• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.79-86
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• 1999

A comprison was made regarding perceived family support among patients with somatoform disorders, psychosomatic disorders and depressive disorders. The subjects included 49 patients with somatoform disorders, 43 patients with psychosomatic disorders, and 50 patients with depressive disorders. Perceived social support-family scale was used to measure the extent of family support. The patients with somatoform disorders were significantly lower in family support than the patients with psychosomatic disorders. However, no significant differences were found between patients with somatoform disorders and those with depressive disorders, as well as between patients with psychosomatic disorders and those with depressive disorders. Patients with older age had significantly higher scores on family support than those with younger age. Married patients were significantly higher in family support than unmarried ones. These results suggest that low family support may be associated with either the etiology or the sequelae of somatization. Thus, it is emphasized that the role of family support is essential in evaluation and treatment of somatization. In addition, longitudinal studies will be required to investigate the causative role of low family support in somatization.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.176-180
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• 2002

Hypnosis as a traditional healing method, in its recent development, has generated a multitude of techniques. These serve as practical tools which can be combined with other therapy techniques for the treatment of a variety of psychiatric and medical conditions. The empirical evidence for the effectiveness of hypnosis is considerable and proves its clinical impact in various areas of application. This case review describes the integration of hypnotherapeutic methods into the continuum of psychiatric encounters in a general practice. Guidelines for the application of hypnosis in approaching and treating each patients with headache, sexual dysfunction and bronchial asthma were illustrated. As hypotheses mechanism of effectiveness in psychosomatic disorders has been formulated. Training in hypnotherapy provides the psychiatrist with skills needed to address psychophysiological disorders. Emphasis is placed on the necessity and opportunity for research on the efficacy and specific technique of hypnosis in the psychosomatic disorders.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.59-68
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• 1994

A comparison was made regarding the degree of alexithymia among patients with psychosomatic disorders, anxiety disorders and depressive disorders. The author examined the degree of alexithymia in three groups : 100 psychosomatic patients(including 47 patients with tension headache), 52 outpatients with anxiety disorden, and 50 outpatients with depressive disorders. Alexithymia was assessed by Alexithymia provoked Response Questionnaires(APRQ) developed as a semi-structured interview form. No significant difference was found in the degree of alexithymia among Patients with Psychosomatic disorders, anxiety disorders, and depressive disorders. On the other hand, patients with tension headache were significantly more alexithymic than patients with anxiety disorders and depressive disorders, respectively. However, there was no significant difference in degree of alexithymia between patients with anxiety disorders and those with depressive disorders. Multiple regression analysis revealed that demographic variables such as set age, education level, and marital status did not make a significant influence on alexithymia scores. These results suggest a greater degree of alexithymia in patients with a specific group of psychosomiatic disorders such as tension headache than in patients with emotional disorders, unlike the previous report that in general, psychosomatic patients are alexithymic. Thus, it is necessary to develop special forms of interview which can induce and encourage expression of emotion as a therapeutic strategy for patients with tension headache.

• 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.

• 월간산업보건
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• s.225
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• pp.67-71
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• 2007

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.203-212
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• 1999

Objectives : "Alexithymia" mean literally "no word for mood(or emotion)". It is not only a marked constriction in emotional functioning but a deficit in their cognitive processing. We designed this study to investigate the level of alexithymia, psychopathology and personality factors of patients with somatoform disorder and with diabetes mellitus. Methods : The subjects were consisted of patients with somatoform disorder(N=20), patients with diabetes mellitus(N=20), and normal control(N=20). The level of alexithymia, psychopathology and personality factors were assessed by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale(TAS), the Symptom Checklist 90-Revision(SCL 90-R), and the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire(16-PF). And we compared demographic characteristics, psychopathology and personality factors among three groups, and assessed the relationship between alexithymia and psychopathology, and between alexithymia and personality factors. Results : The results were as follows. 1) Patients with somatoform disorder showed significantly higher TAS scores compared to patients with diabetes mellitus and the normal control group. 2) Patients With somatoform disorder showed significantly higher scores of somatization, anxiety scales than patients with diabetes mellitus and the normal control group, and showed significantly higher scores of obsessive-compulsive, depression, phobic anxiety, psychoticism scales than the normal control group by the SCL-90-R. 3) The normal control group showed high intelligence scores only as compared to patients with somatoform disorder by the 16-PF. 4) A significant relationship was found between TAS scores and psychopathology in patients with somatoform disorder. 5) All three groups did not shown any correlation between TAS and 16-PF. Conclusion : Patients with somatoform disorder showed higher TAS scores and more multiple psychopathology than patients with diabetes mellitus and the normal controls. A significant relationship was found between TAS scores and psychopathology in patients with somatoform disorder. We suggest that the therapeutic approach to patients with somatoform disorder to express emotions and manage psychopathology, and that the treatment methods of patients with diabetes mellitus aims to improve firstly physical conditions are more helpful.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.99-105
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• 2013

