• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.106-113
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• 2013

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics and the psychosocial factors associated to the referral to psychiatric care in the suicide attempters visiting emergency center. Methods: We conducted a systematic chart review of 377 suicidal attempters visiting emergency center of the Korea University Ansan Hospital between January 2008 and December 2011. We gathered a data contain 20 items including psychosocial characteristics and factors related to suicide and factors related to psychiatric treatment. Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to data to estimate the unique effects of sex, drunken status, companion, suicidal methods, place of suicide and current use of psychiatric medication on the referral to psychiatric care. Results: The female gender(OR=1.63, 95% CI=0.99-2.69), suicidal attempts at home(OR=3.40, 95% I= 1.21-9.56) and drunken state at visit(OR=2.34, 95% CI=1.10-5.01) are the factors that predict the risk of the non-referral of the patients to psychiatric intervention. Place of suicidal attempt was the most important factor do play a role in determining whether referral to psychiatric care will take place or not. Current use of psychiatric medication showed a trend toward significance(p=0.08, OR=1.67, 95% CI=0.95-2.95). Conclusions: These results suggest that when deciding whether to adapt or to refuse the referral to psychiatric care, the factors such as suicidal intent, lethality of suicide methods, familiar factors and alcohol may contribute onto the referral to psychiatric care. Additional research is required to investigate an association of these factors with referral to psychiatric care.

• 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.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.179-186
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• 2022

Objectives : This study aimed to examine the moderating effects of reasons for living on the relationship between depression and suicidal ideation among psychiatric patients. Methods : Patients were recruited from the department of psychiatry of university hospital. A total of 137 participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing depression (Beck Depression Inventory), suicidal ideation (Ultra-Short Suicidal Ideation Scale) and reasons for living (The Reasons for Living Inventory). Results : Among 4 sub-scales of the reasons for living inventory, survival and coping beliefs, fear of death and social disapproval, and future expectation moderated the relationship between depression and suicidal ideation. Conclusions : The results suggest that the reasons for living can work as a protective factor on the relationship between depression and suicidal ideation among psychiatric patients.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.79-88
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• 2023

Objectives : Cancer diagnosis causes significant distress while it may also bring positive change: post-traumatic growth. This study was conducted to analyze factors that affect post-traumatic growth. Methods : Medical records of 52 cancer patients who received psychiatric treatment at a university hospital in Seoul were reviewed and the correlation between post-traumatic growth and following factors were analyzed: Resilience, Anxious thoughts and tendencies, Mindful attention awareness, Acceptance attitude Results : Using Multiple Generalized Linear model, a positive correlation was found between post-traumatic growth and resilience (B=1.45, p<0.0001), mindful attention awareness (B=0.58, p=0.0030) and acceptance attitude (B=1.29, p=0.0003), while anxious thoughts and tendencies (B=-0.84, p<0.0001) had negative association. Conclusions : Factors that have a positive impact on post-traumatic growth were resilience, mindful attention awareness, acceptance attitude and a factor with a negative impact was anxious thoughts and tendencies; Factors that impact post-traumatic growth need to be taken into account, when approaching the treatment of cancer patients.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.9-19
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• 2016

Many patients with dizziness present with a symptom pattern that does not reveal the cause by neurotologic diagnostic approaches. In such cases, the physician frequently diagnoses psychogenic dizziness. Psychogenic dizziness is not characterized by true vertigo, and occurs in combination with other psychiatric symptom cluster. One out of two to four patients with dizziness are psychogenic dizziness. But there are few concern about this including clinical practice and study in Korea. I wrote this paper to increase concerning and attending to this for psychiatrists in Korea. I reviewed etiology including biological and psychological relations between dizziness and psychiatric disorder(especially anxiety), diagnostic approaches of, characteristics of dizziness of various psychiatric disorders related to, and the treatment of psychogenic dizziness. I also briefly reviewed the central and peripheral dizziness for psychiatrists. I suggest psychiatrists and clinicians in the psychosomatic field in Korea to acknowledge, concern, and attend to psychogenic dizziness. In turn, it will be helpful to well treat the patients with psychogenic dizziness.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.33-41
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• 2023

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors that influencing mental health literacy. Methods : We obtained data on 2016 general population from the Korean Mental Health Literacy Survey (2021) conducted by Ministry of Health and Welfare. Multiple regression analysis was used to evaluate the associations between sociodemographic characteristics and the score of questionnaire items in Korean Mental Health Literacy Survey. Results : Among the factors, female (p<0.001), higher age (p=0.005), higher income level (p<0.001) were significantly correlated with higher score of questionnaire items. Awareness of mental health center & community addiction management center (p=0.002), awareness of mental health hotline service (p<0.001) were also significantly associated with higher response score. Conclusions : The factors affecting mental health literacy could be considered when providing community mental health services.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.80-98
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• 2022

