• Anxiety and mood
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.88-98
• /
• 2018

Objective : The purpose of this study was to establish a school-based mental health intervention. The success of which was indexed by its effects on the social anxiety symptoms of the enrolled adolescents. Methods : This program for promoting mental health among adolescents in the community was adopted by three middle schools that volunteered to participate in the project. The program included screening for emotional problems related to social anxiety, depression, suicide, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Case management was provided for groups considered high-risk for depression, suicide, or post-traumatic stress disorder; cognitive-behavior therapy was provided for those at high-risk of developing social anxiety. Additionally, educational programs for the prevention of suicide, a "loving life" module, and mental health promotional campaigns were also included. In total, 1,100 middle school students completed self-report questionnaires. Twenty-five students in the high-risk group for social anxiety participated in a cognitive-behavior therapy program, comprising eight sessions, and conducted by two clinical psychologists. Results : Following the suicide prevention education program, suicide awareness among students increased and coping strategies were improved. In addition, the loving life program was associated with positive self-perceptions by many students. Furthermore, social anxiety symptoms showed a statistically significant difference after the cognitive-behavior therapy program. After the therapy, not only did social anxiety symptoms improve, depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation decreased significantly, while self-esteem and psychological resilience significantly increased. Conclusion : A school-based mental health intervention was successfully implemented in three middle schools and improved the mental health of the participating students. Therefore, this intervention could be widely implemented to promote positive mental health among middle school students.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.20-25
• /
• 2015

Objective:To review the patterns of the dermatologic consultations of psychiatric adolescent inpatient and to explore the relationship between the dermatologic disorders and psychiatric disorders. Methods:We retrospectively studied the data from 22 cases referred by psychiatric adolescent for a dermatologic consultation over 10 years in Daegu Catholic University Medical Center and compared with the data from 108 cases referred by the other department adolescent patients. Results:The mean age of patients was 15.9. The male to female ratio was 1:1.44. The most common psychiatric and dermatologic disorder was major depressive disorder and acne, respectively. The most frequent reason for consultation was to ask for dermatologic disease or condition(54.5%) followed by to perform cosmetic procedure of patients need(40.9%) and to perform dermatologic test(4.6%). Conclusions:More than just a cosmetic disfigurement, dermatologic disorders are associated with a variety of psychopathologic problems that can affect the patient. Increased understanding of biopsychosocial approaches and liaison among psychiatrists and dermatologists could be beneficial.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.105-111
• /
• 2019

On December 31, 2018, an incident occurred where a doctor was attacked and killed by a patient carrying a lethal weapon in the outpatients' clinic of the psychiatric department of a tertiary general hospital. The suspect was diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder (manic depressive disorder) and has been hospitalized and cared for in the psychiatric ward of this hospital. This incident illustrates the necessity of more active cures and therapeutic intervention for mental patients with intellectual developmental disorders who require treatment considering the fact that a radical outcome has been caused by such a patient. However, on the other hand, there is also a need for an approach and analysis from the perspective of crime prevention for all medical departments. The reason for this is that even a tertiary general hospital equipped with the largest human resources, medical devices, facilities, and so forth, is susceptible to violence. As for illegal actions perpetrated against health and medical service personnel in medical institutions, such as verbal abuse, assault, injury, etc. there have neither been understanding shown for the current extent of damage in detail, nor discussions of active institutional improvement related to the seriousness of the act. It can be said that violence in the field of medical treatment is a realm requiring serious discussion and appropriate remedial actions. This is because when such incidents take place, if a patient who is supposed to get treatment from the damaged health care provider is in an urgent situation or on the waiting list of serious cases, he or she could suffer serious damage caused by deprivation of treatment opportunity, or secondary damage might be caused to the patient and/or a guardian who can hardly have an opportunity to take action. Accordingly, in this review, we would like to help create the necessary conditions for both health and medical service personnel and patients/guardians, respectively, to provide and receive medical treatment in a more secure environment. Therefore, objective assessment of the institution and issues relating to this aforementioned incident and general cases of violence occurring in medical institutions, and by suggesting legal and institutional improvements and solutions.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.27-34
• /
• 2012

