• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.155-169
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• 1998

Attentional dysfunction is considered as one of the core deficits in schizophrenic process. The findings, pathophysiological mechanisms, and their clinical implications of clinical and experimental neurocognitive tests for the attentional impairment in schizophrenics are reviewed. The influences of psychopathology, antipsychotic treatment, and chronic institutionalization are also included in the review. In contrast, there are only a few evidences that attentional dysfunction would be a core deficit of depressive, manic, and anxiety disorders. Some recent findings of attentional impairment in these disorders are reviewed.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.134-141
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• 1999

Objects : Cancer patients receiving radiotherapy have many psychological problems. Those problems depend on clinical factors of cancer and the characteristics of patients. This study was designed to estimate the morbidity of psychiatric disorder and to investigate the relationship between psychiatric disorders and clinical variables. Methods : The subjects were 47 patients who had been treated by radiotherapy. Psychiatric disorder was diagnosed according to DSM-IV. The authors assessed the relation between psychiatric disorder and demographic features, clinical features of cancer such as site, duration, frequency of recurrence of cancer, and patients' awareness of disease and expectation of outcome of radiotherapy. Results : 21 patients(44.7%) had a psychiatric disorder. The most common psychiatric disorder were adjustment disorder(66.7%), and the next major depressive disorder(23.8%). There was a significant positive relationship between psychiatric disorder and recurrence of cancer, patients' expectation of poor outcome after radiotherapy. Psychiatric morbidity was significantly low in those who had no evidence of recurrence and who considered radiation treatment as curative. However, site and duration of cancer, patients' awareness about serious illness were not related with psychiatric disorder. Conclusion : Psychiatric disorders are common among cancer patients on radiotherapy. Further clinical attention and effective treatment of psychiatric complication in cancer patients are needed not only for reducing symptoms but for better adjustment.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.259-262
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• 2010

In this review, we give an overview of psychiatric perspectives on environmental disease. The concept of genetic heritability and its meaning with regard to environmental risk factors will be discussed. Recent ideas of gene-environment interaction and neurodevelopmental disorder in psychiatry will also be introduced. This article discusses the environmental risk factors for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism, the two major environmental diseases and neurodevelopmental disorders in psychiatry. Given that both ADHD and autism are complex conditions, the etiology is likely to involve multiple genes of moderate effect interacting with environmental factors. We will introduce recent environmental issues related to these two disorders.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.227-234
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• 1999

An association of low total cholesterol in blood with psychiatric diseases and suicidal behavior has been suggested. As part of an attempt to further explore this relationship, we examine first, whether serum cholesterol levels in psychiatric patients with suicidal attempt would be lower than in non-suicidal psychiatric inpatients or normal controls, second, whether such significant difference of cholesterol levels would be present when the diagnostic groups are analyzed separately, third, whether low cholesterol level would be associated with a history of serious suicidal attempts, and finally, whether low cholesterol level in suicide attempters is a state or a trait marker. We determined the serum cholesterol levels in 231 patients admitted to an emergency room following an suicidal attempt, in the same numbers of age-, sex- and diagnosis- matched non-suicidal psychiatric controls, and in the same numbers of age-, sex matched normal controls. The seriousness of an attempt was divided into 5 grades according to the degree of the resulting medical injury. Total cholesterol levels in suicide attempters were significantly lower compared with both psychiatric and normal controls, when sex, age, and nutritional status (i.e., body mass index) were controlled for. This significant relationship was observed in major depressive disorders and personality disorders, but not in schizophrenia and bipolar type I disorders. The severity of suicide by a lowering of blood cholesterol was related to the magnitude of the cholesterol reduction. After treatment of their psychiatric ailments, the cholesterol levels in suicide attempters were significantly increased. This result suggests that low cholesterol level in psychiatric patients might be a potential biological marker of suicide risk. It is hypothesized that low cholesterol levels is associated with the suicide by modifying the serotonin metabolism, the production of interleukin-2 and melatonin metabolism in psychiatric patients.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.45-51
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• 2009

Pulmonary diseases distress millions of people worldwide. Numerous studies have shown an association between pulmonary disease and psychiatric disorders. Despite this, little is known about the treatment of psychiatric disorder in patients with pulmonary disease. The three main goals of this article are 1) to discuss the major disorders such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hyperventilation, tuberculosis, lung cancer that most clinicians see in practice, 2) to provide an information about psychiatric treatment such as anxiety, depression, psychosis in pulmonary disease, and 3) to provide some clinically relevant suggestions about pharmacologic interactions between pulmonary and psychotropic drugs.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.181-189
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• 2009

