• Anxiety and mood
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.142-147
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• 2008

Objective : Evidence from recent studies supports the role of genetic factors in the development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The primary aim of this study is to investigate the association between the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) TaqI A polymorphism and PTSD. The second aim is to examine the association between the DRD2 TaqI A polymorphism and clinical symptoms in patients with PTSD. Methods : We recruited 189 Vietnam veterans for participation in this study, among whom 99 were PTSD patients and 90 were control subjects. The presence of the DRD2 TaqI A polymorphism was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Several standardized research scales were used in the clinical assessment of PTSD, including the Combat Exposure Scale (CES), Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Clinical Global Impression (CGI). Results : There was no significant difference in the distribution of the DRD2 genotype, frequency and prevalence of the A1 allele, or the frequency of heterozygotes between the patients with PTSD and the controls. In the PTSD group, the patients with the A1 allele (A1A1, A1A2) scored higher on the CAPS-total (p=0.044), CAPS-avoidance symptoms (p=0.016) and BDI (p=0.024) than those without the A1 allele (A2A2). Conclusion : We could not find an association between the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) TaqI A polymorphism and PTSD. However, the A1 allele of DRD2 seemsto influence avoidance symptoms in patients with PTSD.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.49-56
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• 2020

Objective : The present study aims to investigate differences in anger-related features in patients with somatic symptom disorder (SSD) compared to healthy controls, and to examine whether anger trait and anger regulation strategy are associated with clinical characteristics in patients with SSD. In addition, we examined the relationship between childhood adversity and SSD. Methods : 26 patients with SSD and 28 healthy controls were included. Anger-related features were assessed with State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI). Clinical somatic symptoms were assessed using the somatization subscale of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised and the Somatosensory Amplification Scale. Childhood adversity was assessed by the Childhood Traumatic Events Scale. Multivariate analysis of covariance was performed. Results : Disease status of SSD had a significant overall effect on anger-related features (Wilks λ=0.725, F(5, 44)=3.332, p=0.012). Patients with SSD showed a significantly high Trait-Anger (p=0.017) and they had a high score in both Anger-Out (p=0.013) and Anger-In (p=0.001) of anger expression styles. In particular, a directed inward style of anger expression was significantly associated with somatization symptom severity (p=0.003). Regarding childhood adversity, more childhood extreme illness was experienced by the SSD group than the control group (p=0.012). Within the SSD group, childhood extreme illness was associated with higher Trait-Anger (p=0.027) and Anger-Out (p=0.001). Conclusion : The present findings suggest that trait anger, anger expression styles, and childhood adversity of extreme illness may be involved in SSD. Further studies are needed to explore the role of anger-related features and its relationship with childhood adversity in the pathophysiology of SSD.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.197-211
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• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to introduce the progress of treatment and improve clinical use after conducting Mentalizing the Rooms of Mind, the main technique of Mindfulness & Loving Beingness psychotherapy, for a patient with panic disorder. Methods: We conducted a Mentalizing the Rooms of Mind for 10 sessions on an age 23 female diagnosed with panic disorder based on the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. After receiving consent from the subject, through chart review, the progress of treatment was observed focusing on the MMPI-2 and CSEI-s (The Core Seven Emotions Inventory-short form) conducted pre- and post-treatment. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Wonkwang University Sanbon Hospital (WMCSB202007-55). Results: 1. The MMPI-2 clinical scales of an age 23 female with panic disorder showed a 7 (Pt)-1 (Hs)-3 (Hy) profile pre-treatment, but for post-treatment, the scale showed 1 (Hs)-3 (Hy) profile, and the 7 (Pt) scale showed significant decline. In the MMPI-2 reconstructed clinical scales, RC7 (Dysfunctional Negative Emotions) and RC8 (Aberrant Experiences) showed significant decline. 2. In the pre- and post-treatment MMPI-2 content scales, Anxiety, Fears, Obsessiveness, Social Discomfort, and Work Interference scores decreased, showing overall positive stability. On the MMPI-2 supplementary scales, the Anxiety and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder scores decreased, and the Ego Strength increased, resulting in improved overall psychological adaptation. 3. Pre- and post-treatment of an age 23 female with panic disorder, CSEI-s showed significant decline of 恐, 驚, 悲, and 思. So it seems that the emotions caused by Chiljeongsang (七情傷) were more stable than before treatment. Conclusions: As shown above, the treatment of panic disorder through Mentalizing the Rooms of Mind, a major technique of Mindfulness & Loving Beingness psychotherapy, showed positive changes in MMPI-2 as well as improvement of the subjective symptoms. Thus, Mentalizing the Rooms of Mind has high clinical use, and it seems that it is necessary to create a manual for this in the future.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2014

