• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.308-320
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• 2019

This study aims at investigating the major symptoms that help family carers detect mental illness in elderly patients. Another purpose of this study is to empirically verify the major factors determining the utilization of mental health services with a focus on family carers. The results of this study are as follows. First, the most commonly detected symptoms that caused the family carers to suspect mental illness in the elderly patients were memory decline and other forms of cognitive function decline. Second, the determinants of the elderly's utilization of mental health services included the patient's long-term care insurance level, the age of the family carer, the period of care, the level stress associated with the provision of care felt by the carer, his understanding of geriatric mental illness, and the level of perception about community mental health services. Based on these findings, this study suggests policies and practical implications for the early detection of and response to elderly mental health problems and the utilization of related services from the viewpoint of the family carers of the elderly.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.9
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• pp.203-215
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• 2017

Delirium is an acute confused state associated with poor outcomes among hospitalized long-term care hospital elderly patients. This study was conducted to examine the effects of acomfort promotion program based on Kolcaba's comfort theory for prevention of delirium among elderly patients who have been hospitalized in long-term care hospitals. The study used was a quasi-experimental type, with two groups of patients; those who received their usual care plus comfort nursing intervention (n=34) and those who only received usual care methods. Using the IBMSPSS/PC (Version 21), the homogeneity of the control and intervention group wereevaluated by the chi-squared test and an independent t-test, and all collected data wereanalyzed. Hypotheses were tested by independent t-tests and repeated measures of ANOVA. Delirium occurred at a rate of 2.9% (1/34) in the intervention group and 14% (5/34) -in the control group ($x^2=3.98$, p=0.047). The severity of the delirium in theintervention group was lower than that of the control (t=2.27, p=.027). The duration of delirium was 2days in the intervention group and 2-10days in the control group, indicating delirium in the intervention group lasted for a significantly shorter period ($x^2=3.22$, p=0.048). According to the change of time, the intervention group showed improvement in all areas including comfort scores (F=108.85, p<0.001), anxiety scores (F=63.39, p<0.001), depression scores (F=89.78, p<0.001), quality of sleep scores (F=63.63, p<0.001), and pain scores (F=93.64, p<0.001). In conclusion, elderly patients who were admitted to nursing homes were advised to participate in nursing intervention,which effectivelyprevented delirium based on the Kolcaba's comfort theory of physical, psychological, spiritual, social, cultural and environmental approaches to prevent delirium. Therefore, it is necessary to extend the program for prevention of delirium in the physical, psychological, spiritual, social, cultural, and environmental contexts to prevent delirium in geriatric hospitalized elderly patients.

• 한국노년학
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.129-141
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• 2011

This study aims to find out effects of a tailored occupational activity program(TOAP) on the activities of daily living(ADL), cognitive function, depressive mood, and caregiver burden, who live in the community. Method : From October 2009 to May 2010, the TOAP was applied to 15 dementia patients and 15 of their caregivers, who was visitors of the Y-city Center for Managing Dementia in Gyunggi-do. The TOAP was designed for habituating patients and caregivers to the techniques acquired through goal activities and task and making it capable of being routinized regularly. The TOAP was applied to dementia patients and their cvaregivers twice a week for 7 weeks(one-time home visit, one-time phone inspection), a total of 14 times. Results: Significant differences among pre-test and post-test were found in the AMPS motor skills(1.10±1.14 and 1.34±1.2 respectively) scores, AMPS process skills(0.32±0.55 and 0.77±0.66 respectively) scores, ACL(3.86±0.65 and 4.17±0.64 respectively) scores, MMSE-KC(17.33±4.6 and 19.33±4.97 respectively) scores, GDS(11.73±6.87 and 8.53±7.09 respectively) scores, and caregiver burden(31.80±20.06 and 26.13±18.07 respectively) scores(p<0.05). A significant effect was confirmed from the TOAP which ADL, cognitive function, reduced patient's depression and caregiver burden(p<0.05). Conclusion: From the above results that a TOAP has an effect on the improvement of the ability to ADL, cognitive function and reduced depression and caregiver burden of dementia patients living in community. The present author hopes that, in the future, more diverse community based on tailored occupational activity programs will be developed to improve the functions of dementia patients living in community.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.56-67
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• 1996

