• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.179-186
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• 2022

Objectives : This study aimed to examine the moderating effects of reasons for living on the relationship between depression and suicidal ideation among psychiatric patients. Methods : Patients were recruited from the department of psychiatry of university hospital. A total of 137 participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing depression (Beck Depression Inventory), suicidal ideation (Ultra-Short Suicidal Ideation Scale) and reasons for living (The Reasons for Living Inventory). Results : Among 4 sub-scales of the reasons for living inventory, survival and coping beliefs, fear of death and social disapproval, and future expectation moderated the relationship between depression and suicidal ideation. Conclusions : The results suggest that the reasons for living can work as a protective factor on the relationship between depression and suicidal ideation among psychiatric patients.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.289-296
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• 2020

This study uses the qualitative research method to describe the burnout experience in Mental Health Social Workers (MHSW) working in psychiatric hospitals. Data was collected and analyzed to identify the main themes from two in-depth interviews with four MHSWs who have been working in psychiatric hospitals for more than 5 years located in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province area. The results of the study show that burnout manifests as; 'not being recognized as professionals,' 'being skeptical of the role of social workers,' 'distancing oneself from patients and their family members,' and 'feeling realistic problems and limitations.' The results of this research are expected to be used as basic data to both understand and prevent the burnout experience of mental health social workers.

• Industry Promotion Research
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.209-220
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• 2023

This study used general qualitative research and G-PhotoVoice methods to study the experience of psychiatric patients participating in vocational rehabilitation programs in daytime hospitals. The researcher in this study conducted interviews more than two times with five patients who took part in the program and data was also collected from additional conversations while patients were admitted or on outpatient visit after being discharged from the day hospital. In addition, semi-structured group interview with photos was also conducted. As a result of the study, the participants' experience of participating in the day hospital vocational rehabilitation program was found to be "experiencing difficulties in vocational activities," "joying working together," "getting a sense of stability," and "feeling that they have grown."Based on these findings, this study discussed the implications of activating vocational rehabilitation in daytime hospitals and promoting the growth of psychiatric patients.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.64-73
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• 2020

Suicidality is the most serious complication of mood disorders and psychosis; effective treatment should reduce suicide rates. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development age-standardized suicide rate in Korea was 22.6 in 2018, much higher compared to other countries worldwide. As mental and psychiatric problems are the main reasons for suicide attempts, accounting for 31.6% in 2018, targeting such problems should be the focus of efforts to reduce suicide rates. However, the ability of current pharmacotherapeutic and psychotherapeutic interventions to reduce suicide rates is limited due to their delayed effects. Therefore, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been proposed as an alternative treatment. This approach is effective for treating most mental disorders associated with high suicide rates, including severe depression, bipolar disorder, and intractable psychotic disorders; ECT is also effective for Parkinson's disease, which has the highest suicide rate among all disorders in Korea. The acute, long-term, and prophylactic effects of ECT on suicidality have been reported in the literature, and treatment guidelines outside of Korea recommend that ECT be used at an early stage for rapid reduction of suicide rates, as opposed to being applied as a treatment of last resort. However, only ~0.092 of every 10000 members of the Korean general population received ECT in 2018; this is much lower than the average rate worldwide, of 2.2 per 10000. Elimination of obstacles to the use of ECT, early crisis intervention involving administration of ECT for rapid stabilization, and maintenance ECT to prevent recurrence should reduce suicide rates.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.80-98
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• 2022

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is well known to have a limited response to drug treatment. Many recently published clinical care guidelines recommend trauma-focused psychotherapies such as cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and prolonged exposure therapy (PE) as first-line treatment and medication such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors and venlafaxine as second-line treatment. Current review introduces the session composition and contents of CPT and presents various CPT studies that show therapeutic effect for civilian and veterans/military with PTSD. In order for clinicians to help effectively patients with PTSD, it is necessary to learn and actively use evidence-based trauma-focused psychotherapies including CPT and PE.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.97-106
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• 2022

