Browsing by Author "Aker T."

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    The knowledge and attitudes of the public towards depression: an Istanbul population sample; [Depresyon ile ilgili bilgi ve tutumlar: Istanbul ornegi.]
    (2003) Ozmen E.; Ogel K.; Boratav C.; Sagduyu A.; Aker T.; Tamar D.
    OBJECTIVE: To assess the public's knowledge and attitudes towards depression and associated sociodemographic factors. METHOD: The survey was conducted in 2000 using face-to-face interviews in the homes of 707 adults in 24 different districts of Istanbul. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the influence of sociodemographic factors on attitudes towards depression. RESULTS: The results indicate that 78.9% diagnosed the depression vignette as a mental disorder. 86.6% of the sample considered "social environmental factors" and 68.2% "weak personality" to be as the cause of depression. 43.4% of the population thought that people with depression are aggressive, and 22.8% believe that their freedom should be restricted. 51.9% percent of the subjects thought that the patient defined in the vignette should consult a physician. 94.5% percent of the respondents who thought of depression as an illness believe that depression is treatable and 54.9% of the respondents consider that the drugs used to treat depression have serious side effects. When the effect of sociodemographic factors on community attitudes was analyzed by logistic regression, age was found to have the most significant influence on community attitudes towards depression. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the public identifies depression as an illness, has a tendency to perceive depression as a social problem, believes that depression could be treated by drugs, has incorrect knowledge about drugs and treatment, and is in doubt about the acceptance of depressive patients in society.
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    Public attitudes to depression in urban Turkey. The influence of perceptions and causal attributions on social distance towards individuals suffering from depression
    (2004) Ozmen E.; Ogel K.; Aker T.; Sagduyu A.; Tamar D.; Boratav C.
    Background. The aim of this study was to determine public attitudes towards patients with depression and the influence of perception and causal attributions on social distance towards individuals suffering from depression in urban areas. Methods. This study was carried out with a representative sample in Istanbul which is the biggest metropolis in Turkey. Seven hundred and seven subjects completed the public survey form which consisted of ten items screening the demographic features and health status of the participants, and 32 items rating attitudes towards depression. Results. The respondents' attitudes towards depression were very negative and nearly half of the subjects perceived people with depression as dangerous. More than half of the subjects stated that they would not marry a person with depression, and nearly half of the subjects stated that they would not rent their house to a person with depression. One-quarter of the subjects stated that depressive patients should not be free in the community. The subjects who considered depression as a disease and who believed that weakness of personality and social problems cause depression had negative attitudes towards depression. Conclusions. In Istanbul, people recognise depression well, but their attitudes towards it are fairly negative. The urban public has unfavourable attitudes towards depression and a tendency to isolate patients from the society. Notwithstanding the high prevalence, there is still considerable stigmatisation associated with depression.
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    Public opinions and beliefs about the treatment of depression in urban Turkey
    (2005) Ozmen E.; Ogel K.; Aker T.; Sagduyu A.; Tamar D.; Boratav C.
    Background: Although attitudes towards psychiatric illness influence its presentation, detection, recognition, treatment adherence and rehabilitation, the lay public's opinions and beliefs about the treatment of depression have not been investigated sufficiently. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine public opinions and beliefs about the treatment of depression and the influence of perception and causal attributions on attitudes towards treatment of depression in urban areas. Methods: This study was carried out with a representative sample in Istanbul, which is the biggest metropolis in Turkey. Seven hundred and seven subjects completed the public survey form which consisted of 32 items rating attitudes towards depression. Results: The public believes that psychological and social interventions are more effective than pharmacotherapy, and that the medicines used in treatment of depression are harmful and addictive. There was a general reluctance to consult a physician for depression, and psychiatrists were felt to be more helpful than general practitioners. The public viewed depression as treatable. A high educational level and perceiving depression as a disease is associated with positive beliefs and opinions about the treatment of depression; but the perception of depressive patients as aggressive is associated with negative beliefs and opinions about the treatment of depression. Conclusion: The beliefs that "psychological and social interventions are more effective than pharmacotherapy" and "antidepressants are harmful and addictive" must specifically be taken into account in clinical practice and in anti-stigma campaigns. Additional studies are needed to understand the public's tendency to conceptualise depression as a psychosocial problem. In clinical practice, depression should be introduced as a bio-psychosocial disease whatever its cause: biological, psychological or social. In addition, the differences between extreme worry and disease, and the lack of aggressiveness of depressive patients, must be emphasised. © Springer-Verlag 2005.
