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This study investigated whether poor performance in the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) and emotion dysregulation (ED) contributes to involvement in bullying among adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Altogether, 105 adolescents with ADHD aged 10–18 years (mean: 13.9±1.8 years, 77% boys) were recruited. RMET was applied to evaluate the ToM abilities. Participants completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire to measure ED and evaluate involvement in bullying, respectively. Among the subjects, 24.8% were victims, 23.8% were perpetrators. The perpetrators and victims exhibited significantly lower RMET scores and higher DERS awareness scores than non-victims/non-perpetrators. The perpetrators also exhibited significantly higher DERS impulse scores and DERS total scores than non-victims/non-perpetrators. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that a 1-point decrease in the RMET score increased the odds of bullying victimization by 53% and bullying perpetration by 21.6%, while a 1-point increase in DERS impulse scores increased the risk of bullying perpetration by 14.9%. This study is the first to show an association between poor ToM ability and involvement in bullying as victims/perpetrators among children with ADHD. Both victims and perpetrators had problems with emotional awareness, while only perpetrators had difficulties controlling their impulses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in adolescence, however, the etiology has not been described. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is one potential factor that may be involved in the etiology of ADHD. The goal of this study was to evaluate NPY levels in children with ADHD and compare the findings to healthy controls. Methods: Forty-eight ADHD patients and 40 healthy controls were included in this study. The age range of ADHD patients was 6 to 16 years. All patients were diagnosed according to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). Results: The NPY levels of children with ADHD were compared to healthy controls but were not significantly different (t (86) = -0.887, p = 0.378). NPY levels were similar (F = 0.191, p = 0.826) between ADHD presentations, and included 8 children with predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type (14.3%), 14 children with predominantly inattentive type (30.4%), and 26 children with a combined type (55.4%). There was also no difference between ADHD patients using medical treatment, ADHD patients not using medical treatment, and control subjects in terms of NPY levels (F = 0.572, p = 0.566). There was a significant positive correlation between age and NPY levels in the ADHD group (r = 0.349, p = 0.015). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the NPY levels of ADHD subjects were not different than those of controls. Future studies with homogeneous phenotypes and a larger sample population are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Atomoxetine is the first non stimulant medication approved by FDA for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The objective of this study was to investigate the changes in the liver enzymes levels associated with one month atomoxetine treatment in children with ADHD. Methods: A retrospective chart review was done to evaluate patients treated with only atomoxetine in Bakırköy Prof. Dr. Mazhar Osman Research and Training Hospital for Psychiatry and Neurological Disease, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic outpatient unit between September 2010 and December 2010. A total of 62 patients between 6-15 years of age were eligible for the study. Patients' baseline and one month follow-up hepatobiliary function tests including alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartat aminotransferase (AST), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and total serum bilirubin levels were noted. Results: No case of jaundice or hepatic failure was seen during the one month treatment period. ALT levels in the first month were significantly lower than baseline. The mean levels of other liver enzymes and bilirubin levels of the patients at the first month were not significantly different than baseline. Clinically nonsignificant elevation of liver enzymes and bilirubin from the defined normal levels were observed in 8 (12.9%) patients. Conclusion: Taking into account the limitations of a retrospective chart review in nonrandomized samples, it appears that atomoxetine treatment in short term does not lead to abnormal liver function changes at therapeutic doses in children and adolescents. Prospective studies are needed to assess liver function tests abnormalities in youth population using atomoxetine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this review, systemical evaluation of potential relationship between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obesity is aimed. Based on DSM-IV or DSM-5 criteria, written in English and/or Turkish except the case reports, sistematic reviews and meta-analysis published in the Pubmed database between January 1990 and December 2017 are included in the study. Evidence based on emprical analysis suggests that subjects with ADHD are heavier than expected. Moreover, nearly all reviewed studies indicate that the prevalence of ADHD in obese patients, especially those treated in obesity clinics, may be higher than expected. Future studies will be useful in regulating the health policies and increasing the quality of life for ADHD and obesity, both of which are high-risk morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Aim of this study was to investigate the validity and reliability of the Turkish translation of Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ)-the extended version. The Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ) has two versions: a shorter one, which has been validated for sleep-related breathing disorders, and an extended version, which deals with a wider range of sleep disturbances. Method: After translation and back-translation of the PSQ, it was filled in by the parents of 99 patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), 34 patients with Upper Airway Resistance and Snoring (UARS), and 42 healthy controls. Cronbach alpha was computed as a measure of internal consistency along with test-retest reliability and item-total score correlations. We used principal components analysis and varimax rotation to investigate the factor structure. The Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine cut-off points, sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive predictive values. Results: Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.77 for the whole questionnaire. Similar to the original PSQ study, we found four factors, namely "Snoring," "Behavioral Problems," "Breathing Problems," and "Other Problems.". However, different items loaded to these factors. While the first three factors were reliable and valid, this was not the case for the last factor. ADHD patients had higher "Breathing Problems" score than the controls, while all sleep related problems were higher in the UARS group than the other two groups. Cut-off points obtained from the ROC curves indicated that when a PSQ total score of 6 points was used as a cut-off, UARS group and the controls could be discriminated easily. In order to discriminate the ADHD and UARS groups, using the "Total Sleep Problems Score", which did not include the "Behavioral Problems" factor, resulted in greater specificty and sensitivity. Discussion: These results indicated that the Turkish version of the PSQ was a valid and reliable measure, that the PSQ total score could discriminate patients with primary sleep disorder from healthy controls, and that the "Total Sleep Problems Score", which was obtained by omitting the Behavioral Problems factor score, could be used to discriminate primary sleep problems from secondary sleep problems associated with ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]