The purpose of this review was to investigate the neurophysiological and neuroimaging characteristics of patients with depression and anxiety reported in previous studies. A literature search was conducted using Medline and psychiatric textbooks. "Electroencephalography (EEG)", "Event Related Potentials (ERP)", "functional neuroimaging", "heart rate variability (HRV)" and "depression or anxiety" were used as key words. A physiological finding indicated that there was a higher degree of relativity with regards to prefrontal dysfunction in patients with depression. Right prefrontal lobe hyperactivity and left prefrontal hypoactivity were consistently observed, and abnormalities were observed in other regions (ACC, hippocampus, amygdala, etc.). Therefore, dysfunctions in these areas are related to depressive symptoms. In patients with anxiety disorder, each emotional condition showed specific activation patterns in different brain regions, such as the prefrontal cortex, occipital lobe, temporal lobe, hippocampus, and limbic system, including the amygdala. However, in the majority of patients with anxiety disorder, the degree of activation was higher in the right hemisphere than in the left hemisphere. The current data supports that there is a difference in brain dysfunction characteristics between depression and anxiety and that the different activations of various brain regions would play a significant role in the pathophysiology of depression and anxiety disorder.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects approximately 2-3% of the adult population. OCD is associated with impairments in social and occupational functioning. Although there are effective treatments for OCD, many individuals who suffer from OCD go undiagnosed and untreated. Thus, improvements in the assessment and diagnosis of OCD are needed. This paper provides a review of the instruments used to assess and diagnose patients with OCD. We reviewed clinician-administered inventories and self-report questionnaires. The characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, reliability and validity of each instrument are discussed. We also reviewed the psychometric properties of the Korean version of each instrument.

Objective : This study was conducted to evaluate the changes in the levels of neurotransmitters and cortisol in patients with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and to evaluate their correlation with symptoms after long-term pharmacological treatment. Methods : Twenty-eight Vietnam veterans with chronic PTSD and 34 non-PTSD patients were consecutively recruited. The Combat Exposure Scale (CES), Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (M-PTSD), Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAS) were used to evaluate symptom severity. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to measure the plasma levels of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine, and a radioimmunoassay (RIA) was performed to evaluate the plasma level of cortisol. Results : Plasma cortisol was significantly lower in PTSD patients than in control subjects, while there was no significant difference in plasma epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine between the two groups. The scores of M-PTSD, CAPS, HAMD and HAMA were signigicantly higher in PTSD patients than control group. Conclusion : After long-term treatment, the levels of neurotransmitters in PTSD patients returned to within the normal range, and the patients' symptoms showed some improvement. However, the core symptoms of PTSD continued to appear intermittently, and they are thought to be associated with hormonal systems, such as the HPA axis. It is also suggested that PTSD should be considered to be a complex disorder associated with multiple systems and that combinations of the effective medications for each system should be used to treat patients with PTSD.

Objective : A working group of psychiatrists from the Korean Academy of Anxiety Disorders was established to determine the appropriate medication algorithm for treating patients with panic disorder. In this article, we discussed the consensus among psychiatrists regarding the use of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) in the development of a treatment algorithm for panic disorder in Korea. Methods : Based on the guidelines or algorithms published by the American Psychiatric Association, National Institute for Clinical Excellence, and Canadian Psychiatric Association, we constructed questionnaires regarding the core components and contents of CBT for patients with panic disorder. Fifty-four experts in panic disorder completed the questionnaires. Results : There was statistically significant consensus among the experts in the belief that cognitive reconstruction and psychological education are the core components of CBT for the treatment of patients with panic disorder. However, there was some inconsistency between the opinions of some experts regarding the content and frequency of CBT and the results of studies published outside of Korea. Conclusions : CBT, especially the psychological education and cognitive reconstruction components, should be considered when treating patients with panic disorder. However, further consideration needs to be put into the design of a more detailed treatment guideline for the use of CBT in the treatment of patients with panic disorder.

Objective : The aim of this study is to examine the characteristics of somatic symptoms in patients with PTSD according to trauma type. Methods : The subjects of this study were 84 patients diagnosed with PTSD according to the DSM-IVTR and CAPS criteria. The subjects ranged in age from 18 to 76 years, and they were recruited from 18 hospitals across the nation. All participants were asked about their trauma history, and they all completed the Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and Korean-Physical Somatic Symptom Inventory (K-PSI). The items of the K-PSI were categorized into 5 groups according to organ system, and the participants were classified into 6 groups according to trauma type. We compared the results of the social demographical scale, DTS, BDI, STAI, IES-R and each recategorized subscale of the K-PSI among the six groups. Results : There were significant differences between the 6 groups in terms of the Korean-Physical Somatic Symptom Inventory scores for each organ system, except for the cardiopulmonary system, as well as the BDI scores. Post hoc analysis revealed differences between the combat-related trauma group and all other groups but not among any of the other groups. Conclusion : Our result showed that there were significant differences in the somatic symptom scores among the 6 trauma groups. However, patient age and the time elapsed since the traumatic event may have hada crucial influence on the result of this study.

