• Health Policy and Management
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.27-57
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• 1994

The objective of running a long-term care institution is to provide services helpful for maintaining, supporting, and improving elderlies' optimum level of physical, mental, and psychosocial functioning. For the purpose of analyzing the current situations of institutional long term care facilities in Korea, 27 facilities were selected proportionately from each of the cities and provinces, out of the total 152 facilities. About 20% of those who were institutionalized during 25 August through 2 Qctober 1993, the 391 elderlies were chosen on a systematic random basis. The instrument of this study was developed by modifying the tools of CARE, MAI and PCTC. A multivariate approach of discriminant analysis and clustering technique were employed for this study. The Stiudy reveals that there is no clear differentiation of goals and functions among the longterm care institutions in Korea. Staffing patte군 of long-term care facilities shows a shortage of nurses, physical therapists, and dieticians. The linkage between acute care facilities and long-term care is weak, and administration of long-term care faciltiy is carried out by non-professionals. They are responsible for assessing health status before entering the facility, and evaluating elderlies' care. Therefore, it is not surprising to find that most of the facilities have accommodated agede regardless of their real needs and health status. Based upon findings of the analysis, this study has classified long-term care facilities into four types : Type I is to help elderlies maintain independence in daily living activities. Type II facilities have the objective of maintaining and improving the current level of elderlies' function. Type III is to maintain maximum independence of elderlies in activities of daily living. And Type IV is identified for the group of facilities designed to restore or improve functional abilities of elderlies. In conclusion, the following suggestions are made : the need for long-term care should be assessed by multidimensional measurement. Institutional long-term care facilities should be classified and developed in response to type of type of care and service need. Both acute and long-term care facilities should be linked together in order to support the evaluation of service operation and program development.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.590-595
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• 2004

Conversion Disorder is a disorder whose predominant feature is a loss or alteration in physical functioning that suggests a physical disorder but that is actually a direct expression of a psychological conflict or need. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV) guidelines for Conversion Disorder include these definitions: A psychosocial stressor produces a psychological conflict that is believed to help initiate or exacerbate the illness The symptoms are not under conscious control, etc. While functional disabilities are common with conversion disorders, physical and laboratory abnormalities are absent or minor in comparison with the patient's subjective complaints. Symptoms of Conversion Disorder are similar to those of stroke. But the mechanism of Conversion Disorder is similar as that of Stagnation Syndrome of Ki (氣鬱證) in Oriental medicine. Gaegyeolseogyeong-tang has been used to treat women who suffer from Conversion Disorder induced by the Stagnation Syndrome of Ki (氣鬱證). After application of the Gaegyeolseogyeong-tang for 7 days, symptoms and signs improved dramatically.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.62-71
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• 2014

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of menopausal adaptation and Sanhujori (Korean traditional postnatal care) on the Health-related quality of life in middle-aged women. Methods: Women aged from 45 to 60 completed questionnaires consisting of SF-36 ver. 2 and menopausal adaptation scale between July to Aug, 2013. Two hundred and eighteen participants' data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple regression. Results: Physical health ($69.5{\pm}15.1$) was better than mental health ($68.8{\pm}17.1$), and bodily pain and social functioning were the same results as 2009 general U.S. population, with the sub-variables of quality of life being lower. Menopausal adaptation was at moderate level, and correlation of its sub-variables with quality of life were significant: fatigue (r=.60, p<.001), accomplishing feeling (r=.55, p<.001), confidence (r=.54, p<.001), dryness (r=.51, p<.001), flush (r=.38, p<.001), dominance (r=-.36, p<.001), stability (r=.26, p<.001). Fatigue, confidence, stability, period of sanhujori, and dryness revealed as influencing quality of life, while the total variation explained by these components was at 52%. Conclusion: To improve quality of life of middle aged women, health care providers need to provide nursing intervention to relieve fatigue and dryness; and address psychosocial concerns with developing nursing strategies to improve stability and confidence. For post-partum women, enough periods of sanhujori needs to be recommended.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.54-60
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• 2016

Alexithymia is characterized by difficulties identifying and describing feelings, impoverished fantasy life, and concrete and poorly introspective thinking. Alexithymic patients have been reported to show a stable deficit with regard to processing and regulating emotions. Eating disorders are characterized by a persistent disturbance of eating or eating-related behavior that significantly impairs physical health or psychosocial functioning. Like alexithymic patients, patients with eating disorders show the impaired capacity to process and regulate emotions. There is a robust body of literature showing patients with eating disorders are more alexithymic than healthy controls. Specifically, patients with eating disorders experience difficulties identifying and describing emotions. Childhood maltreatment can increase the risk for depression and alexithymia, which can in turn lead to disordered eating symptoms. Also, higher levels of alexithymia are correlated with a less favorable clinical outcome in patients with eating disorder. Therefore, treatments to help processing and regulating emotions of eating disorder patients with pronounced alexithymic traits may seem to lead to a higher possibility of recovery.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.131-135
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• 2021

Purpose: Depression is a condition that weakens psychosocial functioning and reduces quality of life. In Korea, the prevalence of depression among the elderly is 29.2% and depression is a considerable public health concern for the elderly. Depression has a statistically significant relationship with oral conditions such as number of teeth and salivary flow rate. Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is the concept including subjective evaluations of psychological, physical and social aspects of oral health. Tooth loss and hyposalivation can affect mental health and quality of life. Our study was designed to identify the relationship among the number of teeth, salivation, OHRQoL, and depressive symptoms in the elderly in Korea. Methods: We recruited 100 participants, aged over 65 years, and assessed their number of teeth, unstimulated salivary flow rate. All participants filled out oral health impact profile 14 (OHIP-14) and Zung self-rating depression score (SDS) for checking OHRQoL and depressive symptoms. Statistical analysis was done by R program. Results: We found that the positive relationship between OHIP-14 and SDS after Mann-Whitney test (p=0.03). The lower SDS group had an OHIP-14 median score of 4. On the other hand, the higher SDS group had a median value of 7.5. The other factors (number of teeth and salivary flow rate) did not show correlations with OHIP-14 or SDS. Conclusions: OHRQoL and depressive symptoms have significant correlation.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.33-43
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• 2019

