• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.19-29
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• 2010

Objectives：Authors hypothesized that bipolar tendency of non-psychiatric person would be associated with stress vulnerability. To test the hypothesis, we compared perceived stress level, Type A Behavioral Pattern (TABP) and unhealthy lifestyle between person with and without bipolar tendency. Methods：The study cohort consisted of 1987 subjects without past and current psychiatric history. In this study, bipolar tendency was determined by MDQ response which requires endorsement of at least 7 of the 13 "yes or no" questions. We compared the scores of Perceived Stress Scale, A/B lifestyle questionnaire, and unhealthy lifestyle(alcohol, smoking, lack of exercise, irregular meal) between MDQ positive and negative respondents. Results：We identified the bipolar tendency group determined by the MDQ positive response were 329 subjects(16.6%). The overall score of the bipolar tendency group was significantly high on the A/B lifestyle questionnaire compared to the non-bipolar tendency group(125.4 vs. 115.9, p<0.001), and the rate of the subjects defined as TABP was also significantly high(41.3% vs. 30.1%, p<0.001). In comparison of subjectively perceived stress level, the bipolar tendency group was observed to be significantly higher than the non-bipolar tendency group (18.5% vs. 16.5%, p<0.001). The bipolar tendency group was significantly higher than the non-bipolar tendency group on the rate of answering：'irregular eating habit' (20.1% vs. 14.3%, p=0.002), '4-or-more-times alcohol intake per week' (29.8% vs. 16.5%, p<0.001), 'currently smoking' (41.9% vs. 23.0%, p<0.001), '2-or-less-times physical exercises per week' (63.2% vs. 55.1%, p=0.007). Conclusion：By clinical diagnosis, even a person who does not meet the criteria of bipolar disorder has a high risk of stress-related behavioral pattern, and perceived stress when possessing bipolar tendencies such as the (hypo) maniac tendency or affective instability. Such individual has significantly higher risk of having unhealthy life-style such as smoking, drinking, irregular eating habit and lack of exercise compared to non-bipolar tendency group. Since these risk factors lead to increase the risk of obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, the individual with the bipolar tendency requires a more effort to manage stress and to maintain healthy lifestyle.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.173-180
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• 2019

Objectives : Loneliness is associated with negative mental and physical health. However, little is known about the risk factors of loneliness in the Korean elderly living alone. The aim of this study was to examine sociodemographic and social network related risks for loneliness among the elderly living alone. Methods : This is a cross-sectional study that enrolled 1,091 subjects who are the community-residing elderly living alone. Sociodemographic status, medical condition, cognition, mood disorder and levels of loneliness were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and a specific semi-structured interview conducted by a trained nurse. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data regarding sociodemographic variable and loneliness. Univariate and Multivariate regression analyses were applied to examine factors associated with loneliness. Results : The mean score of loneliness was 3.8 (SD=1.7). No family contact (standardized β=0.115, p<0.001), no religious attendance (standardized β=0.057, p=0.028), no gathering with friends (standardized β=0.088, p=0.001) and high score of Short for of Geriatric Depression Scale (standardized β=0.502, p<0.001) were significantly associated with high loneliness in the elderly living alone. Conclusions : Family function, social network and depressive mood could be significant risk factors for high loneliness in the elderly living alone. Public health promotion efforts to reduce loneliness should focus on improving family function, social network and decreasing depression.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.99-107
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• 2020

Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by the core symptom of chronic widespread pain, along with fatigue, sleep disturbances, mood changes, and cognitive difficulties. The etiology of fibromyalgia involves a combination of biological factors, such as genetic vulnerability, alterations in pain processing and stress response system ; psychological factors, such as anxiety, depression, anger, and perceived stress ; environmental factors, such as infections, febrile diseases, and trauma. Central sensitization, which is amplified in the process of sensory stimulation, has been emphasized as a key etiological factor, as supported by enhanced wind-up, delayed aftersensation, decreased nociceptive flexion reflex threshold and functional imaging studies. Several guidelines recommend that a multimodal approach be used to treat fibromyalgia, including both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, tailored to each individual, and that clinicians should provide an intellectual framework through sufficient education and emphasis on the importance of self-management. The prevalence of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and other psychiatric problems is 7-9 times higher in patients with fibromyalgia than in the general population ; moreover, the association between fibromyalgia and certain psychopathologies or sleep problems has also been suggested. Since psychiatric problems, with shared vulnerabilities and risk factors, interact with fibromyalgia bidirectionally and also affect the disease course, an integrated management approach is needed to determine the risk of comorbidities.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.172-178
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• 2022

