• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.32-39
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• 2012

Objective : Psychiatry in North Korea is believed to seem very different from psychiatry in South Korea. However, there is nearly no information regarding psychiatry in North Korea until now. Our study aimed to get information about North Korean psychiatry. Methods : Three North Korean defectors in South Korea, whose clinical experience as medical doctors in North Korea was over 10 years, were recruited. They underwent the semi-structured interview, content of which included the clinical experience with psychiatric patients, the details of psychiatry, the treatment of psychiatric patients, the stigma of mental illness, and the suicide, in North Korea. Results : In North Korea, psychiatric department was called as 49th(pronounced as Sahsip-gu-ho in Korean). Only patients with vivid psychotic symptoms came to psychiatric department. Non-psychotic depression or anxiety disorders usually were not dealt in psychiatry. The etiology of mental illness seemed to be confined to biological factors including genetic predisposition. Psychosocial or psychodynamic factors as etiology of mental illness appeared to be ignored. Psychiatry was apparently separated from political or ideological issues. The mainstay of psychiatric treatment is the inpatient admission and out-of-date therapy such as insulin coma therapy. Stigma over mental illness was common in North Korea. Suicide is considered as a betrayal to his/her nation, and has been reported to be very rare. Conclusion : The situation of psychiatry in North Korea is largely different from that of South Korea. Although some aspects of North Korean psychiatry are similar to psychiatry in former socialist countries, North Korean psychiatry is considered to have also its unique characteristics.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.555-560
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• 2010

Purpose: Facial allotransplantation (FA) could provide an excellent alternative to current treatments for facial disfigurement. However, despite being technically feasible, there continues to be various ethical and psychosocial issues associated with the risks and benefits of performing FA. The purpose of this study is to investigate risk acceptance and expectations in FA. Methods: In a quantitative assessment of risk versus benefit with respect to FA, from 2004 to 2008, Barker et al. developed and published a questionnaire-based instrument (Louisville Instrument for Transplantation [LIFT]), which contained 237 standardized questions. In the current study, the authors assessed risk versus benefits and expectations of FA using a Korean version of the LIFT. Respondents in three study groups (lay public, n=140; medical students, n=120; doctors, n=34) were questioned about risk acceptance as related to immunosuppression and tissue rejection, and expectations as related to quality of life improvement, and functional and aesthetic outcomes. A summary of the data has been provided and statistical analyses were performed. Results: Among the three study groups, results indicated that doctors accept the least amount of risk for a facial allotransplant, followed by medical students, and finally lay public. There was a significant statistical difference in three of the four questions regarding risk acceptance between the groups (p < 0.05). In general, lay public exhibited higher expectations for facial allotransplantation than the other groups. Additionally, there was a significant statistical difference in the importance of aesthetic outcome between the groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The authors' data indicate the three populations have vastly different levels of risk acceptance and expectations with regard to FA. Therefore, it is very important that surgeons establish clear, open, and thorough communication with patients in their consultations regarding FA. This is particularly important with respect to whether or not a patient's level of risk acceptance and expectations are progmatic.

• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.1-33
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• 2013

The aim of this study was to systematically review the latest clinical trials in music medicine and medical music therapy for pediatric patients. Thirteen databases were searched to obtain randomized controlled/crossover design studies published between the year 2000 and 2012 in English language. Out of 1012 articles retrieved in the initial search, fifteen studies were identified based on an exclusion criteria. Overall, selected articles involved children 1 month to 18 years, sample size of 11 to 150, and total participants of 987. Studies were classified and compared as music medicine or music therapy studies through a systematic synthesis assessing general characteristics, methodological quality, measured outcomes, types of interventions and the study results. Seven music medicine and eight music therapy studies measured seven dependent variables using thirty-six different measurement tools with a large heterogeneity in the selection, type, and method of music interventions. Evaluation of the methodological quality revealed that many studies did not provide a full report of the research method, and did not meet some or most methodological standards, such as randomization, allocation concealment, double or partial blinding, and intention to treat analysis. Although overall research results were positive if not significant, poor methodological quality and heterogeneity in design and intervention strategies raise the question of research bias and trustworthiness issues. The systematic review concluded that music may have a valuable clinical effect in addressing the physical and psychosocial needs of hospitalized children, although more rigorous, homogeneous and replicable studies are greatly needed.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.225-232
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• 2008

The mission of National Health Screening Program for Infant and Children is to promote and improve the health, education, and well-being of infants, children, families, and communities. Although the term 'diagnosis' usually relates to pathology, a similar diagnostic approach applies to the child seen primarily for health supervision. In the case of health, diagnosis determines the selection of appropriate health promoting and preventive interventions, whether medical, dental, nutritional, educational, or psychosocial. Components of the diagnostic process in health supervision include the health 'interview'; assessment of physiological, emotional, cognitive, and social development (including critical developmental milestones); physical examination; screening procedures; and evaluation of strengths and issues. Open and informed communication between the health professional and the family remains the most significant component of both health diagnosis and health promotion. Families complete medical history forms at their health supervision visit. Family-friendly questionnaires, checklists, and surveys that are appropriate for the child's age are additional tools to improve and update data gathering. This type of information helps initiate and inform discussions between the family and the health professional. This article provides a comprehensive review of current National Health Screening Program for Infant and Children in Korea.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.85-98
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• 2023

