• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.116-125
• /
• 2020

Objectives : Self-poisoning is the leading cause of visits to the emergency departments after a suicide attempts. This study is aimed to compare the patient characteristics according to the category of drugs ingested by the patients who attempted suicide. Methods : All medical charts were retrospectively reviewed from patients who visited the emergency center, at Seoul Medical Center, due to intentional self-poisoning from April of 2011 to July of 2019. We investigated the information regarding the subtype and quantity of the intoxication drug, how it was obtained, suicidal history, and psychiatric history, as well as, sociodemographic information. Variables were compared between prescription drug (PD) and non-prescription drug (NPD) poisoning groups. Results : The mean age of the NPD poisoning group was significantly lower than that of the PD poisoning group. The patient ratio of those enrolled in national health insurance and living with spouses were significantly higher in the NPD poisoning group. Compared to the NPD poisoning group, the PD poisoning group had a higher incidence of mental illnesses, underlying diseases and ratio of involuntary visit to the emergency department. Among the prescription drugs, the benzodiazepine poisoning group had a higher rate of self-prescription than the non-poisoning group, while the zolpidem poisoning group had a higher rate of the using someone else's prescription than other drugs. Each single drug poisoning group (benzodiazepine, zolpidem, and antidepressant single-agent) had a higher rate of no mental illness than each of the mixed-poisoning group. Conclusions : Guidelines for regulating non-prescription drugs are needed as a matter of suicide prevention. Also, this study suggests that clinicians need to be careful when issuing prescriptions and should suicidal risk according to patients' characteristics, duration of follow-up and type of drug packaging.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.5-16
• /
• 2008

Several treatment programs putting mindfulness to practical use are being utilized in the various clinical settings as well as educational fields since 1980's. In this article, I studied several books and journals related with mindfulness and tried to show that mindfulness may have its neural circuits in the brain and can be utilized in the form of MBSR, MBCT, ACT, DBT not only to reduce stress and the symptoms of various psychosomatic conditions but to be applied to psychiatric illness such as, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and eating disorders, predicting its usefulness as a new psycho-social treatment.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.881-892
• /
• 1998

This study attempts to identify attitudes of community leaders toward mental illness in order to obtain useful information concerning the planning of community mental health services. The community sample consists of 50 community leaders including, civil servants, doctors, herb doctors, school nurses, counselors, village leaders, pharmacists, and pastors. Individuals were asked to give demographic data, their personal attitudes toward mental illness' etiology & prognosis, and toward neighbors who are psychiatric patients. The interview with open questions was used to collect data. According to the study community leaders 82% believed that mental illness could be treated, 66% believed that mental illness was caused by genetic factors and environmental stress, and 76% had negative impressions about mentally ill people such as fear, seclusion, asylum, also crime. Only 28% of mentally ill people were accepted as neighbors in community. 52% of community leaders rejected opening of mental hospital, and thought that the Chunchon community needed facilities such as group homes, or day care centers (30%), however, 34% of the leaders they didn't recognize community mental health. These findings suggest that mental health professionals need to pay special attention to change the attitude of Chunchon community leaders and mental health institutions need to a develop mental health education program for community leaders.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.46-54
• /
• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the concept of recovery in relation to those living with mental illness and provide a better understanding to the definition, perspectives, and paradigm of recovery in phenomenon, as a conceptual knowledge. Methods: A literature review was conducted to define the concept of recovery from a mental illness by using key words, "recovery", "mental health and illness", "concept analysis" and "recovery-oriented nursing", and searching the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PubMed, Cochrane library and RISS4U database. Concept analysis of recovery was done, by using the Walker and Avant's framework of concept analysis. Results: Attributes of recovery for those living with mental illness included regain, life reconstruction, hope, adjustment, and health. Antecedents of recovery from mental illness included instilling hope, recovery vision, belief, peer support, recovery-oriented services, empowerment, personal accountability, education, human rights and culture. The consequences, as meanings of recovery included self-esteem, hopeful life, positive adjustment, and healthy life. Conclusion: Concept of recovery is important for a nurse to understand when caring for a person living with mental illness. This concept of recovery from mental illness may apply to future studies to develop a recovery-oriented nursing intervention.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
• /
• v.16 no.11
• /
• pp.521-533
• /
• 2018