Objectives : This study was designed to find clinical factors that could be differentiated by the lateralization of lesion and also find clinical factors to predict the lateralization of lesion. Methods : The subjects were 65 cooperative inpatients and outpatients with non-traumatic subcortical cerebrovascular disease without neurologic and psychiatric history from January 1995 to September 1995 ; 48 patients in Kyung Hee University, Oriental Medicine Hospital, 35 patients in Anam Hospital, Korea University were examined as subjects, but authors excluded 20 patients whose data were incomplete or who had uncertain lesions on brain CT or MRI. The 65 patients were divided into three groups-group with left hemispheric lesion, group with right hemispheric lesion, group with both hemispheric lesion-according to the finding of brain imaging study. Their cognitive functions were evaluated by the Benton Neuropsychological Assessment(BNA), their subjective neurobehavioral symptoms by Symptom Check List-90-R(SCL-90-R), their objective neurobehavioral symptoms by Neurobehavioral Rating Scale, and their daily living functions by Geriatric Evaluation by Relative's Rating Instrument(GERRl) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale(IADLs). Results : The results were as follows : 1) The results of cognitive function test indicated that the group with right hemispheric lesion showed low functions in Tactile Form Perception(left), the group with left hemispheric lesion showed low functions in Finger localization(right), the group with right hemispheric lesion showed low functions in Finger Localization(left). 2) Though, there were little significant differences in subjective neurobehavioral symptoms, the group with right hemispheric lesion showed higher scores in all symptoms except hostility. 3) Though, there were little significant differences in objective neurobehavioral symptoms, the group with both hemispheric lesion showed higher scores in cognition, guilty/disinhibition, the group with left hemispheric lesion showed higher scores in lability of mood, the group with right hemispheric lesion showed highest scores in psychotism, neurotism, agitation-hostility and decreased motivation/emotional withdrawal. 4) There were little significant differences among three groups in Daily Living Functions, but the group with right hemispheric lesion showed the lowest functions in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living. 5) As a result of discriminant analysis on each factor's contribution to the prediction of lesion, Finger Localization(left), Phoneme Discrimination and Tactile Form Perception(right) showed that they had the potentiality to predict lesion. Conclusion : The results suggest that there are little significant differences among the groups of three non-traumatic subcortical cerebrovascular disease in cognitive functions, but the group with right hemispheric lesion showed more serious and various changes in subjective and objective neurobehavioral symptoms, and showed low functions in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living. This results suggest the possibility that the decline of the daily living function in the group with right hemispheric lesion were due to various symptoms, not due to cognitive dysfunction. The confirmation of the possibility should be worked out through the follow-up study of some groups containing cortical lesion. Apart from these findings, Finger Localization, Tactile Form Perception(right) and Phoneme Discrimination suggest that they can be used as clinically valuable cognitive parameters that predict the lateralization of lesion in non-traumatic cerebrovascular disease.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.170-181
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• 1996

Objective : This study was tried to investigate the specific relationships among cognitve function, neurbehavioral symptoms, and daily living functions, as well as provide the guidline of more proper clinical approches for patients with subcortical cerebrovascular disease. Objects and Methods Subjects were 85 patients whose diagnosis was confirmed by brain CT or MRI and controls were 195 normal persons matched by educational level with the subjects. The cognitive functions were evaluated by BNA(Benton neuropsychiatric assessment), subjective neurobehavioral symptoms by SCL-90-R(Sympton Check List-90-Revised), objective neurobehavioral symptoms by NRS(Neurobehavioral Rating Scale), and daily living function symptoms by NRS(Neurobehavioral Rating Scale), and daily living function by GERRI(Geriatric Evaluation by Relative's Rating Instrument) and IADL(Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale). Results: 1) Subjects showed significantly lower cognitive functions than controls in all tests of BNA except Lt-Rt Orientation Test(p=0.09) and facial Recognition Test(p=0.186). 2) In subjective neurobehavioral symptoms, subjects showed significantly lower scores in all symptoms except anxiety(p=0.059), hostility(p=0.159), and phobic anxiety(p=0.849). But in objects neurobehavioral symptoms, subjects showed significantly higher in scores in psychoticism (p=0.000) and neuroticism(p=0.025) of NRS. 3) The score of social functioning of GERRI(p=0.000) and that of IADL(p=0.000) were significantly higher in subjects than in controls. 4) for correlation between cognitive and daily living functions, there were significant correlations between the scores of all items on BNA and the score of cognitive or social function of GERRI and the socre of MDL in corntrols, whereas in subjects, there were significant correlations only between the scores of BNA and the score of IADL. 5) for correlation between neuroehavioral symptoms and daily living functions, there were significant correlatons between the socre of subjective neurobehavioral symptoms and the scores of all subscales of GERRI and the score of MDL in controls. On the contrary, in subjects, there were significant correlations between the score of social function of GERRI and the score of objective neurobehavioral symptoms such as psychoticism, agitiation-hostility, and decrease d motivation-emotional withdrawl. Conclusion : Above results suggest that disturbances in specific function of brain may play a role as a predictor of impairments with specific daily living functions and also suggest that specific correlations among various functions may be useful as clinical parameters for setting of the treatment goal and for assessing the ongoing process in the treatment and rehavilitation of the patients with subcortical cerebrovascular disease.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.109-114
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• 2011

