European Psychiatry - Volume 33 - March 2016

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S492 24th European Congress of Psychiatry / European Psychiatry 33S (2016) S349–S805
Cultural Psychiatry
EV448
Mental health of traumatized refugees
and asylum seekers: Experiences of a
centre of transcultural psychiatry in
Hannover, Germany
U. Altunoz ∗, S. Castro Nunez , I.T. Graef Calliess
Klinikum Wahrendorff Psychiatry Hospital, Transcultural Psychiatry,
Hannover, Germany
∗ Corresponding author.
Introduction Germany has always been an important host coun-
try for traumatized refugees and asylumseekers. Although, recently
an increasing number of investigations about mental health of indi-
vidual migrant groups have been published in Germany, there is a
paucity of research concerningmental health of asylumseekers and
refugees.
Aims-objectives To investigate socio-demographic and clinical
characteristics of traumatized refugees-asylum seekers who were
applied to an outpatient psychiatry clinic in Germany.
Method A standardized data collection form (socio-
demographics, diagnosis, suicidality, etc.) was filled by therapists
for each traumatized refugee-asylum seeker who was applied to
outpatient clinic of Klinikum Wahrendorff-Centre of Transcultural
Psychiatry between April 2013 and October 2015.
Results Fifty-eight traumatized refugees-asylum seekers
(F/M= 27/31, age: 34.7 ± 1.4) were assessed. 53 (91.4%) of them
were assessed via interpreters. Thirty (51.7%) of them were stay-
ing in refugee-dormitories, 25 (43.1%) of them were living alone.
They’ve been living in Germany for 19.9 ±16 months (min: 1–max:
82). Psychiatric symptoms appeared before 29.9 ±19months. Time
to reach to psychiatric care in Germany was 14.2 ± 11 months. Psy-
chiatric diagnoses were posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): 12
(21%), depression + PTSD: 44 (76%), depression: 2 (3%). Fifty-three
(91.4%) of them had suicidal ideation and 16 (27.6%) of them had
at least one suicide attempt before.
Conclusions Traumatized refugees in this study have high rates of
suicidal ideation and suicide attempts and it takes months to years
for them to reach a psychiatric care. Therefore, strategies should
be developed for early detection of PTSD symptoms in traumatized
refugees and access barriers to reach a psychiatric care should be
overcome.
Disclosure of interest The authors have not supplied their decla-
ration of competing interest.
EV449
Cultural explanations of sleep
paralysis: The spiritual phenomena
I. Carvalho ∗, L. Maia , A. Coutinho , D. Silva , G. Guimarães
1 Centro Hospitalar V.N. Gaia/Espinho, Psychiatry and Mental Health,
V.N. de Gaia, Portugal
2 Centro Hospitalar V.N. Gaia/Espinho, Psychiatry and Mental Health,
Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
3 Centro Hospitalar V.N. Gaia/Espinho, Psychiatry and Mental Health,
V.N. Gaia, Portugal
4 Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, Psychiatry and
Mental Health, V.N. de Gaia, Portugal
5 Centro Hospitalar V.N. Gaia/Espinho, Department of Psychiatry and
Mental Health, V.N. Gaia, Portugal
∗ Corresponding author.
Introduction Sleep paralysis (SP) is relatively frequent condition,
occurring either at sleep onset or sleep offset. It occurs at least once
in a lifetime in 40–50% of normal subjects. During SP, the patient
experiences gross motor paralysis, while the sensory system is
clear. Hypnogogic and hypnopompic hallucinations are common.
This experience might be interpreted as a spiritual phenomenon in
several cultures, each one with different interpretations and attri-
butions.
Objective The authors revisit the clinical presentation of sleep
paralysis and how this sleep disorder is seen from a cultural per-
spective.
Aims To describe several cultural interpretations of SP.
Methods A literature review of the theme is shortly surveyed.
Results It is very common during an episode of SP sensing the
presence of menacing intruders in one’s bedroom. Supernatural
accounts of this hallucinated intruder are common across cultures.
It has been traditionally labeled “ghost oppression” among the
Chinese. In the Abruzzo region (Italy), the supernatural interpre-
tation of the phenomena is called the Pandafeche attack. One study
found that nearly half (48%) of the participants from the general
Egyptian population believed their SP to be caused by the Jinn, a
spirit-like creature. In Southwest Nigeria, Ogun Oru is a traditional
explanation for nocturnal neuropsychiatric disturbances. The char-
acteristics of the ‘a dead body climbed on top of me’ phenomenon
suggest that is identical to sleep paralysis and a frequent experience
among Mexican adolescents.
Conclusions Depending on the etiological interpretations of SP,
which is largely culturally determined, patients react to the event
in specific ways.
Disclosure of interest The authors have not supplied their decla-
ration of competing interest.
EV450
Does depression conciliate in marital
adjustment?
A. Channa
Liaquat National Hospital, Psychiatry, Karachi, Pakistan
Marriage is one of the principal facets when it comes to inter-
personal context of depression. There is evidence supporting
bidirectional casual effect between depression and marital satis-
faction. However the phenomenon of marital adjustment and its
related variable has not been given much attention in the Pakistan.
Objective To determine the frequency of marital adjustment in
patients with depression.
Method Depressedpatients, whowere agedbetween15–65were
included. Patientswho had documented comorbid of substance use
or any unstable serious general medical condition were excluded.
The severity of depression was evaluated by using Urdu vali-
dated Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Marital adjustment is
determined by using Urdu validated version of Kansas Marital Sat-
isfaction Scale.
Result Only 8.6% were well adjusted in their marital life, and all
were females. The association of marital adjustment and severity of
depression and difference in both genders on KANSAS was insignif-
icant. The longer duration of illness was positively interrelated to
the marital adjustment with odd ratio of 7.6. Being employed and
above 30 years of age were inversely related to marital satisfaction
with odd ratio of 6.1 and 5.4 respectively. However, the correlation
between other independent variables andmarital adjustment were
insignificant in both genders.
Conclusion This study confirms the presence of high frequency
i.e. 91.4% of marital dissatisfaction in depression in both male and
females, irrespective of their severity of depression.
Disclosure of interest The author has not supplied their declara-
tion of competing interest.