Objectives: The analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) is a useful non-invasive tool to investigate the autonomic nerve function. Previous studies on the relationship between HRV and depression have been reported controversial results. Similarly, the correlation between the serum lipids and depression is debatable. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between heart rate variability, lipid profile and depression. Methods: A total of 42 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 32 age and sex-matched normal subjects who had no previous history of major medical and mental illnesses were recruited for this study. A structured-interview was used to assess the general characteristics and psychiatric illness. HRV measures were assessed by time-domain and frequency-domain analyses. Psychological symptoms were measured using the Hamilton rating scale for anxiety (HAM-A), Hamilton rating scale for depression (HAM-D). In addition, the evaluation for lipid profile was performed by blood test. Results: In serum lipid profile test, MDD group showed higher cholesterol ($197.68{\pm}42.94$ mg/dL vs. $176.85{\pm}34.68$ mg/dL, p=0.044), TG ($139.45{\pm}92.54$ mg/dL vs. $91.4{\pm}65.68$ mg/dL, p=0.018), LDL ($130.03{\pm}33.18$ vs. $106.62{\pm}27.08$, p=0.004) level than normal control group. In HRV time domain analyses, the standard deviation of the NN interval (SDNN) was decreased in MDD group than normal control group, but was not significant ($32.82{\pm}14.33$ ms vs. $40.36{\pm}21.40$ms, p=0.078). ApEn (Approximate Entrophy) was significantly increased in MDD group than normal control group ($1.13{\pm}0.11$ vs. $0.91{\pm}0.18$, p<0.001). ApEn was correlated with LDL level (r=0.277, p=0.028), HAM-D scores (r=0.534, p<0.001) and HAM-A scores (r=0.470, p<0.001). Conclusions: MDD patients showed increased ApEn, one of the HRV measurement. And this ApEn was correlated with LDL, HAM-D and HAM-A scores. In this study, the analysis of ApEn would be a useful test of MDD.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.66-73
• /
• 2016

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of psychosocial factors related to functional dyspepsia(FD) and their effects on quality of life(QOL) in firefighters. Methods : This study examined data collected from 1,217 firefighters. We measured psychological symptoms by Patient Health Questionnaire-9(PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder questionnaire(GAD-7), Korean Occupational Stress Scale(KOSS), Ways of Coping checklist(WCCL), Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale(RSES) and World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale abbreviated version(WHOQOL-BREF). Chi-square test, independent t-test, Pearson's correlation test, logistic regression analysis, and hierarchical regression analysis were used as statistical analysis methods. Results : For the group with FD, the male participants showed significantly higher frequency(p=0.006) compared to the female participants. The group with FD had higher scores for depressive symptoms(p<.001), anxiety (p<.001), and occupational stress(p<.001), and did lower scores for self-esteem(p=.008), quality of life(p<.001) than those without FD. The FD risk was higher in the following KOSS subcategories: job demand(OR 1.94, 95% CI : 1.29-2.93), lack of reward(OR 2.47, 95% CI : 1.61-3.81), and occupational climate(OR 1.51, 95% CI : 1.01-2.24). In the hierarchical regression analysis, QOL was best predicted by depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and occupational stress. Three predictive variables above accounts for 42.0% variance explained of total variance. Conclusions : The psychosocial factors showed significant effects on FD, and predictive variables for QOL were identified based on regression analysis. The results suggest that the psychiatric approach should be accompanied with medical approach in future FD assessment.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.153-161
• /
• 2021

