retrospectively. Results: Clinical response for both ADHD and SAD symptoms was observed in 17 of 20 patients. Overall, one patient did not respond to treatment and two patients dropped out of treatment at the beginning due to adverse effects. Conclusion: Extended-release methylphenidate improved both SAD and ADHD symptoms and was generally well tolerated. Further studies are required to investigate the relationship between SAD and ADHD.
Turkish journal of psychiatry, 2021
KLINIK PSIKOFARMAKOLOJI …, 2005
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are used for the treatment of a wide range of psychiatric... more Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are used for the treatment of a wide range of psychiatric disorders spectrum. Although bleeding attributed to the use of serotonin reuptake inhibitors is reported frequently in the literature, its exact frequency and etiology are ...
Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2002
Beginning with DSM-III-R, the condition of an intact insight towards obsessive± compulsive sympto... more Beginning with DSM-III-R, the condition of an intact insight towards obsessive± compulsive symptoms, which was essential for the classical de®nition of obsessive± compulsive neurosis, has been removed, permitting inclusion of cases with poor insight. A total of 94 cases who met DSM-III-R criteria for obsessive±compulsive disorder were included in this study. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID-P), Yale± Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HRSA), and State±Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were administered to each patient. Two subgroups determined by DSM-IV item`p oor insight'' were compared for demographic variables and the scores obtained on the scales. Scores on the Y-BOCS, HRSA, HRSD and STAI-state were signi®cantly higher in the poor insight group. Current and past major depression were also more frequent. Among personality disorders (PDs), avoidant PD was more common in the good insight group and borderline and narcissistic PDs were more common in the poor insight group. HRSA, HRSD, and STAI-state scores had weak to moderate but signi®cant correlations with insight as de®ned by the item 11 of Y-BOCS. Findings are discussed in view of previous reports.
Drugs in Context, 2019
Comorbid disorders are highly prevalent in patients with social anxiety disorder, occurring in as... more Comorbid disorders are highly prevalent in patients with social anxiety disorder, occurring in as many as 90% of patients. The presence of comorbidity may affect the course of the disease in several ways such as comorbidity in patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD) is related to earlier treatment-seeking behavior, increased symptom severity, treatment resistance and decreased functioning. Moreover, comorbidities cause significant difficulties in nosology and diagnosis, and may cause treatment challenges. In this review, major psychiatric comorbidities that can be encountered over the course of SAD as well as comorbidity associated diagnostic and therapeutic challenges will be discussed.
Journal of Psychiatric Practice, 2017
Journal of attention disorders, Jan 4, 2015
Our aim in this study is to evaluate the impacts of inattentive and combined types of childhood A... more Our aim in this study is to evaluate the impacts of inattentive and combined types of childhood ADHD (ADHD-I, ADHD-C) in patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD). A total of 142 adult outpatients with a primary diagnosis of SAD were included. All patients were assessed by using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL), ADHD module and a clinical and sociodemographic data form and scales were filled out. Childhood ADHD comorbidity rates was found to be 88 (62%) in patients with SAD, and 63 of these patients had the diagnosis of ADHD-I. ADHD-I group had higher scores of social anxiety and avoidance and had earlier onset of SAD than the ADHD-C group. The inattentive subtype of ADHD may have a more specific relationship with SAD than ADHD-C.
Annals of clinical psychiatry : official journal of the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists, 2015
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is common in the general population and usually begins at an early ... more Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is common in the general population and usually begins at an early age. It is well established that patients with SAD rarely seek treatment, and their first treatment contact usually takes many years after onset. The aim of this study was to determine the predictors of early and late treatment seeking in patients with SAD. This study enrolled 180 patients with generalized SAD. The mean and median durations between the emergence of SAD and first treatment contact were 15 and 14 years, respectively. Multiple linear regression with the backward elimination method was applied to assess the factors that affect the amount of time between occurrence of the disorder and first treatment contact. Older age, earlier onset of SAD, and lower level of education were associated with late treatment seeking, whereas earlier onset of comorbid major depressive episodes and lifetime history of comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder were associated with earlier treatment se...
Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 2015
The main objective of this study was to investigate the gray matter volume (GMV) differences betw... more The main objective of this study was to investigate the gray matter volume (GMV) differences between the patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD) and healthy controls, using VBM analysis. A total of 27 consecutive patients (15 women and 12 men) with SAD and 27 age and sex-matched healthy control subjects were included in this study. With magnetic resonance imaging, we examined GMV differences between SAD and healthy control groups. We found that GMV in the right middle and inferior temporal, left superior parietal, left precuneus and right fusiform areas were significantly greater in patients with SAD than in healthy controls. In addition, GMV in the right inferior and middle temporal regions were positively correlated with the social avoidance and total social anxiety scores of the participants in the SAD group. Lastly, greater GMV in the left superior parietal and precuneal regions were correlated with the higher disability in the social life of the patients with SAD. Our results suggest that the regions that showed significant GMV differences between the two groups play an important role in the pathophysiology of SAD and increased GMV in these regions might reflect a pathological process of neural abnormalities in this disorder.
Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 2012
The aim of this study is to assess the measures of proinflammatory cytokines in patients with pan... more The aim of this study is to assess the measures of proinflammatory cytokines in patients with panic disorder in comparison with the healthy subjects. Methods: Twenty three patients with panic disorder with or without agoraphobia and twenty three controls were recruited for the study. Plasma samples of all subjects were analyzed for TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, and IL-12 concentrations and NK-cell activity is measured in the peripheral blood samples of the subjects. Results: We found significant differences on the mean values of IL-12 (p = 0.01) and IFN-γ (p = 0.02) between the panic disorder and control groups. In a logistic regression analysis, IFN-γ values were significant statistical predictors of the presence of panic disorder (B = − 0.07, SE = 0.03, p = 0.04). Conclusion: The most important implication of our results is to suggest a relation between panic disorder and low levels of IFN-γ, compatible with the results of the animal studies showing that IFN-γ plays a role by acting to regulate the development of anxiety-like behaviors.
Depression and Anxiety, 2005
We compared early-onset and late-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients in terms of d... more We compared early-onset and late-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients in terms of demographic and clinical features. One hundred sixteen outpatients whose primary diagnosis was OCD according to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria were recruited. Early-onset (n ¼ 50) and late-onset (n ¼ 66) OCD groups were compared with respect to demographic variables and scores obtained on various scales. A male gender predominance was found in early-onset OCD group. Symmetry/exactness obsessions, religious obsessions, hoarding/saving obsessions, and hoarding/collecting compulsions also were significantly more frequent in the early-onset group than in the late-onset group. The results may suggest a phenotypic difference between the two groups. Further studies are needed to investigate the differences between early-onset and late-onset OCD groups to examine the hypothesis that early-onset OCD is a distinct subtype of the disorder.
Depression and Anxiety, 2007
Our objective in this study was to compare the demographics and clinical characteristics of patie... more Our objective in this study was to compare the demographics and clinical characteristics of patients with episodic and chronic obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We recruited 128 outpatients with a primary diagnosis of OCD according to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. The episodic (n 5 24) and chronic (n 5 104) OCD patient groups were compared with respect to demographic variables and scores from various psychiatric rating scales. The severity of compulsions was found to be significantly lower in the episodic OCD group than in the chronic OCD group. When the frequency of Axis I disorders was assessed in the two groups, bipolar disorder was found to have a significantly higher prevalence rate in the episodic OCD group than that in the chronic OCD group. The results of our study point to the possibility of an association between a subgroup of OCD with an episodic course and bipolar disorder. The evidence of such a relationship, which needs to be confirmed in a larger sample, might expand the scope of the clinical assessment and therapy of this subgroup of OCD.