Objectives : Although subclinical depression symptoms are associated with suicidal idea, most research have focused on clinical depression such as major depressive disorder or dysthymia. The aim of this study is to investigate network structure of depressive symptom and to reveal which symptoms are associated with suicidal ideation. Methods : We used part of data from the seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Participants were between 19 and 65 years of age (N=8,741). Network analysis with Isingfit model is used to reveal network structure of depressive symptoms and most central symptom and edges assessed by patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9). Results : The most two central symptoms were psychomotor activity and suicidal ideation. The strongest edge was psychomotor activity-suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation also has strong association with depressive mood and worthlessness. Conclusions : These results suggest that psychomotor activity and suicidal ideation can serve as treatment target for subclinical depression and psychomotor activity, worthlessness and depressed mood may be important factor for early intervention of suicidal ideation.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.91-99
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• 1999

Objects：It is difficult to differentiate between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) and mania because of similar symptoms and atypical symptoms of mania in children and adolescents. The purpose of this study is to identify the characteristics and to clarify the relationship by comparing the clinical features and comorbidities of ADHD and manic patients. Methods：The subjects consisted of 35 patients with ADHD and 19 manic patients. To Compare the characteristic symptoms between the two disorders, we selected 29 patients with ADHD and 14 patients with manic disorders. 6 ADHD patients who had manic disorders as comorbid disorder, and 5 manic patients who had ADHD as comorbid disorders were manic disorders were excluded. Results：1) There were significant differences in ages of onset and state anxiety scale scores, birth weights, numbers of perinatal problem, gestational ages, school behavioral problems between ADHD patients and manic patients(p<0.01). 2) There were significant differences in loses things(p<0.05) of ADHD-symptoms and grandiosity(p<0.01), decrease in sleep(p<0.05), delusions(p<0.01), hallucinations(p<0.05) of mania-symptoms between ADHD patients and manic patients. 3) The comorbid disorders of ADHD patients are significantly high(p<.05) than that of manic patients in major depression. 4) The familial loading of manic patients are significantly high(p<.05) than that of ADHD patients in mood disorder. Conclusions：The above results suggest that ADHD and mania are different disorders, considering the significant differences of clinical features and characteristics, familial loadings of the two disorders.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.10-15
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• 2007

Probably the three most important components to a comprehensive evaluation of patients with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are the clinical interview, the medical examination, and the completion and scoring or behavior rating scales. Teachers and other school personnel are often the first to recognize that a child or adolescent might have ADHD, and often play an important role in the help-seeking/referral process. A diagnostic evaluation for ADHD should include questions about ADHD symptoms, other problems including alcohol and drug use, family history of ADHD, prior evaluation and treatment for ADHD. Screening interview or rating scales as well as interviews should be used. When it is feasible, clinicians may wish to supplement these components of the evaluation with objective assessments of the ADHD symptoms, such as psychological tests. These tests are not essential to reaching a diagnosis, however, or to treatment planning, but they may yield further information about the presence and severity of cognitive impairments that could be associated with some cases of ADHD. Screening for intellectual ability and academic achievement skills is also important in determining the presence of comorbid developmental delay or loaming disabilities. The number and type of symptoms required for a diagnosis of ADHD vary depending on the specific subtype. To receive a diagnosis of ADHD, the person must be experiencing significant distress or impairment in daily functioning, and must not meet criteria for other mental disorders which might better account for the observed symptoms such as mental retardation, autism or other pervasive developmental disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders. This report aims to suggest a practice guideline of assessment and diagnosis for children and adolescents with ADHD in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.205-210
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• 2012

Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate clinical profile, efficacy, and safety of long-term treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in Korean autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) patients. Methods Effectiveness was assessed through a retrospective review of self-reported target symptom improvement at the last follow-up visit. Changes in illness severity and improvement were measured using the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) of illness and Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) Scales. Tolerability was assessed through a review of the reason for discontinuation of SSRI and documented adverse events. Results A total of 21 ASDs patients (aged 9 to 19 years) treated with SSRI during July 2010 to July 2011 in department of child and adolescent psychiatry of Seoul National Hospital were identified. The mean duration of SSRI treatment was 47.9 (standard deviation = 36.9) months (range 0.7-114.5), and the mean fluoxetine equivalent dosage of SSRIs was $27.1{\pm}10.8$ mg. Nineteen (90.5%) patients were using concomitant medication. We found that SSRIs were prescribed for symptoms of agitation, stereotyped behavior, aggression, depression, impulsivity and self-injury in ASDs. Ten patients (47.6%) reported improvement in their target symptom after SSRI treatment based on CGI-I scores (CGI-I ${\leq}$ 2). The side effects were reported in 5 patients (23.8%) ; vomiting (n = 2, 9.5%), excessive mood elevation (n = 1, 4.8%), insomnia (n = 1, 4.8%), somnolence (n = 1, 4.8%) and decreased appetite (n = 1, 4.8%). Self-injurious behavior was reported in one patient (4.8%). Conclusions The results of this study suggest that SSRIs may be used effectively in children and adolescents diagnosed with ASDs. However, safety issues need to be considered carefully when choosing SSRIs for treatment. Future controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.52-60
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• 1996