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to compare bleeding tendency of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) using platelet function analyzer (PFA-100) in patients with major depressive disorder. Methods : This study is a prospective open-label study conducted by a single institution. A total of 41 subjects diagnosed with major depressive disorder under the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria participated in this study. The subjects were classified into SSRI (escitalopram) groups and SNRI (duloxetine) groups, respectively, according to random assignments. The closure time (CT) was measured using a platelet function analyzer (PFA-100) before each antidepressant was administered and after 6 weeks. Paired-sample t-test was conducted within each group to determine whether a specific antidepressant had an effect on closure time. In order to confirm the relative change in platelet function between the two groups, an independent sample t-test was conducted to compare and analyze the change in closure time between the two groups. Results : There was no significant changes in closure time (CEPI-CT, CADP-CT) before and 6 weeks after drug administration in the SSRI and SNRI groups, and there was no difference in the amount of changes in closure time between the two groups. Conclusions : Our results showed no difference in bleeding tendency between SSRI and SNRI. This study suggests that further large-scale studies on bleeding tendency for various antidepressants are needed in the future.

• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.1-17
• /
• 2007

Huge growth in developmental level, new accomplishment, and The period of adolescents is not only the transition stage but also improvement of academic level. In this level of stage, adolescents have difficulties in development, so they show psychological abnormality such as stress and depression. They could develop mental disorder such as depression or anxiety if they do not overcome the abnormality. According to the situation of the insufficiency of the decent program for adolescents' mental health in the current society, we are strongly requested to develop the psycho-therapeutic program for them. Therefore, in this study, we examined the effect of the musical activities as blues music structure on the improvement of the Self-Efficacy in the female middle school students who have depressive tendencies as well as what they experienced through the activities. The 3 participants were selected out of 70 students in the first year at the "D" middle school in Seoul by being tested with Child Depression Inventory(CDI) and Self-Efficacy Scale(SES). The musical activities were built with 3 steps. Of which, the first one was the introduction to each other, the formation of rapport, and induction of their interests to the musical activities through blues. The second one was letting participants learn the blues music structure by practice and play assigned music(including improvisation) during later 5 sessions with different difficulties at each session. The third one was giving them opportunities to play a music out of the acquired ones during the session or creative music by their own, which results in maximizing musical activities and an acquired experience. As a result, first of all, the scores of CDI test of 3 participants in 10 time sessions showed slight changes, suggesting the negative correlation between CDI and SES even though changes were not big differences. Secondly, the scores of SES test of 3 subjects in 10 time sessions were all changed and especially preference for tasking was significant. Thirdly, the scores of SES for musical playing test of 3 participants in 10 time sessions were all changed and especially preference for musical tasking was significant shown. Finally, according to answers of 3 participants in 10 time sessions for the after questionnaire on musical activities, participants experienced affirmative self-confidence and positive emotion. Taken together, it was suggested that musical activities using blues music structure could be promising therapeutic intervention method.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.83-91
• /
• 2011

Objectives: Posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD) has devastating effects on multiple aspects of the quality of life(QoL). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to compare the QoL between PTSD group and non-PTSD group, and identify the variables affecting the QoL of the Vietnam War veterans. Methods: We recruited 39 veterans with PTSD and 43 veterans without PTSD, all of whom had deployed to the Vietnam War. We used the Korean version of Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview-Plus, the Korean version of Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, Combat Exposure Scale and the Korean version of World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument abbreviated version. We used independent samples t-test to identify the differences between PTSD and non-PTSD group in each domains of the quality of life. We also used stepwise multiple linear regression analysis to figure out the variables affecting the QoL of the Vietnam War veterans. Results: In the PTSD group, all domains of the QoL and the QoL total score(p<0.01) were significantly lower than those in the non-PTSD group. In the Vietnam War veterans, PTSD, major depressive disorder and education levels were the variables affecting the QoL. Among these, PTSD uniquely explained the QoL of the overall and general health(${\beta}$=-1.411, $R^2$=0.180), the physical health domain(${\beta}$=-2.806, $R^2$=0.089) and the total score (${\beta}$=-11.479, $R^2$=0.104). Conclusions: These results suggest that among the Vietnam War veterans, the QoL of the PTSD group is significantly lower than that of the non-PTSD group. Among the combat exposed veterans, PTSD may be one of the main reasons that affect the multiple domains of the QoL.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.182-191
• /
• 2011

