• Korean Journal of Schizophrenia Research
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.14-20
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• 2019

Objectives: To identify factors related to physical health monitoring of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Methods: A total of 172 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder registered in mental health welfare centers and rehabilitation facilities in Gwangju were recruited. Physical health monitoring was defined by two health behaviors; fasting blood tests within recent 2 years in all participants and routine medical check-ups covered by national insurance within recent 5 years in participants aged 40 years or older. Demographic and clinical characteristics including overweight, metabolic syndrome and knowledge about physical illness were compared according to physical health monitoring. Results: Prevalence of overweight and metabolic syndrome were 62.8% and 40.1%, respectively. The rates of fasting blood tests and routine medical check-ups were 34.9% and 67.9%, respectively. The rates of fasting blood tests were significantly higher in general hospital and university hospital compared to mental hospital or private clinic. Rates of routine medical check-ups were significantly lower in individuals using daily rehabilitation service and smokers. Knowledge about cancer and chronic illness were significantly better in individuals receiving routine medical check-ups compared with those not receiving it. Conclusion: Education about physical health should be integrated to mental health service in community mental health center.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.129-137
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• 2010

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical application of Korean Traditional treatment to Jeon-zeong(癲證) with Chronic hypertrophic rhinitis. Methods : In this case, a 25 years old male patient has suffered by schizophrenia for 2 years and by Chronic rhinitis for 9 months. During 171 days, we treated the patient with Korean Traditional treatment. Specially blood-Letting therapy helped the patient to decrease the auditory hallucination, catalepsy and retardation as well as the snuffles. Results : After treatment. the chief complain and accompanying symptoms were subsided and improved. And Personal and social performance scale was increased. Conclusions : According to this study, Korean Traditional treatment such as Blood-Letting therapy, acupuncture and heb-medication is effective for the cure of Jeon-zeong(癲證) with Chronic hypertrophic rhinitis.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.215-227
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• 2010

Objectives : Jeon-Jeung(癲證) is one of negative symptoms from schizophrenia in Western medecine, which causes flattening of affect, emotional bluntness, and avolition. Compared with positive symptoms of schizophrenia, there is no established treatments that have been proved to be effective for negative symptoms, and since negative symptoms are chronically processed, they finally lead to devastate the mental health. Since Jeon-Jeung(癲證) is usually in set in adolescent period and tends to become chronic through life time, it is important to start getting treatments in early stage by being distinguished from other diseases, such as anxiety disorder. A patient in this case was affective blunting, general weakness, and delusion when sixteen years old. However, he refused to get Western medicine treatment and wanted oriental medicine treatment. Methods : The patient in this case had been suffered from severe stress from his family since he was young and had kept having irregular and unhealthy eating habits. Therefore, he diagnosed stagnant qi transforming into fire(氣鬱化火), heart blood deficiency(心血虛), and spleen-stomach deficiency cold(脾胃虛寒) and since then he had received several treatments including herbal treatment, acupumcture treatment, supportive therapy, and family therapy. These treatments were successful and reduced the level of symptoms. After discharged from the hospital, he had continued receiving outpatient treatment with his family for 8 months and his progress had been still observed after the discharge. Results : The symptoms of patient had been almost reduced and eliminated after he received 29days of admission treatment and the patient got better and better and now lives a normal life 8 months outpatient treatment. Conclusions : This result suggests that our oriental medical treatments and family treatments was effective on schizophrenia.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.199-209
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• 2020

This study was done to explore deeply the essence and meaning of gratitude experience of mothers who cares child with schizophrenia. This study was analysed through the use of the phenomenological method of Giorgi. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and field records with five motheres who cares child with schizophrenia. Data analysis revealed 18 sub-components, 5 components: 'I'm like fallen seed on barren soil without gratitude', 'gratitude coming into bud like sprout,' 'gratitude grown up into a tree through tolerance', 'gratitude bearing fruit of self-sufficiency and desire', and 'gratitude getting much richer with giving. The results from the study contribute to promoting understanding of the gratitude experience of mothers who cares child with schizophrenia and will be helpful for development of positive family nursing intervention.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.159-163
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• 2000

