Prevalence of psychiatric disorders and suicidality among children and adolescents with thalassemia major—A Turkish sample

Abdurrahman Cahid Örengül*, İlknur Ucuz, Nergiz Oner Battaloglu, Gulcihan Ozek, Vahdet Gormez

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The current study examined psychiatric diagnoses and suicidality in children with transfusion-dependent thalassemia major via a semi-structured interview (K-SADS). Although 4 subjects were diagnosed with major depressive disorder, 24 subjects (40.7%) had depressed mood and irritability, whereas anhedonia and boredom were detected in 23 (39.0%) subjects. Suicidal thoughts were expectedly more prevalent (28.8%) than suicidal intention (5.1%) and suicide attempts (1.7%). Children with thalassemia major may be an under-risk population for subclinical forms of depression and suicidality. Offering routine screening for mental health problems can lead to early identification and treatment.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)120-129
Number of pages10
JournalChildren's Health Care
Volume48
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Jan 2019
Externally publishedYes

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