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the sleep patterns of South Korean elementary school children and whether the differences in sleep patterns were related to behavior, emotional problems, attention and academic performance. Method: This study included a community sample of 268 boys and girls from fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade classes in a South Korean metropolitan city from November to December 2010. The primary caregivers completed a questionnaire that included information on demographic characteristics, as well as the Child's Sleep Habit Questionnaire (CSHQ), the Korean version of Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL), the Korean version of the Learning Disability Evaluation Scale (K-LDES), the Korean version of ADHD Rating Scale (K-ARS) and the Disruptive Behavior Disorder Scale (DBDS). We conducted analyses on the CSHQ individual items, between the subscales, on the total scores and on the K-CBCL, the K-LEDS, the K-ARS and the DBDS. Results: Based on the findings from the CHSQ, the subjects had significantly higher scores for bedtime resistance ($9.18{\pm}2.17$), delayed sleep onset ($1.32{\pm}0.62$), the sleep duration ($4.19{\pm}1.52$) and daytime sleepiness ($14.10{\pm}3.55$) than the scores from the previous reports on children from western countries. The total CHSQ score showed positive correlations to all subscales of the K-CBCL : withdrawn (r=0.24, p<.005), somatic complaint (r=0.24, p<.005) and anxious/depressive (r=0.38, p<.005). Bedtime resistance was associated with oppositional defiant disorder (r=0.15, p<.05) and a positive correlation was demonstrated between sleep anxiety and the oppositional defiant disorder score (r=0.13, p<.05), night waking and the conduct disorder score (r=0.16, p<.05). Delayed sleep onset was related with low performance on the K-LDES with respect to thinking (r=-0.17, p<.05) and mathematical calculation (r=-0.17, p<.05). Conclusion: The results of this study reconfirm Korean children's problematic sleep patterns. Taken together the results provide that the reduced sleep duration and disruption of sleep pattern can have a significant impact on emotion, behavior, performance of learning in children. Further studies concerning more diverse psychosocial factors affecting sleep pattern will be helpful to understanding of the sleep health in Korean children.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.95-101
• /
• 2005

Objectives : This study was designed to investigate depression, anxiety, alexithymia, stress res ponses in caregivers of patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Methods : The subjects were 38 attention deficit hyperactivity disorder patients caregivers(38 women, mean age $37.5{\pm}6.5$). Patients were diagnosed with DSM-IV ADHD criteria. Korean version of Beck Depression Inventory(BDI), State and Trait Anxiety Inventory(STAI), Toronto Alexithymia Scale(TAS) and Stress Response Inventory(SRI) were used for assessment. Results 1) The BDI scores of ADHD patients caregiver group were significantly higher than control group$(16.4{\pm}7.1\;vs.\;10.9{\pm}5.5)(p=0.011)$. 7 of the 38 caregivers(18.4%) and none of control group(0%) had BDI scores over 20 points(p=0.021). Calculated relative risk for ADHD in the presence of caregivers' depression was 1.516 overall(95% confidence interval, 1.234-1.862). 2) In ADHD patient's caregiver group, the scores of Stress Response Inventory were significantly higher than control group$(44.2{\pm}20.2\;vs.\;26.5{\pm}16.8)(p=0.006)$. 3) No significant differences were found in the score of STAI, SIAIS, SIAI-T, TAS between caregiver and control group. Conclusion : This study suggest that ADHD patients' caregivers are likely to have more depressive symptoms and higher stress response level than control group. We propose that physicians should consider integrated approaches for caregiver's psychopathology in the management of ADHD.