The abnormalities in Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA) axis are associated with many psychiatric symptoms including depression. We present a report of a 71 year old man who was admitted to the psychiatric department presenting symptoms of headache, avolition, loss of energy, psychomotor retardation, poor appetite, insomnia, anxiety resulting from adrenal insufficiency and hypopituitarism. Hypothyroidism and electrolyte disturbance were managed and headache, insomnia, anxiety, GI symptoms were improved. But he remained in anergic state. After discharge, he was readmitted to infection department with high fever and drowsy mentality. Adrenal insufficiency was recognized and he was treated with corticosteroid replacement therapy. Finally his diagnosis was made as panhypopituitarism and overall symptoms were resolved. In this case, we showed how the atypical symptoms resulting from hypopituitarism develop and progress. Hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, and growth hormone deficiency resulting secondarily from panhypopituitarism were associated with various nonspecific symptoms such as loss of energy, fatigue, insomnia, weight loss, decreased appetite etc. In clinical situation, differential diagnosis with depression is needed when clinicians were met a patient with these nonspecific symptoms. It is important that laboratory tests and differential diagnosis with endocrine diseases should be conducted, especially in geriatric patients with nonspecific symptoms like anergia, fatigue, poor appetite and so on.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.490-497
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• 2015

The aim of this study was to examine the quality of life (QOL) and its related factors in veterans with physical dysfunction. The survey data was collected from 412 patients with physical dysfunction managed at five veterans' hospitals in Seoul, Pusan, Daegu, Gwangju, and Daejeon city. The baseline for the quality of life was measured using the SF-36 (Short-Form 36), activities of daily living was measured using a Modified Barthel Index (MBI), pain level was determined using Quadruple Visual Analogue Scale (QVAS), and the depression level was assessed using Korean version of the Geriatric Depression Scale: Short-Form (SGDS-K). The SF-36 scores showed a significant correlation with age (r=-0.132), self-rated current health status (r=-0.545), active daily living (r=0.514), pain level (r=-0.243), and depression level (r=-0.565) (p<0.05). The most influential variables on the QOL were the depression level (B=-.969, p<0.001), QVAS (B=-0.163, p<0.001), and MBI (B=0.140, p<0.001). The results of this study showed that that depression, pain and activities of daily living are significant predictors of the QOL in veterans with a physical dysfunction. Therefore, healthcare providers need to consider these parameters for interventions to improve the QOL in veterans with a physical dysfunction.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.191-197
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• 2000

