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Democratic reform processes of candidate countries of the EU have been widely explained from a rationalist external incentives perspective. So, until recently, Turkey had been seen as a textbook example of how effective a conditionality strategy could be. However, Turkish responses to EU conditionality have displayed significant fluctuations over time, even under the same government. This article will argue that the current literature on the Europeanization of candidate countries suffers from an overriding focus on the external impact of the EU upon Turkey and its democratization process. In response, this article instead focuses on the role of political parties as active agents of change by evaluating the validity of these claims in light of a qualitative analysis of Turkish democratization since 2005. Building on the emerging literature that focuses on domestic factors in Turkey's de-Europeanization, this article contributes to this literature by presenting these domestic factors in the theoretical framework of constructivism. It argues that EU demands do not represent inherent costs or benefits. Instead, their perception as costs or benefits matter in the context of Turkish politics. This means that outcomes are contingent on the nature of contestation and power balance among competing parties in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and comorbidities of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by evaluating a large-scale nation-wide sample of children. Method: The inclusion criterion was being enrolled as a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th-grade student. A semi-structured diagnostic interview (K-SADS-PL), DSM-IV-Based Screening Scale for Disruptive Behavior Disorders, and assessment of impairment (by both parents and teachers) were applied to 5,842 participants. Results: The prevalence of ADHD was 19.5% without impairment and 12.4% with impairment. Both ADHD with and without impairment groups had similar psychiatric comorbidity rates except for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD) diagnoses. Impairment in the ADHD group resulted in significantly higher ODD and CD diagnoses. Conclusion: Even when impairment is not described, other psychiatric disorders accompany the diagnosis of ADHD and may cause impairment in the future. Impairment in the diagnosis of ADHD significantly increases the likelihood of ODD and CD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of childhood psychopathologies in Turkey. Method: A nation-wide, randomly selected, representative population of 5830 children (6–13 years-old) enrolled as a 2nd,3rd or 4th grade student in 30 cities were evaluated for presence of a psychiatric or mental disorder by a Sociodemographic Form, Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL), and DSM-IV-Based Screening Scale for Disruptive Behavior Disorders in Children and Adolescents scales. Impairment criterion was assessed via a 3 point-Likert scale by the parent and the teacher independently. Results: Overall prevalence of any psychopathology was 37.6% without impairment criterion, and 17.1% with impairment criterion. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder was the most frequent diagnosis, followed by anxiety (19.5% and 16.7% without impairment, 12.4% and 5.3% with impairment, respectively). Lower education level and presence of a physical or psychiatric problem of the parents were independent predictors of any psychopathology of the offspring. Conclusion: This is the largest and most comprehensive epidemiological study to determine the prevalence of psychopathologies in children and adolescents in Turkey. Our results partly higher than, and partly comparable to previous national and international studies. It also contributes to the literature by determining the independent predictors of psychopathologies in this age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of developmental problems and relationship with sociodemographic variables in a community sample of young children. Methods: Participants included 1000 children (558 males, 442 females, age range 1-48 months, mean 18.4 months, SD 7.8 months). Children were referred generally by their parents for developmental evaluation and consultation in response to a public announcement in a district area in Istanbul, Turkey. An interview form and the Denver Developmental Screening Test II (DDST) were used for sociodemographic data and developmental evaluation. The χ² test and Pearson's correlation test were used for data analysis. Results: Seven hundred forty-one out of 1000 children (74.1%) had normal, 140 (14%) had risky, and 119 (11.9%) had abnormal findings on the DDST results. The probability of abnormal findings on the DDST results was significantly higher in males (p=0.003), the 2-4-year-old group (p<0.05), families with more than one child (p=0.001), consanguineous marriages (p<0.01), low parental educational levels and low household income (p<0.01), and in children without a history of breastfeeding (p=0.000). Immigration status and delivery mode did not have a significant effect on the probability of abnormal findings on the DDST results (p>0.05). Conclusion: Sociodemographic factors have a noteworthy impact on development. Determining these factors is important especially during the first years of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Diospyros Lotus ("Wild Date Palm of Trabzon or Persimmon"), which has been proven to cause phytobezoars, is a widely consumed fruit in the Black Sea and Northeast Anatolia regions of Turkey. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of Diospyros Lotus together with other predisposing factors, on the development of gastrointestinal phytobezoars and to discuss the treatment results in comparison to the literature. Material and method: The records of 13 patients, who had been admitted to the General Surgery Clinic of Düzce Atatürk State Hospital between August 2008 and August 2011, were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic characteristics, predisposing factors, clinical and radiological findings, diagnostic and therapeutic methods, and the outcomes of the patients were recorded from the patient files. Written informed consent was obtained from each patient for publication of this research article and accompanying images. Results: All the patients had a history of consuming Diospyros Lotus. Of the patients, 30,7% had a history of previous gastric surgery, 30,7% had diabetes mellitus and 23% had dental implants. None of the patients had hypothyroidism, which is another predisposing factor for phytobezoars. The phytobezoars were located in the stomach alone in 23% of the patients, whereas 15,3% was detected in the jejunum and stomach, 15,3% was detected in the jejunum alone, and 46,1% was detected in the ileum alone. All patients were treated with surgery, and there were no deaths. Conclusion: Gastric phytobezoars are rare. Preventive measures have particular importance in the management of this condition, which is difficult to treat. For this purpose, excessive consumption of herbal nutrients containing a high amount of indigestible fibers such as Diospyros Lotus should be avoided in patients with a history of gastrointestinal surgery or poor oral and dental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to report the efficacy and safety of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in manic, depressed, psychotic, and catatonic adolescent patients., Methods: Medical records of 78 adolescents who had received ECT in Department of Psychiatry, Gaziantep University Medical Faculty, during 2011 to 2017 were reviewed. Sixty-two subjects in this sample were identified to have complete records and met the study inclusion criteria., Results: The mean ± SD age of subjects was 17.11 ± 1.04 years and female sex was 53.2% (n = 33). Primary the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition diagnoses were bipolar mood disorders (n = 33, 53.2%), major depressive disorder (n = 16, 25.8%), schizophrenia (n = 8, 12.9%), and schizoaffective disorders (n = 5, 8.1%). Electroconvulsive therapy was significantly effective in treating manic, depressive, psychotic, and catatonia symptoms as evidenced by significant differences in pretreatment and posttreatment scores in outcome measures including Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Young Mania Rating Scale, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, and Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale (P < 0.001). Presence of comorbidity adversely affected treatment response (P = 0.001). However, ECT was also effective in those with comorbid diagnoses (P < 0.001). Depressive symptoms in patients with bipolar depression responded better than those with unipolar depression (P = 0.012). Electroconvulsive therapy was generally safe with subjective memory complaints (85%), headache (69%), and prolonged seizure (8%) as the reported adverse effects possibly related to ECT. Four subjects (6%) developed a manic switch during ECT., Conclusions: Electroconvulsive therapy is an effective and a safe treatment option in adolescent patients with severe and resistant psychopathology. Although comorbidity may decrease treatment response, ECT seems to be effective even in the presence of multiple psychiatric diagnoses.