• Korean Journal of Cognitive Science
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.199-217
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• 2019

Evolutionary research on mental disorders is relatively difficult compared to other medical studies. It is because the cause of mental disorder is unclear relative to other medical diseases, various proximate causations are involved. And it is difficult to distinguish cause and effect and to carry out experimental research. Despite these methodological difficulties, it is possible to establish an evolutionary hypothesis on mental disorders based on constructive reductionism, and to demonstrate actual data on the model based on this hypothesis. In this paper, I will discuss some conceptual definitions needed for applying ecological approaches to evolutionary psychiatric research. We will first discuss the appropriate level of explanations and the scope of the study subjects, then discuss the conceptual definition of behaviour and function, dysfunction and the appropriate level of selection.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.125-132
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• 2016

Conventionally, humor has been regarded as an indicator of mental health, but several researchers has proposed that the effects of humor in mental health may be different depending on humor styles. Therefore, further studies about humor style and the effect of humor are worthwhile. In the present study, we shall pay attention to buffering effect of humor on a decline in mental health. we attempted to identify weather the buffering effect of humor is different depending on humor styles in psychiatric patients. For this purpose correlation analysis on humor style, depression, anxiety and life satisfaction were carried out, and hierarchical regression analysis were applied to analyse moderating effect of humor style. Consequently, self-enhancing humor has a significant moderating effect on both depression and anxiety. Whereas, affiliative humor has a significant interactive effect with only depression. The conclusion which can be drawn from this study is that positive humor can work as a protective factor on a decline in mental health, and using self-enhancing humor is effective to increase life satisfaction. It might have a convergent meaning on adaptation that psychiatric patients could have a good adaptation(by using positive humor) in real world.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.109-116
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• 1994

It is not known whether negative symptoms and cognitive functions are dissociable or improvements in symptoms are reflected in improvements in cognitive functions in chronic schizophrenic patients. We administered clozapine to evaluate its effect on cognitive functions in chronic schizophrenic patients and to show correlations between improvement in psychotic symptoms and in cognitive functions. Neuropsychological tests such as Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Digit Span test and Judgment of Line Orientation Test were applied to 16 chronic schizophrenic patients at baseline and after 9 months of treatment with clozapine. Using BPRS we assessed psychopathology before initiation of clozapine and at 9 months. Clozapine improved both positive and negative symptoms in chronic schizophrenic patients significantly. After nine months of clozapine treatment, significant improvements occurred in attention, short-term memory and visual perception ability. And interestingly we noted the trend of improvement in executive functions even though they were not statistical significant. Any significant correlations between the clinical improvement and change in congnitive functions were not observed. Long-term treatment with clozapine improved parts of cognitive functions of chronic schizophrenics. The results of the study suggest that deficits in simple cognitive functions as well as psychotic symptoms are improved after 3 month period of short-term treatment, but executive functions requiring more sophisticated processing of information could be improved after more than 9 months of long-term treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.237-246
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• 1998

Objectives and Methods：This study investigated clinical characteristics, treatment modality, outcome of 57 children and adolescent inpatients(male 53, female 4) who were diagnosed as pervasive developmental disorder(PDD) by DSM-Ⅳ criteria recent five years. Results：1) The mean age at admission was $96{\pm}28.2$ months, and the mean age at which they first visited treatment facility was $52{\pm}26.6$ months. The mean hospitalization period was $43.7{\pm}31.3$ days. 2) Diagnosis：Twenty-seven(47.4%) of subjects met DSM-Ⅳ criteria for PDD NOS. Fifteen (26.3%) met for autistic disorder, nine(15.8%) met for Asperger's syndrome, and two(3.5%) met for childhood disintegrative disorder. 3) Comorbid diagnosis：The most common comorbid dignosis was attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(23.8%). 4) IQ test：IQ test for twenty-eight subjects was possible. The Average of the subjects was $70{\pm}27.5$. Fifteen(53.6%) of the subjects were approximate or under 70. 5) Neurology Abnormality：EEG findings of eleven(21.2%) subjects were abnormal, brain CT or MRI findings of eight subjects(21.6%) were abnormal. 6) Family Hx：Depressive disorder were found in Eight mothers(14%). Familial loading was found in twenty families(35.1%), and familial loading of PDD was found in three(5.3%). Conclusion：The most important thing for the management of PDD is early detection and early treatment. To do so, multidisciplinary team approach should be emphasized.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.13-25
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• 1998