Objectives : Risperidone is a new antipsychotic drug developed to overcome the therapeutic limitation of conventional antipsychotics. It responses to negative as well as positive symptoms by blocking both dopaminergic and serotonergic receptors, causing no significant side effects such as agranulocytosis and seizure. It is, however, not known whether it induces any serious cardiovascular side effects as evoked by other conventional antipsychotic drugs. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effect of risperidone on cardiovascular function, and to discuss the factors affecting the cardiovascular function. Methods : For 42 patients(22 males and 20 females) diagnosed as schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder or schizoaffective disorder according to the DSM-IV classification, the cardiovascular fuctions such as heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, PR interval, QRS interval and QT interval were successively checked before and after 2 weeks and 4 weeks risperidone administration. Furthermore, variables such as body weight, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale(BPRS), Clinical Global Impression(CGI), Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale(ESRS), Anticholinergic Rating Scale(ARS), serum cholesterol level, serum triglyceride level, serum high-density-lipoprotein level, serum WBC, serum Hb, serum platelet level, prothrombin time and partial thromboplastin time were also analyzed before and after 2 weeks and 4 weeks risperidone administration. Results : 1) Risperidone treatment resulted in a significantly decreased heart rate and increased QT interval after 4 weeks administration(p<0.005 respectively). 2) The scores of BPRS and CGI were significantly decreased after 2 weeks and 4 weeks risperidone administration as compared with baseline(p<0.001 respectively). The scores of ESRS and ASRS were significantly increased after 2 weeks and 4 weeks risperidone administration as compared with baseline(p<0.001 respectively). 3) There were positive correlations between heart rate after 4 weeks and total dose(P<0.05). Blood pressure was significantly(p<0.05) correlated with sex(higher in male) and significantly(p<0.05) positive correlated with body weight. QT interval was significantly(p<0.05) correlated with sex(longer in female) and smoking history(shorter in smokers). Conclusions : Risperidone could induce significant change in heart rate and Q-T interval. Therefore, the cardiovascular safety for risperidone should be reconsidered according to the duration and dosage increase.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.63-68
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• 2016

Objectives Haenyeo are Korean professional women breath-hold divers in Jeju island. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of depressed Haenyeo group, compared to non-Haenyeo depressed group. Methods This study included 75 Haenyeo and 340 non-Haenyeo with depressive disorders recruited from the Dementia Early Detection Program in Jeju island. Structural diagnostic interviews were performed using the Korean version of Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. All patients completed the questionnaires, including the Subjective Memory Complaints Questionnaire (SMCQ), the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15), and the Blessed dementia scale. Depression was evaluated by the Korean version of short form the Geriatric Depression Scale (K-SGDS) and cognition was assessed by the Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) assessment packet. Results Although the mean scores of the K-SGDS were similar between Haenyeo and non-Haenyeo depressed groups, the Haenyeo group showed a higher mean score on the PSQ-15 (p < 0.001, ANCOVA adjusting for age, the K-SGDS and education). The Haenyeo group showed poorer performance on the Korean Version of Frontal Assessment Batter (p < 0.001), the Mini-Mental State Examination in the Korean version of the CERAD Assessment Packet (p < 0.018), the word fluency test (p < 0.001), and the word list memory test (p = 0.012) in ANCOVA adjusting for age and education. The mean SMCQ score was higher in the Haenyeo depressed group than in the non-Haenyeo depressed group. Conclusions The Haenyeo depressed group shows cognitive dysfunction, especially frontal lobe dysfunction, compared to the non-Haenyeo depressed group, indicating the Haenyeo depressed group may have more severe frontolimbic dysfunction due to chronic exposure to hypoxia. The Haenyeo depressed group suffers more somatic symptoms than the non-Haenyeo depressed group.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.490-499
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• 2017

In recent years, the introduction of complex systems analysis based on various variables has become more active in order to identify and analyze complex problems of Modern Society. Prediction of patients' spatial perception and usability according to the spatial arrangement of the outpatient department is a very important factor for providing high quality hospital service. For objective analysis, the standard program procedure and analysis index for the diseases of the elderly were prepared and the uniformity of the atmospheric space was evaluated through heat map analysis and quantitative analysis. In this study, 73 cells were installed and simulated to analyze the uniformity of the four alternatives according to the change of the arrangement of the medical care space, receiving space, and consultation space using the complex system analysis method for the nursing hospitals. The resulting density was derived. The results are as follows. 1)The layout of the reception space has the greatest influence on the total spatial density of the waiting space. 2) The uniformity of the waiting space can be increased by separating the examination space and the examination space. 3)The closer the location of the receiving space is from the entrance, the greater the density of the waiting space. Finally, this study applied discrete event simulation to the evaluation of uniformity of atmosphere space, and proved that the actor - based model can be utilized for utilization and evaluation as spatial analysis methodology.