The movement disorders in psychiatry have been neglected, though it is an important psychiatric dimension to exert unfavorable influence on patients'quality of life. The etiologies of movement disorders in psychiatry can be classified as primary neurological disorders, psychiatric comorbidities of neurological disorders, manifestations of primary psychiatric disorders, drug-induced movement disorders and psychogenic movement disorders. For the rapid and proper treatment for movement symptoms and signs easily observed from psychiatric patients, psychiatrists' ability toward precise disgnosis and differential diagnosis of movement disorders should be preceded.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.174-183
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• 2016

Objectives : The aim of this study is to evaluate difference of somatic symptoms of anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder and domainal association with suicidal idealization, plan, and attempts. Methods : A total of 359 adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder of last one year participated. Participants interviewed with certain sections of Korean version of Composite International Diagnostic interview of CIDI. Sections of interests includes questionnaires regarding somatic symptoms and suicidal idea, plan and attempts of last one year. Results : Chest pain shows more prevalence in major depressive disorder. Symptoms of Headache and loose stool are more prevalent in anxiety disorder. Difficulty in equilibrium and fainting spells are more common somatic complaints of co-diagnosis states of anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder. Comparing 3 domains of pain symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms and pseudo-neurological symptoms, pain symptom domains, gastrointestinal symptoms domain shows significant statistic difference between diagnosis. Average somatic symptom numbers of each symptom domains increase through suicidal idealization, plan and attempt, accordingly. Conclusions : Our finding shows some of somatic symptoms are more prevalent at certain diagnosis. Since increasing numbers of somatic complaints of each symptom domains goes with the suicidal idealization to suicidal attempts, proper psychiatric evaluation and consultations are crucial for patients with numerous somatic complaints in non-psychiatric clinical settings.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.102-110
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• 2021

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics of the perception of the somatic symptoms and the cognitive emotion regulation strategies in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Methods : A total of 48 patients meeting DSM-5 criteria for PTSD and 48 normal controls were recruited for participation in this study. We evaluated subjects using Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), Somato-Sensory Amplification Scale (SSAS), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ). We analyzed data using an independent t-test and Pearson's correlation analysis. Results : In terms of SSAS, PTSD patients presented higher average SSAS scores than normal controls but the result is not statistically significant. In PTSD patients, the severity of PTSD is significantly correlated with CERQ-rumination and CERQ-catastrophizing. The SSAS scores of PTSD patients show the significant positive correlation with PTSD hyperarousal symptoms, CERQ-catastrophizing and CERQ-blaming others. Conclusions : These results reveal that patients with PTSD have maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies such as rumination and catastrophizing. Somato-sensory amplification seems to be related with PTSD hyperarousal, CERQ-catastrophizing and CERQ-blaming others. Therefore, reducing somato-sensory amplification, rumination and catastrophizing can be helpful to reduce PTSD symptoms and somatic symptoms in PTSD patients.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.95-101
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• 2021

Patients complaining with somatic symptoms are very common in clinical practice, and are often consulted to medical department. But it is difficult to treat well. The treatment of somatic symptom disorder is multi-modal as none of the methods on their own provide a satisfactory outcome. The treatment of somatic symptoms disorders is complicated by lack of boundary, conceptual clarity, and overemphasis on psychosocial causation and effectiveness of psychological treatments. In clinical practice all classes of psychotropics are used to treat somatic symptoms disorder. Drugs such as tricyclic antidepressants, serotonin reuptake inibitors(SSRI), serotonin and noradrenalin reuptake inhibitors (SNRI), atypical antipsychotics are studied. The evidence indicates that these drugs are effective in somatic symptom disorders. All classes of antidepressants seem to be effective against somatic symptom disorders. SSRIs are more effective against hypochondriasis and body dysmorphic disorder, and SNRIs appear to be more effective than other antidepressants when pain is predominant. The author suggest that psychiatrists should know how to treat patients complaining with somatic symptoms by using not only psychotherapeutic approach but also pharmacological treatment. It will be helpful to reduce suffering and increase quality of life of these patients.