European Psychiatry - Volume 33 - March 2016

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24th European Congress of Psychiatry / European Psychiatry 33S (2016) S349–S805 S493
EV451
The impact of traditional healers on
the treatment of psychotic patents in
Alexandria, Egypt
S. Darwish
Mamoura Mental State Hospital, Adult Psychiatry and Addiction,
Alexandria, Egypt
Introduction Psychotic symptoms in the Egyptian community
have always been mixed up with supernatural phenomena. This
makes patients and their families seek help from traditional healers
who can abuse them physically, financially and sexually.
Aim The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the tradi-
tional healers on the psychotic patients in the Egyptian community.
Objectives To measure the percentage of patients going to tradi-
tional healers and how much they pay and for how long.
Methods The study was conducted on a total of 555 psychotic
patients. Four hundred and fifty-five psychotic patients from the
Mamoura Mental state Hospital and 100 psychotic patients from a
private hospital in Alexandria in duration of three months in 2006.
A special questionnaire was designed and was run for all patients
and their families.
Results A total of 67.4% of male patients consulted healers while
88.4% of the females consulted healers. Only 9.4% of the females
whowent to the healerswere highly educated compared to 19.7% of
the male patients. The majority of the patients who improved were
illiterate or can only read and write. Lower socioeconomic groups
tend to have a higher percentage in consulting healers and a longer
duration of staying in treatment with them. Although therapy at the
first session tended to be for free, from the second session forward
patients pay more than they would pay seeing a psychiatrist.
Conclusions Traditional healers have a negative impact on the
psychiatry practice and are sources of patient’s abuse in Egypt.
Disclosure of interest The author has not supplied their declara-
tion of competing interest.
EV452
Stress management versus cognitive
restructuring: A randomized clinical
study on traumatized refugees
M. Ekstrøm ∗, J. Carlsson , C. Sonne , E.L. Mortensen
1 Mental Health Centre Ballerup, Competence Centre for
Transcultural Psychiatry, Ballerup, Denmark
2 University of Copenhagen, Department of Public Health,
Copenhagen, Denmark
∗ Corresponding author.
Background and aim There is a lack of evidence regarding which
kind of psychotherapy that is the most effective when treat-
ing traumatized refugees. Studies on the effect of psychotherapy
among other patient groups with PTSD suggest a good effect using
cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). The competence center for
transcultural psychiatry (CTP) has specialized in the treatment of
traumatized refugees. The objectives were to study the effect of CBT
with a focus on either stress management or cognitive restructur-
ing in a clinical sample of traumatized refugees with PTSD and to
identify predictors for the treatment effect.
Methods All patients (n = 143) referred to CTP from June
2011–March 2012 and fulfilling the inclusion criteria were offered
to participate in the study. Participants were offered combined
treatment with a psychiatrist (psycho-education and psychophar-
macological treatment when needed) and a psychologist (CBT). The
duration of the treatment was 6–7 months. The participants were
randomized to either CBT with a focus on stress management or
cbt with focus on cognitive restructuring. The primary outcome
was PTSD measured by the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire.
Results The results are presently being analyzed and will be pre-
sented at the congress.
Conclusions Both research results and the clinical experience at
CTP suggest, that cognitive restructuring is not always a useful
tool and that stress reducing techniques could be more useful. This
hypothesis was tested in the present study.
Disclosure of interest The authors have not supplied their decla-
ration of competing interest.
EV453
The treatment of traumatised
refugees with sertraline versus
venlafaxine in combination with
psychotherapy – a randomised
clinical study
M. Ekstrøm ∗, C. Sonne , J. Carlsson , P. Bech , A. Elklit
1 Mental Health Centre Ballerup, Competence Centre for
Transcultural Psychiatry, Ballerup, Denmark
2 University of Copenhagen, Psychiatric Center North Zealand,
Hillerod, Denmark
3 University of Southern Denmark, National Center of
Psychotraumatology, Odense, Denmark
∗ Corresponding author.
Background and aim Today we lack sufficient evidence to con-
clude which type of treatment approach that is most efficient
when it comes to trauma-affected refugees. That is a problem for
both patients and doctors as well as for society. Also there is a
lack of studies, which examine the relation between psychosocial
resources and treatment efficiency, in order to find reliable predic-
tors of treatment outcome. This study therefore aims to produce
new evidence within this field in order to optimise treatment for
trauma-affected refugees with complex PTSD.
Methods The study included 207 patients referred to Compe-
tence Centre for Transcultural Psychiatry between April 2012
and September 2013. Patients were randomised into one of the
two treatment groups: a sertraline group (n = 109) or a venlafax-
ine group (n = 98). Patients in both groups received the same
manual based cognitive behavioural therapy, specially adapted
to this group of patients. The trial endpoints were PTSD-and
depression symptoms and social functioning, all measured on vali-
dated ratings scales. Furthermore the study examined the relation
between expected outcome of treatment from a range of predic-
tors and the relation to the treatment results for the individual
patient.
Results Data are presently being analysed and results will be
ready for the conference.
Conclusion The study is among the largest randomised studies
ever conducted on pharmacological treatment among traumatised
refugees. It is expected to bring forward new knowledge about
clinical evaluation and medical treatment of traumatised refugees.
Disclosure of interest The authors have not supplied their decla-
ration of competing interest.
EV454
Stigma towards psychiatric disorders
in a sample of depressed females in
two different communities
M. Elsheikh ∗, H. Haltenhof , M.H. Bahary
1 Rhein-Jura-Klinik, Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Bad Säckingen,
Germany
2 HBK-Zwickau-Teaching Hospital- Leipzig University, Psychiatry and
Psychotherapy, Zwickau, Germany