These findings suggest that ferritin levels should be measured in subjects with autism as a part of routine investigation.

The purpose of the present study was to determine the rate of substance abuse in the juvenile detention house and to determine the relationship between crime and substance abuse and conduct disorder. Two hundred and thirty cases in the biggest juvenile detention house in Istanbul, Turkey were assessed according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edn; DSM-IV) criteria. Law files and data of crime were examined. A total of 80 out of 230 juvenile detainees (34.8%) were found to have substance abuse excluding nicotine and alcohol. The substances abused in preferential order were cannabis (72.5%), volatile substances (21.3% bally and 3.7% thinner; 25%) and sedative hypnotic drugs and biperidents (2.5%). The rate of conduct disorder was 46.3% in substance abusers and 25.3% in the others (odds ratio: 2.536). The rate of substance abuse was 48.5% in the juveniles who had committed multiple crimes and 14.1% in the others (odds ratio: 5.735). The study shows that conduct disorder was very high in juvenile detainees. Conduct disorder was higher in substance-abusing than in non-abusing juvenile detainees. Substance-abusing juvenile detainees were found to have a higher detention rate than non-abusing juvenile detainees. There was a close relation between conduct disorder and substance abuse and multiple crimes. In the light of these results, diagnosis and treatment for conduct disorder in juvenile detainees are of great importance.

Other than causing mild weight gain, quetiapine appears to be an effective, safe and well tolerated drug in children and adolescents with Tourette's syndrome.

The Marmara earthquakes occurred in the Marmara Region (North West) of Turkey in 1999 and resulted in a death toll of approximately 20,000. This paper investigates the relationships between diagnoses and certain variables in children who developed emotional and/or behavioral disturbances in the aftermath of the Marmara earthquakes and were subsequently seen at a child psychiatry outpatient clinic. The variables evaluated are gender, age, the location where the earthquake was experienced, and the degree of losses, bodily injuries, and damage to the residence. Medical records of 321 children and adolescents ranging in age from 2 to 15 years who presented at the clinic due to problems associated with the earthquake between August 1999 and February 2000 were reviewed. Of the patients, 25.5% were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 16.5% with acute stress disorder (ASD) and 38% with adjustment disorder. No relationship is found between gender and diagnosis. Younger age groups tended to be diagnosed with adjustment disorder. Those who had lost relatives, friends or neighbors were more frequently diagnosed with ASD or PTSD. The same was true for children whose residence was heavily damaged. Children and adolescents constitute the age group that is most severely affected by natural disasters and display significant emotional-behavioral disturbances. The frequency of ASD and PTSD found in our study is considerably high. Although rarely mentioned in the literature, adjustment disorder appears to be one of the most common reactions of children to trauma.

How to cite this article: Copur M, Copur S. Emergence of stuttering in an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder patient treated with methylphenidate. Dusunen