Objective : We investigated the efficacy of an artificial intelligence computerized cognitive training program using motion capture to identify changes in cognition, depression, and quality of life in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. Methods : A total of seven older adults (experimental group = 4, control group = 3) participated in this study. During the COVID-19 period from October to December 2021, we used a program, "MOOVE Brain", that we had developed. The experimental group performed the program 30 minutes 3×/week for 1 month. We analyzed patients scores from the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination-2, the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Packet for Daily Life Evaluation, the short form Geriatric Depression Scale, and Geriatric Quality of Life Scale. Results : We observed positive changes in the mean scores of the Stroop Color Test (attention), Stroop Color/Word Test (executive function), SGDS-K (depression), and GQOL (QoL). However, these changes did not reach statistical significance for each variable. Conclusion : The study results from "MOOVE Brain" can help address cognitive and psychosocial issues in isolated patients with MCI during the COVID-19 pandemic or those unable to access in-person medical services.

• 한국노년학
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.529-546
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• 2009

Depression in old age not only is prevalent but also causes a considerable amount of burden in physical, psychosocial, and economic terms. Intervention, however, is often delayed due to the understanding that considers depressive symptoms as a normal process of aging or signs of physical illnesses. Since the recognition of symptoms often initiate one's help seeking process, a correct identification of symptoms can contribute to early detection and intervention to depression in oneself as well as in others. This study interviewed 104 older adults living in an urban area, and explored their ability to correctly identify depressive symptoms and factors related to identification. The study results show that respondents who were able to correctly identify symptoms of depression were only 14%, and the rest defined the symptoms as social, economic, and other psychological issues. Of the factors in the logistic regression model, age being 75 and over and mass media as source of mental health information affected negatively their ability to correctly identify symptoms; mental health education programs affected positively their ability. Based on these results, it is suggested that such strategies as employing a face-to-face provision of concrete information and counseling can be more effective than delivering information via large-scale lectures. Additionally, a future research deems necessary to conduct an in-depth examination of mental health/illness-related contents on mass media.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.63 no.4
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• pp.141-145
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• 2020

Background: For children and adolescents with cancer, going back to school is a key milestone in returning to "normal life." Purpose: To identify the support vital for a successful transition, we evaluated the parents' needs and the challenges they face when their children return to school. Methods: This multi-institutional study was conducted by the Korean Society of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology. The written survey comprised 24 questions and was completed by 210 parents without an interviewer. Results: Most parents (165 of 206) reported that their children experienced difficulties with physical status (n=60), peer relationships (n=30), academic performance (n=27), emotional/behavioral issues (n=11), and relationships with teachers (n=4) on reentering school. Parents wanted to be kept informed about and remain involved in their children's school lives and reported good parent-teacher communication (88 of 209, 42.1%). Parents reported that 83.1% and 44.9% of teachers and peers, respectively, displayed an adequate understanding of their children's condition. Most parents (197 of 208) answered that a special program is necessary to facilitate return to school after cancer therapy that offers emotional support (n=85), facilitates social adaptation (n=61), and provides tutoring to accelerate catch up (n=56), and continued health care by hospital outreach and school personnel (n=50). Conclusion: In addition to scholastic aptitude-oriented programs, emotional and psychosocial support is necessary for a successful return to school. Pediatric oncologists should actively improve oncology practices to better integrate individualized school plans and educate peers and teachers to improve health literacy to aid them in understanding the needs of children with cancer.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.12 no.5_spc
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• pp.133-147
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• 2006

Korean society is rapidly becoming an ageing society. The Korean may have to live longer than did their parents. Increasing life expectancy and changing social structure, Korean people are getting interested in quality of life, and well-being is becoming a matter of concern. And, the Korean is fully aware of the importance of health for well-being or good life. This concern about health may bring about specific behaviors related to health. Although health care expenditures of Korea are currently smaller than those of other developed countries, it is continuously increasing. Large portion of increased amount of health care expenditures is to spend for disease prevention and expansion of long-term care facilities. Constructs of well-being of the Korean, not living in western culture, may be different from those of people living in western society. Health is not top-ranked to importance for quality of life in previous studies. It does not mean health isn't determinant factor for good life or well-being. Health is an essential element for well-being. It has been proved in several researches which examined poor quality of life caused by certain diseases and management of health-related quality of life. Some theories relate to health-seeking behaviors suggested the health belief or the attitude toward health, intention to do health behavior, perceived behavioral control, and self efficacy as important factors which could predict health-related behaviors. With getting older, people decline in physical and physiological functions and become vulnerable to chronic diseases. Quality of life depends on how to adjust to these changes in senescence. Social supports, especially supports from offspring, are very important to quality of life in senescence, because supports from offspring have influence on pride of the older, they may be afraid of disclose the conflict with their offspring. Avoiding self-disclosure exclude other source of social supports and harm individual's health, therefore psychological intervention is needed to. Increasing life expectancy of the Korean, Korean government has to provide numerous long-term care facilities as well as psychosocial supports. The Korean, so far, does not recognize that psychologist could render great service to promoting individual or community health and improving individual's quality of life. It is highly expected that psychologists take actively interested and involve in health related to quality of life.