Objective : Despite the high prevalence and clinical importance of panic disorder, studies on the clinical characteristics and course of panic disorder are relatively rare. This study is a multi-center, and retrospective study to examine the clinical characteristics and course of Korean panic disorder patients who visit university hospital. Methods : The study subjects were panic disorder patients who had visited the psychiatric outpatient clinics of 8 university hospitals in South Korea from January to December in 2008. Finally, 238 panic patients were included in this study. Their medical charts were retrospectively reviewed and reassessed by experienced psychiatrists to examine their clinical characteristics, demographic data and clinical course in repose to pharmacotherapy. Results : Among the 238 patients (121 males vs. 117 females), the mean age of disease onset was $41.3{\pm}12.7$ years and female patients showed 5 years older age of disease onset, compared with male patients. The mean score of PSR scale was $4.5{\pm}1.0$ at the first visit, reflecting a 'marked' level of severity of illness and impairment in functioning. Only 110 patients (46.4%) completed the whole follow up visits, whereas 128 patients (53.6%) dropped out during the treatment. After $17.7{\pm}0.5$ months of mean follow up period, the mean score of PSR scale at the last visit was reduced into $2.1{\pm}0.9$, reflecting a 'residual' severity of illness and impairment in functioning. The cumulative recovery rate was 62.1% in the completer group, whereas that of the drop-out group was 47.7%. Conclusions : The mean age of disease onset in Korean panic disorder patients who had visited university hospital was about 10 years older than that of Western panic disorder patients in previous studies, and the Korean panic disorder patients who had visited university hospital showed a relatively higher cumulative recovery rate. These differences might result from an ethnic difference in clinical characteristics and course in response to pharmacotherapy of panic disorder.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.14-20
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• 2018

Objective : The aims of this study are to investigate the correlation between spiritual well-being and the pattern of stress coping strategies, as well as understand how they impact depression and psychological well-being. Methods : We analyzed 320 undergraduate students in a capital area (135 males, 170 females; 15 students who answered irrelevantly were excluded). Spiritual well-being (religious and existential), stress coping strategies (active and passive), psychological well-being and, depression were rated using the Spiritual Well-Being scale, Ways of Coping checklist, Psychological Well-Being measurement, and Depression Scale (CES-D), respectively. For the analysis, we utilized Pearson correlation analysis and simple regression analysis. Results : The analysis revealed a positive correlation between Spiritual well-being and active coping strategies, a negative correlation between existential well-being and depression, and a positive correlation between religious well-being and psychological well-being. By regression analysis, it showed spiritual-well being affected depression negatively. Existential well-being, but not religious well-being, affected depression negatively. Furthermore, the impact of existential well-being on depression remained a strong predictor in males better than females. Existential well-being affected psychological well-being positively through active coping strategies. Conclusion : In this study, we verified a correlation between existential well-Being and active coping strategies which affected depression and psychological well-being in undergraduate students.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.122-126
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• 2002

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the 37-hour sleep deprivation on visual discrimination using the Cybernetic Flicker Fusion Analyzer (FLIMK) and to see the correlation between this finding and various subjective scale scores. Methods: Twenty six subjects (20 men 6 women, $24.50{\pm}1.45$ years of age) participated in this study. Subjects remained awake for 37 hours under continuous surveillance. In the morning and evening of two study days, the FLIMK and the self-reporting scale of sleepiness, fatigue, anxiety and mood states were instituted. Results: In FLIMK, the flicker fusion threshold was significantly decreased after sleep deprivation (F=7.66, p=0.01). The number of trials (responses) before reaching fusion frequency threshold was significantly increased after sleep deprivation (F=13.16, p=0.001). The reduction of fusion frequency was correlated with the increase of sleepiness and fatigue (p<0.05), and the number of the trials was correlated with the scores of negative mood, anxiety, and fatigue (p<0.05). Conclusions: These results suggest that 37 hour total sleep deprivation cause the decrement in visual discrimination. The decrease of the fusion frequency after sleep deprivation was correlated with sleepiness and fatigue. Further study is needed to enlighten the biological mechanism of the decrement in visual function after sleep deprivation.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.54-62
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• 2020

Objectives : Acute low back pain syndrome causes pain and poor quality of life. There are various studies of SBV (Sweet bee venom) pharmacopuncture, but few have identified the therapeutic effects for patients unable to walk due to acute back pain. This case series report three cases of acute low back pain syndrome treated with SBV pharmacopuncture combined with Korean Medicine (KM) treatments. Methods : Three acute low back pain syndrome patients with no other acute abnormalities in the imaging were treated by KM treatments including SBV pharmacopuncture, acupuncture, cupping, herbal medicine and physical therapy. The improvement of symptoms was evaluated using Numerical rating scale (NRS), Oswestry disability Index (ODI), EuroQol-5 dimension index (EQ-5D) and EuroQol-visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS). Results : Patients who were unable to walk due to acute back pain were able to walk. There were significant improvements of NRS, ODI, EQ-5D and EQ-VAS after treatment. The patients experienced an average 90% decrease in low back pain after inpatient KM treatment for about 8 days. NRS decreased by an average of 78.9%, ODI decreased by an average of 49.4%, and EQ-VAS increased by an average of 92.6%. In the case 1, EQ-5D decreased in all categories, but in the case 2, it decreased in all categories except for pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression, but in the case 3, it decreased in all categories except anxiety/depression. There was no serious side effect after treatment of SBV pharmacopuncture. Conclusions : KM treatments including SBV pharmacopuncture may be effective for acute low back pain syndrome patients. However, randomized controlled trials are needed in the future to confirm the clinical effects of these interventions.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.45-52
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• 2019