Aim：We think that the most important etiology in parent abuse is the psychodynamic and psychopathology in the family. So, we investigated the adolescents being admitted in SNMH, whose chief complaints were parent abuse. We were trying to explore families psychodynamic and psychopathology, especially mother-child interaction and to differentiate them in according to developmental psychopathology. Method：Our objects were the adolescent patients admitted in SNMH from 1987 to 1997 because they attacked parents verbally and physically. We examined 21 adolescents except those with psychosis, organic mental disorder, autism and mental retardation by means of interview or chart review. Result and Conclusion：The number of male patients was 14 and the number of female patients was 7. The most common diagnosis was conduct disorder and borderline personality disorder. The mean age was in the mid-teens. We observed 4 subgroups that were divided developmentally in object relation. 1) Symbiotic group with mother：(1) They did not separate and remain in symbiotic relationships with their mothers based on insecure attachment. Fathers were abscent emotionally and physically, and their mothers were prominent in close relationships with the patients in their family , where as the patients were the only man in the family. Adolescents entered the second separation-individuation. They expressed anger and internal tension involved with the close attachment with their mothers and also attempted separation from their mothers through physically attacking them. (2) These patients had suffered from physical illness and developmental delay since birth. Therefore the parents overprotected their children. The children had persistent infantile omnipotence and fantasies of power, so they could not deal with unrealistic states, adapt to reality, and depended on their parents overtly. They easily acted out unless their demands were fulfilled. 2) Borderline personality disorder：We observed deficiencies in care taking. Their parents had personality problems and immaturity. They coulden’t help their children to be separated in the rapproachment phase. Their conflict about dependence-independence was revived in the second separation-individuation adolescent period. We understand parent abuse as an attempt to overcome the conflict. 3) Conduct disorder：They did not build up basic attachment with their parents. They think of their parents as only a means of fulfilling their needs. When patients’ need were not fulfilled and remained in a conflicted state, they attacked their parents, unable to control their aggressions and impulses.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.112-122
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• 2003

Objectives：Considerable data indicate that diminished serotonergic activity is related to aggressive behavior. In order to understand the biological etiology in conduct disorder, we studied the relationships of plasma serotonin and 5-HIAA levels in conduct disorders to measures of aggression, violation of rules and oppositional defiant behavior. Methods：Subjects were selected from inpatients and outpatients department of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of Seoul National University Hospital. 41 conduct disorders(18 childhoodonset type, 23 adolescent-onset type) and 23 normal controls were included in this study. For the assessment of aggression, rule violation and oppositional behavior, parents completed the rating scale for conduct disorder and oppositional behavior based on the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. Plasma serotonin and 5-HIAA levels were determined by HPLC with electrochemical detection. Results：1) Plasma 5-HT and 5-HIAA levels were not significantly different among childhood-onset conduct disorder, adolescent-onset conduct disorder and normal control subjects. 2) No significant correlations were found between plasma 5-HT levels and aggression or rule violation. 3) Plasma 5-HT levels showed significant positive correlations with oppositional behavior both in childhood-onset conduct disorder and adolescent-onset conduct disorder. 4) Age-related changes were not found in plasma 5-HT and 5-HIAA levles. Conclusion：Our findings do not support the hypothesis that dysregulation of serotonergic function may be associated with aggresson. Instead, our data suggest that serotonergic function is more closely related with oppositional behavior than aggression.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.50-61
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• 2002