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    Knowledge and attitudes of general practitioners about depression
    (2008) Saǧduyu A.; Özmen E.; Aker T.; Ögel K.; Uǧuz Ş.; Tamar D.; Boratav C.; Liman O.
    Objectives: The purpose of this study is to learn more about general practititoners' knowledge, attitudes and social distance towards depression which is the most prevalent mental disorder seen in general practice. Method: The survey was conducted in 2002 using face-to-face interviews in offices of 300 general practitioners in Turkey. Data were derived from the questionnaire developed for the survey called "Attitudes Towards Mental Disorders". Results: Almost all of the practitioners believed that depression was treatable, and it could be completely cured according to 90% of the respondents. 80% of the practitioners considered "extreme sadness", near half of them "weak personality" and more than 90% "social handicaps" to be as the causes of depression. 66% believed that these patients would not improve unless social problems were solved. Attitudes of the subjects with relatives diagnosed depression, married, and older were more positive than the others with respect to social distance characteristics. Discussion: Although general practitoners with closer social distance held more positive attitudes towards depression than community people, the results suggest that incorrect knowledge and beliefs about etiology, nonmedical treatment methods and risk of dependency have a tendency to persist in this group. The results of this study underline the need for development of new education programmes aimed to decrease effects of stigmatization based upon information obtained more studies about attitudes and beliefs of physicians.
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    Psychiatric epidemiology in Turkey: Main advances in recent studies and future directions
    (Turkish Association of Nervous and Mental Health, 2014) Binbay T.; Direk N.; Aker T.; Akvardar Y.; Alptekin K.; Cimilli C.; Çam B.; Deveci A.; Gültekin B.K.; Şar V.; Taycan O.; Ulaş H.
    Objective: To overview and evaluate the main findings, methodological shortcomings, and time trends of the recent psychiatric epidemiology studies in Turkey, as well as to provide areas prone for development in forthcoming research. Method: PubMed and Turkish Psychiatry Index were screened to identify relevant studies. Any epidemiological study from 2000 to 2012 with a general population or unique sub-population sample was included. Papers and results were classified as depression, anxiety, psychotic, dissociative, conversion, personality, alcohol and substance abuse, and trauma-related disorders, and common geriatric disorders. Results: There are various epidemiological studies on various psychiatric disorders in Turkey. However, there are main shortcomings and trends in research that subsequently stagnate current psychiatric epidemiological research. First, epidemiological studies were mainly conducted for academic purposes, not for addressing epidemiological issues or issues of health policy. Second, studies mainly focused on particular fields and institutions, which led to non-systematic accumulation of epidemiological results. Third, although Turkey is a natural laboratory of social conflicts and disasters, there were few studies with a focus on probable outcomes. Fourth, high-quality epidemiological studies with disseminating results tended to decrease, even in common mental disorders such as depression. Fifth, there were very few epidemiological studies using contemporary designs such as followup, genetic, or biomarker data in the general-population. Conclusion: Although psychiatric epidemiological studies of the last decade provide a suitable ground for future challenges, current trends in this research area has tended to stagnate, despite the potential for unique contributions. Forthcoming studies and researchers may notice novel methodological developments in epidemiology, with a growing attention on rapid urbanization, natural disasters, social conflicts, and migration.