This study aimed to understand the meaning and essence inherent in the life experiences of people with schizophrenia. We approached with phenomenological method, and the research participants were 10 adults, aged 20 or older, who were diagnosed with schizophrenia. As a result, we found four essential themes. The participants with schizophrenia lived a life with special constraints of being thrown to the reality in which they experienced continuing suffering. Nevertheless, their daily lives were maintained on the basis of their own feelings and needs. In this study, we confirmed that they should be understood and treated in the mental health field with the perspective that they are not 'patients' nor a pathological outcome, but a 'human' with schizophrenia.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.189-198
• /
• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations of mental health recovery to internalized stigma and meaning in life of community-dwelling people with mental disorder. Methods: Participants were 150 people with mental disorder who were enrolled at one of the community mental health institutions in D, S, and U cities, South Korea. Data analyses included a descriptive analysis, t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression using SPSS 25.0 software. Results: There were significant mean differences in mental health recovery according to education, religion, residential status, diagnosis, and day program use status of people with mental disorder living in the community. The significant predictors of mental health recovery included presence of meaning, stigma resistance, diagnosis (Major depressive disorder), and search for meaning. The regression model explained 58.7% of mental health recovery. Conclusion: Improving meaning in life and stigma resistance will increase the chances of mental health recovery among community- dwelling people with mental disorder.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.21 no.12
• /
• pp.639-650
• /
• 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate perceptions of mental health literacy, mental health status, mental health welfare center and mental health business of local public officials. The participants were 762 public officials working in G city. Data were collected from October 1, to October 26, 2019 using structured questionnaires, and IBM SPSS 24.0 statistics program was used for the analysis. As a result, the mental health status of the subjects was the most severe stress 28.1%. The mental health literacy score of the subjects was 40.99 points and mental health status was 1.66 points. And 46.6% of the respondents had never heard of mental health welfare center. As for mental health business, 57.0% had never heard of mental health counseling, and the most common route for gaining information on mental health or mental illness was TV at 65.2%. In addition, 85.0% answered that an increase in the government budget for the management of mental health and illness was necessary. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the continuous education and promotion for mental health improvement and the development of customized mental health promotion programs suitable for the public officials level through of the community mental health welfare center.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
• /
• v.64 no.4
• /
• pp.311-336
• /
• 2012

Under the Korean mental health circumstances where familistic culture is predominant and social resources are limited, siblings are an important presence that effect chronically mentally ill people's lives. Despite this fact, our society in some aspect overlooks their importance. Therefore, this study is focused on the role of siblings as caregivers of chronically mentally ill adults and is conducted to understand the relevant process and types of how siblings fulfill the role of caregivers. In order to achieve this goal, data was collected from nine study participants through individual interviews and focus group interviews and its contents were analyzed according to Grounded Theory. The results revealed that the siblings' experiences as caregivers of chronically mentally ill people were mainly categorized as 'carrying painful memory, responsibility, and concern about the obscure future of the mentally ill sibling and finding a caring role different from those of parents.' Moreover three types of sibling caregivers were recognized: 'reality-adapting, obligation fulfilling' type, 'sacrificial self-responsibility fulfilling' type, and 'growing guardianship creator' type. This research aimed to vividly deliver the voices of research participants and proposed social support and permanent planning services based on the experiences and desires unique to siblings.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.427-437
• /
• 2020

This study investigated perceptions of mental health literacy, mental health status, mental health welfare center, and mental health business of local students. Totally, 388 students visiting the mental health welfare center located in G city were enrolled for the study. Data were collected from October 1 to October 26, 2018 using structured questionnaires, and analyzed by applying the IBM SPSS 24.0 statistics program. The mental health status of subjects was found to be most severely stressed (31.4%). The mental health literacy score of the subjects was 40.99 points, and 45.9% of the respondents had never heard of mental health welfare center. Considering mental health business, 68.3% had never heard of mental health counseling, and the most common way to access information about mental health or mental illness was the internet (58.0%). In addition, 75.3% respondents answered that an increase in the government budget for management of mental health and illness was required. Taken together, our results indicate the necessity to strengthen continuous education, promotion for mental health improvement, and the development of a customized mental health promotion program suitable for the student's level, through involvement of the community mental health welfare center.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.25-34
• /
• 2019

Objectives : This study aimed to compare the psychosocial characteristics among patients with functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID), adults with functional gastrointestinal symptoms, and normal control group and investigate factors related to quality of life (QoL) of FGID patients. Methods : 65 patients diagnosed with FGID were selected. 79 adults were selected as normal control group based on the Rome III diagnostic criteria, and 88 adults who showed functional gastrointestinal symptoms were selected as "FGID positive group". Demographic factors were investigated. Psychosocial factors were evaluated using the Korean-Beck Depression Inventory-II, Korean-Beck Anxiety Inventory, Korean-Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Multi-dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and WHO Quality of Life Assessment Instrument Brief Form. A one-way ANOVA was used to compare differences among groups. Pearson correlation test was used to analyze correlations between QoL and psychosocial factors in patients with FGID. Results : There were group differences in the education level. Depression (F=29.012, p<0.001), anxiety (F=27.954, p<0.001) and Childhood trauma (F=7.748, p<0.001) were significantly higher in FGID patient group than in both FGID-positive and normal control group. Social support (F=5,123, p<0.001), Resilience (F=9.623, p<0.001) and QoL (F=35.991, p<0.001) were significantly lower in the FGID patient group than in others. QoL of FGID patients showed a positive correlation with resilience (r=0.475, p<0.01), and showed a negative correlation with depression (r=-0.641, p<0.01), anxiety (r=-0.641, p<0.01), and childhood trauma (r=-0.278, p<0.05). Conclusions : FGID patients have distinctive psychosocial factors compared to the both FGID-positive and normal control group. Therefore, the active interventions for psychosocial factors are required in the treatment of patients with FGID.