• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.149-164
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• 2000

Somatization is regarded as a process rather than a diagnostic entity. It should be emphasized to identify psychopathology rather than to make a choice regarding diagnosis in assessing somatizing patients. Psychiatrists should be aware of the psychosocial cues underlying the patients' physical symptoms. Special skills and strategies are required by nonpsychiatric physicians to facilitate the patients' acceptance of psychiatric treatment. The goal of treatment for somatization is management but not cure. The approach should be flexible, depending on the patients' responses and need. The difficulty in diagnosing and treating somatization is likely to be related to abnormal illness behavior such as the patients' denial of their psychosocial problems and resistance to psychiatric approach. In conclusion, biopsychosocial approach is needed to treat these patients effectively. Psychiatrists should also teach other physicians the interview skill that they could identify these patients as early as possible and facilitate their acceptance of psychiatric treatment.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.3-8
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• 2012

Understanding the biopsychosocial model of illness is crucial for any meaningful advance of health. The maintenance and promotion of health is achieved by different combinations of physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being. Health is not an objective of living. It is not only a state, but also a resource for everyday life. Health is a positive concept that emphasizes personal and social resources, as well as physical capacities. Understanding the biopsychosocial model of health and disease is very important in the medical system. George Engel challenged the medical profession to reconsider a strict biomedical approach to medical education and care, and to embrace a "new medical model," the biopsychosocial model. He argued that humans are at once biological, psychological, and social beings who behave in certain ways that can promote or harm their health. Although understanding the biopsychosocial model of illness is important, Korea's medical system have mainly been focusing on the biomedical model of illness. I would like to highlight the importance of biopsychosocial model of illness for Korea's medical system and real clinical field according to the 20th anniversary of Korean Society of Psychosomatic Medicine.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.30-33
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• 1999

While depression is certainly a prevalent disorder, it is often severe and debilitating and does not always have the good prognosis we have been led to expect. Social approaches to affective disorders have not been subjected to the same level of scrutiny as the interventions used in the management of schizophrenia. Psychosocial Rehabilitation is now at a critical stage. Psychoeducation, social skill training, cognitive remediation, family education, vocational rehabilitation and case management programs are essential for the rehabilitation of chronic depression.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.9-13
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• 2012

Psychosomatic medicine is a part of medicine which is to find the effect of psychological, behavioral, and medical factors on the human body and disease. In the early $20^{th}$ century, the idea of psychogenesis had been developed and resulted in the concept of psychosomatic disease which was believed to be caused by psychological factors. However a multifactorial model of illness developed and it allowed illness to be viewed as a result of biopsychosocial interactions. The following have been highlighted by consultation-liaison psychiatry. Psychosomatic medicine has addressed stress and psychiatric factors which affect the etiology, course, and treatment of medical disorders. Moreover it contributes the growth of other related disciplines such as psychoneuroendocrinology, psychoimmunology, behavioral medicine, health psychology and quality of life research. Nowadays, psychosomatic field becomes enlarged because medical and surgical departments have been developed rapidly, and research methods and tools have brought forth rapid progress and advance in medical science. Therefore the author reviews the past and present psychosomatic researches and suggests the future of psychosomatic research in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.256-262
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• 1999

Because chronic pain disorder may has multiple causes or contributing factors, including physical, psychological, and socio-environmental variables, the treatment of patients with the disorder requires biopsychosocial approaches in a multidisciplinary setting. In treating chronic pain, it is important to address functioning as well as pain, and treatment should be to increase functional capacity and manage the pain as opposed to curing it. Therefore treatment goal should be adaptation to pain or minimizing pain with corresponding greater functioning. Treatment begins with the initial assessment, which includes evaluation of psychophysiologic mechanisms, operant mechanisms, and overt psychiatric comorbidity. Psychiatric treatment of the patients requires adherence to sound pharmacologic and behavioral principles. There are four categories of drugs useful to psychiatrist in the management of chronic pain patients : 1) narcotic analgesics, 2) nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, 3) psychotropic medications, and 4) anticonvulsants, but antidepressants are the most valuable drugs in pharmnacotherpy for them. Psychological treatments tend to emphasize behavioral and cognitive-behavioral modalities, which are divided into self-management techniques and operant techniques. Psychodynamic and insight-oriented therapies are indicated to some patients with long-standing interpersonal dysfunction or a history of childhood abuse.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.20-25
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• 2015