Objectives : N100 amplitude slope(the intensity dependence of the cortical auditory evoked potentials) is widely considered as an indirect indicator of central serotonergic neurotransmission. However, there are only a few studies about N100 amplitude slopes of major psychiatric disorders. In this study, we examined N100 amplitude slope differences among major depressive disorder(MDD), bipolar disorder(BD), schizophrenia (SCZ) and normal controls(NC). Methods : We measured the N100 amplitude slopes of 35 patients with MDD, 33 patients with BD, 27 patients with SCZ and 35 NC subjects. Amplitude differences from N1 to P2 at the five different sound intensities(55, 65, 75, 85 and 95dB) were examined at Cz electrode. The N100 amplitude slope was calculated as the linear regression of five N1/P2 peak-to-peak amplitudes across stimulus intensities. Results : BD patients showed significantly reduced N100 amplitude slope compared with NC(0.54${\pm}$0.70 vs. 0.96${\pm}$0.72, p=0.035). N100 amplitude slope of SCZ patients was significantly reduced compared with NC(0.50${\pm}$0.47 vs. 0.96${\pm}$0.72, p=0.027). N100 amplitude slope of BD patients was significantly lower than that of MDD patients(0.54${\pm}$0.70 vs. 0.94${\pm}$0.60, p=0.046). SCZ patients also showed significant reduction of N100 amplitude slope compared with MDD patients(0.50${\pm}$0.47 vs. 0.94${\pm}$0.60, p=0.036). There was no significant difference of N100 amplitude slope between MDD patients and NC(0.94${\pm}$0.60 vs. 0.96${\pm}$0.72, p=1.000). Conclusion : Interestingly, the N100 amplitude slopes of BD and SCZ were reduced compared to NC and MDD patients. Our results suggest the predictive use of N100 amplitude slope in making differential diagnoses of major psychiatric disorders. Clinical implications of N100 amplitude slope in major psychiatric disorders were discussed.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.72-75
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• 2011

Sleep disorders such as insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and restless legs syndrome (RLS) are very common disorders and may cause significant burden in terms of individual as well as societal aspects. Sleep insufficiency from such sleep disorders may cause deleterious effects on daily work life and may be associated with other major medical or psychiatric disorders including cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, depression, and anxiety disorder. Various motor or occupational accident may result from the sleep problems. In addition, recent researches provide the method to evaluate the lost productivity time in terms of absenteeism and presenteeism. Moreover, several studies on cost-effectiveness of treatment of sleep disorders show that it is cost-effective.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.228-234
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• 1998

The importance of psychological factors in dermatologic disorders has been recognized for several decades. However, there have been few reports on the management of psychodermatologic disorders. Psychodermatologic conditions can be divided into three broad subgroup in the dermatologic point of view ; first, psychiatric disorders manifesting as dermatological symptom, second, dermatoses mainly caused by emotional factors, i.e., stress, or determined by complex psychophysiological mechanism, and third, psychological symptoms secondary to dermatological conditions, i.e., anxiety or depression. This article describes first two major categories of psychodermatologic disorders and attempts to provide brief guideline for each psychodermatologic condition in view of the clinical interface between dermatology and psychiatry.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.51-60
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• 2008

Objectives : We examined the effect of sociodemographic factors, cancer, and psychiatric disorders on suicide by gender and age-specific patterns in South Korea. Methods : The study is a case-control study. Claim data was obtained from the national health insurance database and national death registration database. The number of people who committed suicide was 11,523, which was matched with a control group consisting of ten times as many people at 115,230 selected from the national health insurance and medical aids beneficiaries. The medical utilization of the case group was one year before death and that of the control group was from July 1,2003 to June 30, 2004. Four variables-address, economic status, presence of a psychiatric disease, and cancer-were used in multiple logistic regression analyses. Results : Living in cities or in rural areas showed a greater risk for suicide than living in a metropolitan city. Low economic status, the presence of a psychiatric disorder, and cancer were also statistically meaningful risk factors for suicide. The three major psychiatric diseases, schizophrenia, alcohol abuse, and bipolar disorder, were meaningful in all age groups, but the scale of the odds ratio differed by the age group. Only the psychiatric disorder variable was meaningful in the adolescent group, whereas a psychiatric disorder and economic status were meaningful for the young adult group, and all variables were meaningful for the middle-aged group. A psychiatric disorder and cancer were meaningful in the elderly group, economic status was meaningful for male subjects, and address was meaningful for female subjects. Conclusions : Factors such as living in city or rural areas, low economic status, the presence of a psychiatric disorder, and cancer were statistically meaningful risk factors in suicide. These factors also differed by age group. Therefore, policymakers should establish policies for suicide prevention that are relevant for each age group.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.5-10
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• 2015

The secretion of melatonin exhibits a circadian rhythm entrained with the sleep-wake cycle. An alteration of this secretory rhythm has been found in various psychiatric disorders. This review summarizes the regulation of melatonin and its relationship to the circadian rhythm, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder, Alzheimer's disease and autism. The review also looks at the effect of melatonin and melatonin agonist on sleep and symptoms of depression, bipolar disorder and seasonal affective disorder. In Alzheimer's disease, the circadian rhythm alterations are associated with the change of melatonin levels and melatonin receptors. It has been reported that melatonin and melatonin synthetic enzyme levels decrease in autism spectrum disorder.