현재 PTSD와 관련한 여러 병태생리 기전들이 밝혀지고 있으며 이에 초점을 둔 다양한 약물치료가 행해지고 있다. 본 연구에서는 일 대학병원에서 PTSD로 진단된 환자들의 의무기록을 검토하여 약물치료의 경향에 대해 알아보았다.1998년 1월부터 2007년 12월까지 DSM-IV에 의해 PTSD로 진단된 입원 환자 75명이 대상군이 되었으며, 이들의 인구학적 요인들, 입원기간, 외상의 종류, 외상 후 경과시간 및 정신과적 공존병리 및 처방 받은 약물을 조사하였다. 조사 결과, 75명 중 남자는 33명, 여자는 42명이었다. 정신과적 공존병리는 총 50명(66.7%)에서 존재하였으며, 우울장애, 인지장애, 정신장애 및 불안장애 순이었다.73명(97%)의 대상군은 항우울제를 처방 받았으며, 그 중 paroxetine이 54.7%로 가장 많았고 두 가지 이상의 항우울제를 처방 받은 경우도 24%였다. 또 거의 대부분의 환자에서 비정형 항정신병약물(33.3%), 기분안정제(17.3%),항불안제(94.7%)가 항우울제와 병용 처방된 것으로 조사되었다. 여러 제한점에도 불구하고 본 연구에서 얻어진 약물 처방 경향은 향후 국내 실정에 맞는 치료 지침을 수립하는 데에 하나의 근거 자료가 될 수 있을 것이다.

Objective : This article is a part of the Korean Medication Algorithm Project for Panic Disorder, which aims to build consensus regarding the diagnosis, treatment response and achievement of clinical remission for patients with panic disorder in Korea. Methods : The questionnaire used in this article had parts : 1) diagnosis, 2) treatment response, and 3) remission for patients with panic disorder. The questionnaire was completed by each of 54 Korean psychiatrists who had much experience in treating patients with panic disorder. We classified the experts' opinions into 3 categories (first-line, second-line, and third-line) using the ${\chi}^2$-test. Results : Five factors were considered in this research : panic attack, anticipatory anxiety, phobic avoidance, severity of illness, and psychosocial disability. Most reviewers agreed that the presence of a panic attack was the most important factor in the diagnosis of patients with panic disorder. Phobic avoidance was included in the first-line category, whereas the severity of illness and psychosocial disability were included in the second-line category. Most reviewers also agreed that the presence of a panic attack was the most important factor in determining the appropriate treatment response, and it was included in the first-line category along with several other items. To determine remission status, the patients' scores on tests pertaining to the severity of panic attack, anticipatory anxiety, phobic avoidance, severity of illness and psychosocial disability should be less than 3.0-3.3 on a 9-point Likert scale. Conclusion : We suggest useful information for making a diagnosisof panic disorder, determining the appropriate treatment response and identifying remission in panic disorder patients on the basis of the results of a nationwide survey of experts in Korea.

Objective : Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) has been established as an effective treatment for patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the literature is unclear as to whether EMDR is effective in the treatment of other psychiatric disorders. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential use of EMDR in the treatment of psychiatric disorders other than PTSD by using a clinician's impression of patient response and a subjective symptom evaluation. Methods : Seventeen diagnostically heterogenous patients without PTSD underwent an average of 4.3 sessions of EMDR. Symptom severity was assessed by the Clinical Global Impression-Change Scale (CGIC), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Symptom Checklist-90- Revised (SCL-90-R) before and after EMDR. Those whose CGI-C scores were 'very much improved' and 'much improved' after EMDR were classified as 'responders.' The patients' before and after treatment scores of symptom severity and group differences were compared. Results : Twelve of the 17 participants (12/17, 71%) were classified as 'responders.' The patients' scores on all of the scales, with the exception of the trait anxiety scale and obsession-compulsion scale of the SCL- 90-R, significantly decreased after treatment. There was no difference in sociodemographic and clinical variables between the responders and non-responders. Conclusion : The results of our study suggest that EMDR can be a promising candidate for the treatment of patients with psychiatric disorders other than PTSD, and thus further controlled studies are needed to determine whether EMDR can be applied to various psychiatric populations.

Objectives : Gender differences in demographic characteristics, symptom presentation, and severity may influence the selection of target behaviors as well as the course and outcome of therapeutic interventions for patients with social phobia. The purpose of this study was to explore the gender differences in the symptomatic characteristics of Korean patients with social phobia. Methods : A total of 256 outpatients with social phobia at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital were included in this study. All subjects were evaluated using the Korean version of the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview Plus. Potential differences in demographic characteristics, severity of anxiety, and situational fear and avoidance were examined. Self-report questionnaires and interviewer-administered instruments, including the Social Phobia Scale (SPS), Social Phobia subscale of the Fear Questionnaire (FQ-social), Appraisal of Social Concerns (ASC), and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), were used to evaluate the severity of the patients' symptoms. Results : There were no gender differences in demographic characteristics, age, age at onset of social phobia, total SPS score, FQ-Social score, ASC score, and LSAS score. In addition, there was no gender difference in the severity of fear in specific social situations. However, women reported significantly higher total scores on the social helplessness category of the ASC than men (p=0.009). Conclusion : Previous studies reported that the severity of social phobia symptoms is greater in women than in men, but our results suggest that there are no significant gender differences in the severity of social phobia symptoms. Thus, gender differences among patients with social phobia are discussed in the context of traditional sex-role expectations.