Objective:To review the patterns of the dermatologic consultations of psychiatric adolescent inpatient and to explore the relationship between the dermatologic disorders and psychiatric disorders. Methods:We retrospectively studied the data from 22 cases referred by psychiatric adolescent for a dermatologic consultation over 10 years in Daegu Catholic University Medical Center and compared with the data from 108 cases referred by the other department adolescent patients. Results:The mean age of patients was 15.9. The male to female ratio was 1:1.44. The most common psychiatric and dermatologic disorder was major depressive disorder and acne, respectively. The most frequent reason for consultation was to ask for dermatologic disease or condition(54.5%) followed by to perform cosmetic procedure of patients need(40.9%) and to perform dermatologic test(4.6%). Conclusions:More than just a cosmetic disfigurement, dermatologic disorders are associated with a variety of psychopathologic problems that can affect the patient. Increased understanding of biopsychosocial approaches and liaison among psychiatrists and dermatologists could be beneficial.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.166-175
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• 2002

Recently many researches support the use of traditional psychiatric treatments in the management of chronic pain. Chronic pain is a significant public health problem and frustrating to everyone affected by it. Psychiatrists offer skills with treatments now recognized as effective in the management of chronic pain. In addition to the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric co-morbidity, the application of psychological treatments to chronic pain, and the development of interdisciplinary efforts to provide comprehensive health care to the patient disabled with chronic pain, psychiatrists have particular skill in pharmacological treatment that have proven efficacy for a variety of chronic pain conditions. With their expertise in the use of psychoactive medication plus their interest in the personal and family dynamics of patients, psychiatrists have the capacity to be involved in the treatment of patients with chronic pain. So, the author reported three cases of patient with pain disorder associated with psychological factors, and reviewed to propose that psychiatrists in Korea should take an active role in the care of these patients.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.185-194
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• 1997

A comparison was made regarding illness behavior among patients with somatoform disorders, depressive disorders and psychosomatic disorders. The subjects consisted of out-patients with somatoform disorders(N=52), depressive disorders(N=52) and psychosomatic disorders(N=51). illness behavior was assessed by illness Behavior Assessment Schedule and the questionnaire about help-seeking behavior. The patients with somatoform disorders and psychosomatic disorders more often affirmed the presence of somatic disease, were more likely to have phobia of disease, had more preoccupation with ideas of disease and more frequently shopped around oriental clinics than the patients with depressive disorders. The patients with somatoform disorders more often attributed its cause to physical factors, less often attributed the origin of affective disturbance to psychological causes, showed Less depression and irritability, and were less likely to accept psychiatric treatment recommended by other physicians than depressive patients. The patients with somatoform disorders were more likely to report having been told that they suffered from a mild illness than those with psychosomatic disorders. The patients with somatoform disorders with psychological problems tended to inhibit expression of their emotion. Female patients with somatoform disorders more often affirmed the presence of psychological disorder and attributed its cause to psychological factors than male ones. These results suggest that in illness behavior, patients with somatoform disorders are different from depressive patients, whereas the former patients are similar to psychosomatic patients except the discrepancy between therapists and patients regarding evaluation of their symptoms. Thus, it is emphasized that first, therapists need to approach patients with somatoform disorders somatically with understanding of their underlying need to deny psychological problems, followed by either psychological or biopsychosocial approach.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.111-132
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• 2001

Depression in the medically ill is a common clinical problem that primary physicians and psychiatric consultants encounter. Treatment of such patients begins with a careful evaluation of the patient's medical and psychiatric conditions. The assessment of depression in the medical patients requires a multidimensional approach. Psychological instruments are also used as a method of assessment in these patients. First of all, what the therapists have to do is to find and remove organic causes. Psychosoical treatment includes dealing with the patient's resistance and despondency relevant to physical diseases. For biological treatment, it is important to select appropriate antidepressants. Therapists should be familiar with the side effects of the antidepressants as well as the patient's primary depressive symptoms, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the available agents. In addition, special attention should be paid to the potential for drug-illness and drug-drug interactions. Tricyclic antidepressants can be still effectively used for patients with pain disorder, although a variety of new antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), bupropion and venlafaxine could have more benefits in depression of the medically ill. However, electroconvulsive therapy can be recommended for refractory cases of depression in patients with medical illness.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.5-15
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• 2019

Chronotype (CT) is defined as an inter-individual difference in sleep-wake cycles and daily activities. Previous studies have suggested that this individual difference can influence our biological and psychological functioning. Literature regarding the psychometric properties and validity of CT measures are reviewed. We provide an overview of biological indicators (sleep-wake cycle, body temperature, cortisol, and melatonin) that are used for distinguishing two chronotypes: morningness (MT) and eveningness (ET). We also review the differences between CT in relation to personality traits and the occurrence of psychopathology. In addition, the methodological limitations of studies on CT are discussed. Finally, future research directions in terms of CT are proposed.