Objectives: Bipolar disorder is characterized by repetitive relapses that result in psychosocial dysfunctions. The functioning of bipolar disorder patients is related to the severity of symptoms, quality of sleep, drug compliance, and social support. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between sociodemographic and clinical factors and functional status in bipolar disorder patients. Methods: A total of 52 bipolar disorder patients participated in the study. The following scales were utilized: Korean version of personal and social performance scale (K-PSP), Korean version of Hamilton rating scale for depression (K-HDRS), Korean version of young mania rating scale (K-YMRS), Korean version of pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI-K), Korean version of drug attitude inventory (K-DAI), mood disorders insight scale (MDIS), and multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS). Results: The K-PSP score showed a negative relationship with K-HDRS score (r = -0.387, p = 0.005), but not with K-YMRS score (r = -0.205, p = 0.145). The K-PSP score showed a negative relationship with global PSQI-K score (r = -0.378, p = 0.005) and overall sleep quality (r = -0.353, p = 0.010). The K-PSP scores were positively associated with the KDAI score (r = 0.409, p = 0.003) and MSPSS score (r = 0.334, p = 0.015). The predictive factors for K-PSP were overall sleep quality and social support from family. Conclusion: Our study showed that depressive symptoms were related to overall function in bipolar disorder. Also, our study suggested that improving sleep quality is important in maintaining functional status. Appropriate social support and positive perception toward the drug may lead to the higher level of functioning. This study is meaningful in that the functional status of bipolar disorder patients is analyzed in a multivariate manner in relation to various variables in psychosocial aspects.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2018

During early pregnancy, before the development of a functioning thyroid gland, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is a very sensitive marker of thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy. Normal values have been modified during gestation with a downward shift. The fetus is influenced by the TSH supplied by the mother. TSH and free thyroxine (FT4) concentrations vary during pregnancy and conventional units can vary between laboratories. A downward shift of the TSH reference range occurs during pregnancy, with a decrease in both the lower and upper limits of maternal TSH, relative to the typical non-pregnant TSH reference range. Each laboratory produces its own reference TSH and FT4 concentrations because there are many different assays that yield different results in pregnancy. Therefore, automated immunoassays used for serum FT4 analysis are still used widely, but the important considerations discussed above must be noted. The use of population-based, trimester-specific reference ranges remains the best way to handle this issue The slight downward shift in the upper reference range of TSH occurring in the latter first trimester (7~12 weeks) of pregnancy, typically not observed prior to 7 weeks. Their use indicates high or low levels in a quantitative manner independent of the reference ranges. These data highlight the importance of calculating population-based pregnancy-specific thyroid parameter reference intervals. A precision medicine initiative in this area will require the collection and analysis of a large number of genetic, biological, psychosocial, and environmental variables in large cohorts of individuals. Large prospective randomized controlled trials will be needed to resolve these controversies.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.833-845
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• 2021

Parkinson's syndrome is a degenerative brain disease that presents characteristic motor symptoms of tremor, rigidity, and gait disturbance. In addition to these motor symptoms, Parkinson's syndrome also presents non-motor symptoms (NMSs) such as sleep disturbance and cognitive decline. NMSs reduce patient's quality of life and psychosocial functioning and cause economic burden on the patient, so appropriate evaluation and treatment are required. Lewy body dementia is one of the several diseases belonging to Parkinson's syndrome. Its symptoms such as cognitive function, memory impairment, and hallucinations occur with Parkinsonism. Although drug therapy is being used with drug treatment to treat non-motor symptoms, it has limitations such as side effects, which stimulated interest in other complementary treatment methods such as oriental medicine treatment, dance, and yoga. The patient in this case complained of tremor in the right upper extremity, muscle hypertension and pain, and persistent vision, memory, and cognitive decline. The patient was diagnosed with probable Lewy body dementia. The patient was hospitalized for 4 months and received acupuncture and herbal medicines. After treatment, the patient's NMS scale scores decreased from 90 to 63, and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores (summed I, II, and III) decreased from 17 points to 8 points. The Beck Depression Inventory score decreased from 22 points to 13 points. In addition, the patient's subjective evaluation revealed improvement. In this case, a patient diagnosed with probable Lewy body dementia who did not respond to the standard treatment and did not want to take medications showed improvement in not only motor symptoms but also NMSs after integrative Korean medicine treatment.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.72-78
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• 2023

Objectives : This study aims to identify various psychiatric symptoms and psychosomatic symptoms caused by COVID-19 infection and investigate their long-term impact. Methods : A systematic literature review was conducted, selecting papers from domestic and international databases using keywords such as "COVID-19" and "psychosomatic." A total of 16 papers, including those using structured measurement tools for psychosomatic symptoms, were included in the final analysis. Results : Psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms have been reported in acute COVID-19 infection, while long-term post-COVID symptoms include chest pain and fatigue. The frequency of long-term psychosomatic symptoms has been estimated to be 10%-20%. Factors contributing to these symptoms include psychological and social stress related to infectious diseases, gender, elderly age, a history of psychiatric disorders, and comorbid mental illnesses. It is suggested that systemic inflammation, autoimmune responses, and dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system may be involved. Conclusions : Psychosomatic symptoms arising after COVID-19 infection have a negative impact on quality of life and psychosocial functioning. Understanding and addressing psychiatric aspects are crucial for symptom prevention and treatment.