Objectives:High nailfold plexus visibility can reflect central nervous system defects as an etiologic factor of schizophrenia indirectly. Previous studies suggest that this visibility is particularly related to the negative symptoms of schizophrenia and frontal lobe deficiency. In this study, we examined the relationships between nailfold plexus visibility, and various clinical variables and neuropsychological functions in schizo-phrenic patients. Methods:Forty patients(21males, 19 females) satisfying the DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia and thirty eight normal controls(20 males, 18 females) were measured for Plexus Visualization Score(PVS) by using the capillary microscopic examination. For the assessment of psychopathology, process-reactivity, premorbid adjustment, and neuropsychological functions, we used Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS), Ullmann-Giovannoni Process-Reactive Questionnaire(PRQ), Phillips Premorbid Adjustment Scale(PAS), Korean Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale(KWIS), Continuous Performance Test(CPT), Wisconsin Card Sort Test (WCST), and Word Fluency Test. We also collected data about clinical variables. Results:PVS was correlated with PANSS positive symptom score and composite score negatively. There were no correlations between PVS and PRQ score, PAS score and neuropsychological variables respectively. Conclusions:This study showed that nailfold plexus visibility was a characteristic feature in some schizophrenic patients, and that higher plexus visibility was associated with the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. There was no association between plexus visibility and neuropsychological functions.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.16-27
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• 2004

The purpose of this article is to review the recent studies about what attchment is, which historical background it has, how it develops and affects on the following development. Also the clinical implications of attachment and problems for its clinical application were discussed. As the quality of the attachment formed at earlier years is continued for a lifetime as the form of the internal working model, it affects persons' pathological development as well as normal one. Accordingly this article will be able to give a insight for prevention and treatment of pathological attachment and various psychological disorders.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.34-42
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of psychopathology and psychosocial environments of children with Atopic Dermatitis(AD) and their relationship to skin symptoms. Seventy outpatients with AD(mean age 9.94, range 4-15 years) and their mothers were subjected to psychiatric interview and parent- and self-report questionnaire(CBCL, MBRI, CDI, Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children(STAI), Family Impact questionnaire). Disease severity was assessed in three dimensions(skin extent, disease activity, and subjective symptom) by SCORAD index. Sixteen(22.9%) of our sample were suspected to have behavioral-emotional problems and they were different from non-problem group on depression, trait-anxiety, maternal controlling attitude and negative appraisal of children. While skin inflammation activity was correlated with only trait-anxiety and depression, subjective skin symptoms were correlated with many psychosocial factors such as depression, state-and traitanxiety, family-impact, social competence, internalized and externalized behavioral problem, sexual problem, and mother's positive appraisal of children). We concluded that children with AD are highrisk group for behavioral-emotional problems, and these problems along with maternal negative parenting attitude can affect their subjective symptom experience.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.96-105
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• 2001

Objective : Lithium inhibits the action of inositol monophosphatase(IMPase) in phosphoinositide(PI) signal transduction system at therapeutically relevant concentration. The depletion of inositol by lithium itself cannot explain the lithium's therapeutic effect. However, attention has focused on the abnormality of PI signal transduction system as the pathophysiology of bipolar affective disorder(BPD). We investigated whether IMPase mRNA levels of lymphocytes would be different between BPD patients(n=16) and age, sex-matched normal controls(n=16). We also investigated the change of IMPase mRNA level by lithium during 4 weeks to probe the possibility that IMPase mRNA levels could predict the therapeutic response to lithium and clinical course. Method : Relative IMPase mRNA levels in lymphocyte were quantified by reverse transcriptase(RT)-PCR in sixteen drug-free BPD patients and sex, age-matched normal controls. The psychopathology of patients were measured using YMRS (Young Mania Rating Scale) and CGI(Clinical Global Impression). Results : There was no significant difference in IMPase mRNA levels between BPD patients and normal controls. And the IMPase mRNA levels were not significantly changed by 4 week treatment with lithium. However, the basal IMPase mRNA levels were negatively correlated with the changes of CGI after 4 weeks. Furthermore, the patients with relatively high basal IMPase mRNA levels showed much more improvement during 4 weeks. Conclusions : BPD patients and normal controls were not distinguished by lymphocyte IMPase mRNA level. Although we do not support the hypothesis that lymphocyte IMPase activity would be related with the pathogenesis of BPD and the action of lithium, these data raise the possibility that lymphocyte IMPase mRNA levels could function as a predictor of therapeutic response and clinical course of BPD.