Premenstrual symptoms can begin at anytime after menache and usually remit with menopause. Numerous studies of the premenstrual symptoms have been reported, based on mature woman and clinic patients. As yet, however, no prospective study has specially examined the extent or nature of PMS in adolescents. The authors investigated the pattern of mood, behavior and physical symptom changes in the menstrual cycle for 230 high school students who reported premenstrual symptoms by using Baily Rating form(DRF), The scores on 21 symptoms of DRF were recorded daily for at least one menstrual cycle. The results as follows : 1) 1.7%(4/230) of the subjects who reported premenstrual symptoms met criteria for premenstrual dysphoric disorder(PMDD) by 30% change criteria. 2) The pattern of symptom changes in the menstrual cycle showed a clear increase in mean daily symptom score at premenstrual -1,-2 day. and reaching a maximum scores at the first day, rapidly decreased at day 4 during menstruation. 3) The mean daily symptom score in the menstrual phase was significantly higher than those in the premenstrual and postmenstrual phase, and significantly higher in the premenstrual phase than that in postmenstrual phase. 4) The scores of the subjects with longer duration of menstrual bleeding were higher than those of the subjects with the shorter duration. Particularly in the menstrual phase, there was a significant difference on the mean scores of physical symptom duster between the longer and shorter group. These results demonstrated that the mean daily pattern of symptom changes in the menstrual cycle for the subjects was similar pattern of change for the PMDD group, except high level of symptom scores if premenstrual phase. The adolescents might experienced more physical discomfort than the other symptoms in the menstrual phase Especially the subject with longer duration of mense flow were more likely to report more discomfort than that of shorter duration.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.29-35
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• 2020

Objectives : Evidence regarding the association between untreated depression in adolescence and suicidal risk in male young adults is scarce. We aimed to assess the effect of untreated illness during adolescence on the suicidal risk and attempt after that first episode. Methods : As part of a cross-sectional study, between May 2017 and April 2018, a total of 260 patients with currently unipolar or bipolar depression were included in the final analysis. Multiple linear and logistic regression analysis were performed to evaluate the association between untreated mood disorder in adolescence and its effect on the suicidal risk and attempt. Results : In total 260 patients, 189 were classified as untreated group. The proportion of suicide attempts, total depression score, suicidal risk and number of suicide attempts were significantly higher in the untreated group. The most predictive factors of suicide attempts were history of untreated depression [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR)=4.19, 95% Confidence Interval (CI)=2.25-7.81, p<0.001] and diagnosis of bipolar depression (AOR=2.60, 95% CI=1.52-4.46, p<0.001). Conclusions : Although the untreated depression suggests higher rates of suicidality, a significant proportion (86.7%) of adolescent depression in this study did not receive psychiatric treatment. Future research should be needed to find better ways to decrease barriers in using mental health treatment and its contribution to reduction and prevention of adverse outcome.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.113-118
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• 2016

Objective : Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is known to reduce the quality of sleep and is associated with various psychiatric disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of PMS with depression, sleep qulity and sleep pattern in Korean female adolescents. Methods : Out of 867 high school female students, 400 female subjects were included in this study. All participants completed self-report questionnaires that included demographic variables, shortened premenstrual assessment form (SPAF), patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), insomnia severity index (ISI) and Korean translation of composite scale (CS). A total of 394 individuals who completed the questionnaires were analyzed. Results : As score of SPAF, 143 subjects was defined PMDD group. They had more prevalence of eveningness, more depressive symptom, poorer sleep quality, and more excessive sleepiness than non-PMDD groups. Although the PMDD groups showed more menstrual dysmenorrhea, no difference was found in bleeding duration and cycle. PMS symptom had correlations with depression, poorer sleep quality and excessive sleepiness during the daytime. There was no difference in sleep duration between two groups, but PMS might have a relationship with eveningness of chronotype. Conclusions : Among Korean female high school students, the PMS might have an association with depression and poor sleep quality, and it might lead to daytime impairment due to excessive sleepiness. An appropriate evaluation of PMS could be helpful in determining the mental health condition of adolescents.