Objective : The objective of this study is to determine the effects of fear of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) on socio-psychological health during an outbreak of MERS and the post-traumatic stress as a mediator on the relationship between stress and socio-psychological health. Methods : Visual Analog Scale, Impact of Event Scale -Revised, Psychosocial well-being index short form was implemented for 150 medical persons who worked at the hospital in which exposure to MERS cases had been confirmed and 96 ordinary people. A Pearson correlation coefficient and a hierarchical multiple regression was carried out to confirm the effect of fear of MERS and the mediating effect of post-traumatic stress between fear and socio-psychological health. Results : The higher the fear, the lower the socio-psychological health in both healthcare workers and the public (r=0.32, p<0.01) and the higher post-traumatic stress (r=0.32, p<0.01). But, the research results showed that only healthcare workers had a partially mediating effect of post-traumatic stress in the relationship between fear and socio-psychological health (${\beta}=0.45$, t=6.33 p<0.001), (${\beta}$ value : 0.39>0.26). Conclusion : This study demonstrated that the post-traumatic stress can indirectly lead to a negative effect on the socio-psychological health of healthcare workers when under the fear of MERS and shows adverse effects on psycho-social wellbeing. This suggests that clinical intervention and psycho-social approach aiming at reducing post-traumatic stress is important to maintain mental health during crisis development.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.251-263
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to review the clinical research trends in the treatment of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Korean medicine (KM). Methods: We searched MEDLINE, CENTRAL, EMBASE, Google Scholar and five Korean databases through May 2019, for studies on KM to treat PTSD. Clinical research that conducted KM treatment of PTSD patients were included. Two researchers independently conducted study selection and data extraction process. Results: Totally, eight studies were included in this review. Types of traumatic events that patients experienced included physical violence/threatening, traffic accidents, sexual violence and personal tragic events. KM interventions performed included acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal medicine, physical therapy, and KM-based psychotherapy. Treatment duration varied from two days to more than five months. Follow-up began at least one week to three months after the end of treatments. It was reported that the major psychological and/or somatic symptoms of PTSD, such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, and musculoskeletal pain, subjectively improved, as well as other objective outcomes: Impact Event Scale-Revised Korean version (IES-R-K), Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Hwabyung Symptoms/characters, Electroencephalography (EEG) change, etc. Statistical studies were conducted in three studies only. Outcomes such as Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), BDI, and IES-R-K showed statistically significant improvement after KM treatments. There was no study reporting adverse events during or after the interventions. Conclusions: According to this review, diverse types of KM treatments have been used among PTSD patients in eight studies. The KM treatments effectively improved psychological and somatic symptoms of PTSD patients. However, the lack of high quality research as well as the lack of standardization of KM treatments for PTSD are limitations. Further methodologically robust clinical trials should be performed, and the standardization of KM treatments for PTSD should be sought.

• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Planning & Design
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• v.34 no.9
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• pp.55-66
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• 2018

This study aims to propose color affective model of indoor space by evaluating subjects' physiological responses according to the types of behavioral and affective system. 99 subjects(44 females, 55 males) in their 20s, who had no disorders in visual perception, participated in the experiment. To categorize the subjects based on behavioral and affective system, BAS/BIS scale and Affective scale were used. Color stimuli were composed of five basic colors and three tones: vivid, pale and dull tone of R, Y, G, B, P. For physiological experiment, right and left prefrontal alpha activity was measured to analyze prefrontal EEG asymmetry. Participants were exposed to fifteen color stimuli for 20 seconds each other under the positive and negative emotional condition in a research room with the natural light blocked. The results and conclusion of this study are as follows. Along with factors of behavioral and affective system, cluster analysis was carried out and four types were classified. Type A had high BAS sensitivity, especially high 'drive' trait, and showed high levels of 'anxiety' and 'anger'. Type B had low BAS sensitivity, especially low 'fun seeking' and low 'drive' trait, and showed low levels of 'anxiety' as well as low levels of 'happiness'. Type C had low BIS sensitivity and showed high levels of 'happiness' and low levels of 'sadness'. Type D had high BIS sensitivity and showed high levels of 'lethargy' and 'sadness'. As a result of EEG signal analysis of color stimuli, Type B, Type C, and Type D showed significant differences in prefrontal alpha asymmetry under the negative emotional stimuli. Type B showed more left prefrontal activation in the spaces with pale R and dull G. Type C showed more left prefrontal activation in the spaces with vivid Y and B, pale R, and dull R, G, P. Type D showed more left prefrontal activation in the spaces with vivid Y and P, pale R, Y, P, and dull R, Y, G, B, P. The group of high BAS sensitivity was not influenced by color stimuli under the emotional conditions, whereas the group of high BIS sensitivity was affected by color stimuli under the negative emotional conditions. They showed left prefrontal activation when they were exposed the spaces with vivid, pale, dull tones of Y and P wall.