Comprehensive Psychiatry, 2012
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic disease characterized by repetitive, unwanted in... more Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic disease characterized by repetitive, unwanted intrusive thoughts and ritualistic behaviors. Studies of neuropsychological functions in OCD have documented deficits in several cognitive domains, particularly with regard to visuospatial abilities, executive functioning, and motor speed. The objective of the present study was to investigate systematically the cognitive functioning of OCD patients who were free of medication and comorbid psychiatric disorders. In the present study, 72 OCD patients were compared with 54 healthy controls on their performance in a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were administered to the patients, and a semistructured interview form was used to evaluate the demographic features of the patients and control subjects. Overall, widespread statistically significant differences were found in tests related to verbal memory, global attention and psychomotor speed, and visuospatial and executive functions indicating a poorer performance of the OCD group. A closer scrutiny of these results suggests that the OCD group has difficulty in using an effective learning strategy that might be partly explained by their insufficient mental flexibility and somewhat poor planning abilities.
Türk psikiyatri dergisi = Turkish journal of psychiatry, 2010
The current trend in medical education is to abandon the experience-based traditional model and e... more The current trend in medical education is to abandon the experience-based traditional model and embrace the competency-based education model (CBE). The basic principle behind CBE is standardization. The first step in standardization is to determine what students must know, what they must accomplish, and what attitude they should display, and the establishment of educational goals. One of the goals of the Psychiatric Association of Turkey, Psychiatric Training Section is to standardize psychiatric training in Turkish medical schools. This study aimed to determine the current state of undergraduate psychiatric training in Turkish medical schools. Questionnaires were sent to the psychiatry department chairs of 41 medical schools. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. Of the 41 department chairs that were sent the questionnaire, 29 (70%) completed and returned them, of which 16 (66.7%) reported that they had already defined goals and educational objectives for their ...
American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 2012
In the present study, we have tested the hypothesis that brainderived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) ... more In the present study, we have tested the hypothesis that brainderived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene Val66Met polymorphism is associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and also investigated the association between the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and the performance on tests measuring executive functions in a sample of patients with OCD. A total of 100 patients diagnosed with OCD according to DSM-IV criteria and 110 control subjects were included in this study. Single nucleotide polymorphism (G/A) leading to Val to Met substitution at codon 66 in BDNF was screened in the DNA samples of all participants. The genotype frequencies of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism were compared in OCD patients and healthy controls. The four subgroups of OCD and healthy control subjects, determined according to being Val homozygous or carrying a Met allele, were also compared according to their performance in a battery of neuropsychological tests of executive functions and verbal memory. There was no significant difference for the allele and genotype distributions of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism between the OCD and healthy control groups. Compared to the other three subgroups, OCD-Met carriers were slower on Trail-Making Test part A (TMT A), part B (TMT B) score and its speed-corrected score (TMT B-A). OCD-Met carriers had also poor performance on verbal fluency tasks and several CVLT measures compared only to the healthy control-Met carriers. These results demonstrate that the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism does not appear to be a risk factor for OCD. However, the presence of a BDNF Met allele, which is a known attenuator of BDNF activity, may be associated with a poorer executive functioning in OCD.
European Psychiatry, 1998
Turkish Journal of Psychiatry
ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders
Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology
Background: The relationship between social anxiety disorder (SAD) and attention-deficit/hyperact... more Background: The relationship between social anxiety disorder (SAD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a subject which has recently become a topic of interest for research. Methods: In this study, 20 patients with comorbid SAD and adult ADHD who were treated with extended-release methylphenidate monotherapy were evaluated retrospectively. Results: Clinical response for both ADHD and SAD symptoms was observed in 17 of 20 patients. Overall, one patient did not respond to treatment and two patients dropped out of treatment at the beginning due to adverse effects. Conclusion: Extended-release methylphenidate improved both SAD and ADHD symptoms and was generally well tolerated. Further studies are required to investigate the relationship between SAD and ADHD.