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is well known to have a limited response to drug treatment. Many recently published clinical care guidelines recommend trauma-focused psychotherapies such as cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and prolonged exposure therapy (PE) as first-line treatment and medication such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors and venlafaxine as second-line treatment. Current review introduces the session composition and contents of CPT and presents various CPT studies that show therapeutic effect for civilian and veterans/military with PTSD. In order for clinicians to help effectively patients with PTSD, it is necessary to learn and actively use evidence-based trauma-focused psychotherapies including CPT and PE.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.89-99
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• 2023

Objectives : In this study, elderly hospitalized patients aged 65 years or older who were admitted to a university hospital and referred to the department of psychiatry were classified into youngest-old, middle-old, and oldest-old. It was conducted to find out what factors contribute to the agitation pattern by age group, whether there is a difference in the factors, and whether there is a difference in the severity of the agitation pattern. Methods : From July 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021, the medical records of patients aged 65 years or older who were referred to the department of psychiatry were retrospectively reviewed. Age, gender, route of hospitalization, department of referral, reason for referral, treatment method, presence of internal and surgical diseases, and hematological test data were investigated. Results : There was a significant correlation with the RASS score in cases of surgery referral and high CRP levels for youngest-old aged 65 to 74 years, in cases of surgery referral, dementia and hyponatremia for middle-old aged 75 to 84 years, in case of dementia for oldest-old aged 85 years old or older. In addition, there were differences in the severity of agitation patterns between age groups. Conclusions : As the age group increases, the agitation of delirium patients becomes more severe, and various factors contributing to the agitation pattern also differ by age group. Therefore, when treating elderly patients with delirium, attention should be paid to factors that may affect agitation depending on age.

• Sim-seong Yeon-gu
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.85-112
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• 2020

How does analytical psychology help understand patients at general psychiatric clinics? It's necessary to think about how knowledge of analytical psychology can help young psychiatrists who are in training. Patients who come to us bring symptoms(problems). Symptoms can be compared to tickets to a movie theater. Symptoms accompanied by complaints of pain are not only pathological phenomena to be eliminated, but an important pathway to access the patients' inner problems. In terms of seeing the whole, the point of view in analytical psychology is to see the unconscious as well as the consciousness, even the elements the patients do not speak or know of. When determining indications and contra-indications during the initial process of treating a patient, it is more important to acknowledge the therapist's capabilities and limitations than the patient's condition or limitations The approach to complaints of the same symptoms may differ depending on whether the patient is in the first half or the second half of one's life. Analytical psychology is empirical psychology that experiences and it adheres to a phenomenological position that recognizes the phenomenon as true in itself, not logically right or wrong. The analytical psychological view of understanding mental phenomena asks the causal perspective of why the symptoms occurred. At the same time, the therapist, along with the patient, must seek answers to the question of why now and for what purpose. A therapist is a person who experiences the patient's personal development process together. In analytical psychotherapy, the therapist's attitude is more emphasized than the treatment method or technique; it is regarded as of the utmost importance. In this regard, analytical psychology is a practical and useful therapeutic tool, and is a field of study that can be widely used in actual psychiatric clinics. In addition to understanding the patient, it is also the most important discipline for the therapists, especially for the education and growth of those who want to become a treatment tool themselves.

• Journal of Korean Neuropsychiatric Association
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.28-34
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• 2017

Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate psychological effects of an outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), a newly emerged infectious disease, on doctors. Methods After the MERS outbreak was over, we conducted an online survey of doctors who worked at the hospitals in which exposure to MERS cases had been confirmed or who were directly involved in MERS diagnosis and treatment. The Patient Health Questionnaires-9 (PHQ-9) and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) assessment methods were used to assess the severity of depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms among the 64 doctors participating in the survey. Results The results of the survey indicate that 26.6% (n=17) of participants exhibited depressive symptoms and 7.8% (n=5) had post-traumatic stress symptoms. The doctors employed at hospitals with MERS cases had higher PHQ-9 and IES-R mean scores than those in doctors were not so employed. In contrast, there was no significant difference in those test scores between doctors who participated directly in MERS diagnosis and treatment and those doctors who did not. Conclusion The survey demonstrated that 28.1% (n=18) of doctors involved in MERS care suffered from depressive or posttraumatic stress symptoms, even though the MERS infection was being controlled. Working at a hospital with MERS cases was the primary determinant of the adverse psychological outcomes among doctors ; however, direct participation in the diagnosis and care of MERS patients was not significantly related to such outcomes.