EPA-1534 - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Symptoms in Patients with Social Phobia and its Affect on Disability and Quality of Life

Abstract

Aims

Aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of attention deficit and hyperactivity symptoms, and to compare social phobia patients with high and low level symptoms in terms of disability and quality of life.

Methods

The study included 16 (44.4%) female and 20 (55.6%) male patients with social phobia (SP). The control group consisted of 36 volunteers who did not have any psychiatric disorder. Study and control group were evaluated using Wender-Utah Rating Scale (WURS-25), Turgay Adult Attention-Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) DSM-IV-Based Diagnostic Screening and Rating Scale, Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI), The Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS), and The Short Form 36 Quality of Life Instrument (SF-36).

Results

No statistically significant difference was found between the social phobia and control groups, based on gender, education level and mean age. Medium and high levels of ADHD symptoms were determined in 50.0% (n=18) of the SP group. Mean scores of WURS-25 scale, total and sub-scales of the Turgay ADHD scale in the SP group were higher than those of the control group. In the group with high levels of ADHD symptoms, the mental health sub-scale scores of SF-36 scale was statistically significantly lower than the group with low levels of ADHD symptoms.

Conclusions

Our results showed that ADHD symptom levels in social phobia patients were higher than controls and this situation can be associated with the deterioration of their mental health.