• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.135-142
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• 2020

Objectives : To identify the relationship between somatization, stress, depression, anxiety, and psychological symptoms risk for nurses working in the intensive care unit. Create clinical evidence of psychosomatic medicine research and complement the meaning of somatization. Methods : Seventy of the mental health checkups conducted by the National Mental Health Center among the nurses using tools including Perceived Stress scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, Patient Health questionnaire-15, Korean Beck Depression Inventory, Korean Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Symptom Checklist-90-Revision. Results : 12.9% of the patients experienced more than moderate somatization. There was no statistical relationship between somatization and psychological stress perception, but feeling of anxiety and decreased self-confidence were related to the level of somatization. The group with severe somatization experienced more depression and anxiety. The group with high physical fatigue also had no statistical relationship with psychological stress perception, but had an effect on the feeling of tension, stress, or decreased control. Physical fatigue level was increased by experience of depression, not by anxiety. For psychological symptoms the higher the level of somatization, the higher the obsession and hostility was explored. In the linear regression model, stress, depression, and anxiety accounted for 39.3% of somatization and 16.1% of physical fatigue symptoms. Conclusions : We can estimate the decrease in stress cognitive symptoms, accompanying depression and anxiety, compulsion and hostility as characteristics of somatization. The causal relationship between somatization and psychological symptoms cannot be confirmed in this study, but the interrelationships are observed, can be referred to mediation strategies.

• 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.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.95-101
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• 2021

Patients complaining with somatic symptoms are very common in clinical practice, and are often consulted to medical department. But it is difficult to treat well. The treatment of somatic symptom disorder is multi-modal as none of the methods on their own provide a satisfactory outcome. The treatment of somatic symptoms disorders is complicated by lack of boundary, conceptual clarity, and overemphasis on psychosocial causation and effectiveness of psychological treatments. In clinical practice all classes of psychotropics are used to treat somatic symptoms disorder. Drugs such as tricyclic antidepressants, serotonin reuptake inibitors(SSRI), serotonin and noradrenalin reuptake inhibitors (SNRI), atypical antipsychotics are studied. The evidence indicates that these drugs are effective in somatic symptom disorders. All classes of antidepressants seem to be effective against somatic symptom disorders. SSRIs are more effective against hypochondriasis and body dysmorphic disorder, and SNRIs appear to be more effective than other antidepressants when pain is predominant. The author suggest that psychiatrists should know how to treat patients complaining with somatic symptoms by using not only psychotherapeutic approach but also pharmacological treatment. It will be helpful to reduce suffering and increase quality of life of these patients.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.174-183
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• 2016

Objectives : The aim of this study is to evaluate difference of somatic symptoms of anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder and domainal association with suicidal idealization, plan, and attempts. Methods : A total of 359 adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder of last one year participated. Participants interviewed with certain sections of Korean version of Composite International Diagnostic interview of CIDI. Sections of interests includes questionnaires regarding somatic symptoms and suicidal idea, plan and attempts of last one year. Results : Chest pain shows more prevalence in major depressive disorder. Symptoms of Headache and loose stool are more prevalent in anxiety disorder. Difficulty in equilibrium and fainting spells are more common somatic complaints of co-diagnosis states of anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder. Comparing 3 domains of pain symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms and pseudo-neurological symptoms, pain symptom domains, gastrointestinal symptoms domain shows significant statistic difference between diagnosis. Average somatic symptom numbers of each symptom domains increase through suicidal idealization, plan and attempt, accordingly. Conclusions : Our finding shows some of somatic symptoms are more prevalent at certain diagnosis. Since increasing numbers of somatic complaints of each symptom domains goes with the suicidal idealization to suicidal attempts, proper psychiatric evaluation and consultations are crucial for patients with numerous somatic complaints in non-psychiatric clinical settings.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.48-54
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• 2002

Objectives : Aims of the study were to investigate the physical and mental symptom profiles related with perceived life stress in normal populations. Methods: The study subjects were 186 subjects who visited the Health Promotion Center at National Health Insurance Corporation Ilsan Hospital between July and December, 2000. We measured Life Stress Assessment Scale (LSAS), SCL-90-R (Symptom Check List-90 Revised), and Physical Health Check Questionnaires to evaluate perceived life stress for one year, and physical and mental symptoms. The physical markers related with stress were also measured. According to LSAS scores, we selected two groups from all subjects : Group I (LSAS score with lower 25 percentile) and Group II (LSAS score with higher 75 percentile). Each number of subjects was 46 in Group I and 47 in Group II. We analyzed stasistical significances of study variables between Group I and II. Results : Group II subjects showed higher scores in all subscales of SCL-90-R compared to Group I subjects. Comparing to Group I, Group II subjects complained more physiological symptoms related with anxiety and depression. But there were no statistical differences in the physical markers related stress between two groups. Conclusion: We found that past year-life stress caused various mental and physical symptoms, which didn't develop any physical illness related life stress in normal populations yet.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.43-53
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• 2016