The aim of this study was identify national forensic psychiatric hospital nurses' attitudes, perceived meaning, facilitators and barriers to the recovery of mental health. A descriptive study design was used. The participants were 100 nurses working in a national forensic psychiatric hospital. The collected data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, independent t-test, ANOVA, scheffe-test using SPSS 26.0 WIN program. Also, content analysis was used for the responses described by the participants. The participants attitude toward recovery from mental health was positive(3.90±0.41), attitude showed significant differences in certification of psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner(t=-2.06, p= 042), certification of addiction nurses(t=-2.36, p= 020). The meaning of recovery that participants perceived were symptom mitigation(42.0%), barriers were family indifference and prejudice(31.0%), facilitators were medication, psychiatric rehabilitation program and therapeutic interviews(33.0%). It is necessary to provide education to improve nurses' understand to mental health recovery, organizational efforts are needed to establish a family support system and therapeutic environments for the recovery of mentally disordered offenders.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.136-143
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• 2021

Objectives : The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is a global medical crisis imposing particular burden on public sector employees. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychiatric distress among public sector workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods : We conducted a cross-sectional study with 531 public sector workers in Gwangmyung city who completed Korean versions of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Impact of Event Scale-Revised-Korean (IES-R-K). Results : The results revealed more than moderate levels of stress (85.2%), depressive symptoms (22.2%), and posttraumatic stress symptoms (38.8%). PSS total score was significantly correlated with PHQ-9, IES-R-K total scores as well as IES-R-K subscale scores. Total scores on the PSS, PHQ-9, and IES-R-K were all inversely correlated with age. Conclusions : COVID-19-related workers experience considerable stress and depressive symptoms, with self-rated stress correlating significantly with depression scores. Age may serve as a protective factor against occupational stress and burnout. These findings highlight the need for adequate psychiatric screening and intervention for public sector workers.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.84-93
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• 2020

Objectives The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between the chronotype and the burnout, so we investigated the mediating effects of the mediators such as perceived stress, stress response, and depression. Methods Employees working at Incheon Customs conducted a mental health self-examination through the internet. Among them, 174 people who agreed to the mental health survey participated in the study. Participants completed questionnaires including Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM), Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Stress Response Inventory (SRI), Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS). Results Our results showed a higher degree of CES-D, SRI, exhaustion, and cynicism in evening and intermediate type compared to morning type, and a higher degree of professional efficacy in morning type compared to intermediate type. CSM was shown to have a direct effect on exhaustion and indirect effect through CES-D and SRI. CSM also had a direct effect on professional efficacy and had an indirect effect through the CES-D. However, CSM was found to have only indirect effects through the SRI for Cynicism. Conclusions In this study, individuals with evening type tend to experience a high degree of burnout (exhaustion, cynicism and professional efficacy) through the mediation effect of depression and stress response. Further study is necessary to reveal the effect of management of the depression and stress response in the employee with evening type.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.176-183
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• 2021

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to find out how demographic factors, suicide attempt patterns, psychiatric history and management of suicide attempters affect the completion of emergency department (ED) based case management program. Methods : Among the patients who attempted suicide and visited the emergency department of Chung-Ang University Hospital from June 1, 2018 to May 31, 2021, 661 patients who agreed to case management were studied. After being discharged from the emergency department, subjects were registered for an eight-week follow-up service program. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was conducted with demographic factors, suicide attempt patterns, psychiatric history and management as independent variables, and completion of case management program as dependent variables. Results : Suicide attempt pattern had the most significant influence on the completion of case management program, followed by demographic factors, psychiatric history and management. Those who completed the case management program were significantly more likely to have suicide plans in the future, more authentic in suicide attempts, and had higher proportion of past suicide attempts than those who did not complete the program. Conclusions : To ensure that the subjects complete the follow-up project program and get connected to community services, an individualized approach with consideration of suicide attempt patterns, demographic factors, and psychiatric history is needed.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.172-178
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• 2022

Objectives : Although subclinical depression symptoms are associated with suicidal idea, most research have focused on clinical depression such as major depressive disorder or dysthymia. The aim of this study is to investigate network structure of depressive symptom and to reveal which symptoms are associated with suicidal ideation. Methods : We used part of data from the seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Participants were between 19 and 65 years of age (N=8,741). Network analysis with Isingfit model is used to reveal network structure of depressive symptoms and most central symptom and edges assessed by patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9). Results : The most two central symptoms were psychomotor activity and suicidal ideation. The strongest edge was psychomotor activity-suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation also has strong association with depressive mood and worthlessness. Conclusions : These results suggest that psychomotor activity and suicidal ideation can serve as treatment target for subclinical depression and psychomotor activity, worthlessness and depressed mood may be important factor for early intervention of suicidal ideation.