Objectives : Somatic symptoms after the exposure of psychological trauma frequently developed. However, the somatic symptoms are not covered under the diagnostic criteria of posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD) in detail, although they are often associated with social and occupational functioning and patient-doctor relationships. The aim of this article is to highlight the potential mechanisms, the common manifestations, and the treatment of the somatic symptoms. Methods : This article studied the somatic symptoms searched using academic search engines like PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, KoreaMed and KISS from the earliest available date of indexing to March 31, 2016. Results : The mechanism of somatic symptoms after the exposure was described as psychological and physiological aspects. Psychological mechanism consisted of psychodynamic theory, cognitive behavioral theory, and others. Physiological mechanism involved changes in neuroendocrine and immune system, autonomic nervous system and central nervous system. Somatization associated with psychological trauma manifested various health conditions on head and neck, chest, abdominal, musculoskeletal, and dermatological and immune system. Few studies described the standardization of treatment for the somatic symptoms. Conclusions : Clinicians and disaster behavioral health providers should think of the accompanying somatic symptoms during intervention of psychological trauma and PTSD. Further studies are needed on the somatic symptoms seen in psychological trauma and PTSD.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.30-36
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• 2009

Objectives : Thyroid function is associated with psychiatric disturbance such as mood symptoms, cognitive functions, anxiety and sleep problem. We evaluate the effects of thyroid dysfunction on negative symptoms of schizophrenia, mood symptoms and somatic symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. Methods : Sixty five patients with schizophrenia were recruited. The patients were classified into two groups; the patients with the history of abnormal thyroid indices level(group of abnormal thyroid function) and the patients without the history of normal thyroid indices level(group of normal thyroid function). At baseline and 8 weeks later, psychiatric symptoms were assessed with the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms(SAPS), and Beck Depression Inventory(BDI), Somatosensory Amplication Scale(SSAS). Results : During 8 weeks, there were significant differences in the changes of SANS, BDI, SSAS between group of abnormal thyroid function and group of normal thyroid function. Compared to group of normal thyroid function, group of abnormal thyroid function showed greater reduction of the scores of SANS(23.3%), BDI (19.6%), and SSAS(16.2%), respectively. However, there was no significant correlation between the scores of SANS, BDI, and SSAS. Conclusion : Our study suggested that abnormal thyroid indices would predict the prognosis of negative symptoms, mood symptoms, and somatic symtpoms in patients with schizophrenia.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.102-110
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• 2021

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics of the perception of the somatic symptoms and the cognitive emotion regulation strategies in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Methods : A total of 48 patients meeting DSM-5 criteria for PTSD and 48 normal controls were recruited for participation in this study. We evaluated subjects using Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), Somato-Sensory Amplification Scale (SSAS), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ). We analyzed data using an independent t-test and Pearson's correlation analysis. Results : In terms of SSAS, PTSD patients presented higher average SSAS scores than normal controls but the result is not statistically significant. In PTSD patients, the severity of PTSD is significantly correlated with CERQ-rumination and CERQ-catastrophizing. The SSAS scores of PTSD patients show the significant positive correlation with PTSD hyperarousal symptoms, CERQ-catastrophizing and CERQ-blaming others. Conclusions : These results reveal that patients with PTSD have maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies such as rumination and catastrophizing. Somato-sensory amplification seems to be related with PTSD hyperarousal, CERQ-catastrophizing and CERQ-blaming others. Therefore, reducing somato-sensory amplification, rumination and catastrophizing can be helpful to reduce PTSD symptoms and somatic symptoms in PTSD patients.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.203-212
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• 1999

Objectives : "Alexithymia" mean literally "no word for mood(or emotion)". It is not only a marked constriction in emotional functioning but a deficit in their cognitive processing. We designed this study to investigate the level of alexithymia, psychopathology and personality factors of patients with somatoform disorder and with diabetes mellitus. Methods : The subjects were consisted of patients with somatoform disorder(N=20), patients with diabetes mellitus(N=20), and normal control(N=20). The level of alexithymia, psychopathology and personality factors were assessed by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale(TAS), the Symptom Checklist 90-Revision(SCL 90-R), and the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire(16-PF). And we compared demographic characteristics, psychopathology and personality factors among three groups, and assessed the relationship between alexithymia and psychopathology, and between alexithymia and personality factors. Results : The results were as follows. 1) Patients with somatoform disorder showed significantly higher TAS scores compared to patients with diabetes mellitus and the normal control group. 2) Patients With somatoform disorder showed significantly higher scores of somatization, anxiety scales than patients with diabetes mellitus and the normal control group, and showed significantly higher scores of obsessive-compulsive, depression, phobic anxiety, psychoticism scales than the normal control group by the SCL-90-R. 3) The normal control group showed high intelligence scores only as compared to patients with somatoform disorder by the 16-PF. 4) A significant relationship was found between TAS scores and psychopathology in patients with somatoform disorder. 5) All three groups did not shown any correlation between TAS and 16-PF. Conclusion : Patients with somatoform disorder showed higher TAS scores and more multiple psychopathology than patients with diabetes mellitus and the normal controls. A significant relationship was found between TAS scores and psychopathology in patients with somatoform disorder. We suggest that the therapeutic approach to patients with somatoform disorder to express emotions and manage psychopathology, and that the treatment methods of patients with diabetes mellitus aims to improve firstly physical conditions are more helpful.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.5155-5162
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to define the factor giving effect to Adolescent's suicide thinking by grasping the degree of the middle school student's victimization of violence and mental health and physical symptoms. The subjects of this study were 176 persons in middle school students. As collected data was using SPSS Win 17.0 for Hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The results of this study as follows. school violence, mental health and physical symptoms between the correlation analysis conducted to identify statistically significant results at the level of correlation between variables that were analyzed. school violence impact on suicide thinking. mental health impact on suicide thinking.