Background : Dopamine receptors are strong candidates for involvement in schizophrenia and are target of a wide variety of antipsychotics. Dopamine $D_5$ receptor(DRD5) gene polymorphisms may be associated with various treatment response. The purpose of our study was define to what significance can be held as a predictor of treatment response in this polymorphism. Method : The total number of 116 Korean chronic schizophrenic patients was assessed after 48 weeks treatment. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS) was rated for the clinical response to various antipsychotics. With the use of polymerase chain reaction amplification, we assessed this dopamine $D_5$ receptor polymorphism in schizophrenic patients who had been treated with antipsychotics, and related genotype with treatment response, to test the hypothesis that DRD5 polymorphism may lead to varying response to antipsychotics. Result : DRD5 polymorphism was not associated with treatment response to a variety of antipsychotics in chronic schizophrenic patients. Conclusion : Genetic variation of $D_5$ receptors do not predict treatment response to antispychotics.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.155-164
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• 2004

Objective:The present study examined the association between basic neurocognitive functions and emotional recognition in chronic schizophrenia. Furthermore, to Investigate cognitive variable related to emotion recognition in Schizophrenia. Methods:Forty eight patients from the Yongin Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center were evaluated for neurocognitive function, and Emotional Recognition Test which has four subscales finding emotional clue, discriminating emotions, understanding emotional context and emotional capacity. Measures of neurocognitive functioning were selected based on hypothesized relationships to perception of emotion. These measures included:1) Letter Number Sequencing Test, a measure of working memory;2) Word Fluency and Block Design, a measure of executive function;3) Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Korean version, a measure of verbal memory;4) Digit Span, a measure of immediate memory;5) Span of Apprehension Task, a measure of early visual processing, visual scanning;6) Continuous Performance Test, a measure of sustained attention functioning. Correlation analyses between specific neurocognitive measures and emotional recognition test were made. To examine the degree to which neurocognitive performance predicting emotional recognition, hierarchical regression analyses were also made. Results:Working memory, and verbal memory were closely related with emotional discrimination. Working memory, Span of Apprehension and Digit Span were closely related with contextual recognition. Among cognitive measures, Span of Apprehension, Working memory, Digit Span were most important variables in predicting emotional capacity. Conclusion:These results are relevant considering that emotional information processing depends, in part, on the abilities to scan the context and to use immediate working memory. These results indicated that mul- tifaceted cognitive training program added with Emotional Recognition Task(Cognitive Behavioral Rehabilitation Therapy added with Emotional Management Program) are promising.

• Korean Journal of Schizophrenia Research
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2019

Objectives: Clozapine is the drug of choice in treatment-resistant schizophrenia. However, its use is often delayed and a significant proportion of clozapine treated patients fails to respond and experience potentially dangerous side-effects. The aim of this retrospective study was to describe the clinical characteristics of patients started on clozapine and the rate and reason of discontinuation of clozapine. Methods: Medical records of 83 patients started on clozapine during the period of 2012-2016 were reviewed. Results: Clozapine started on patients in chronic phase; the mean age of start was 38.1 years old and the mean number of psychiatric admission was 6.5. A majority (80.7%) of the patients had been subjected to antipsychotic polypharmacy prior to clozapine and most (61.5%) of them were being treated with polypharmacy including clozapine. Overall, 39 (47.0%) subjects had continued clozapine whereas 15 (18.1%) discontinued it; 29 (34.9%) were lost to follow-up. The most common reason for discontinuation was side-effects (n=13) including six life-threatening cases, most of which occurred within 6 months of its start. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that there is some evidence of delays to clozapine use, high rates of polypharmacy and significant rate of discontinuation during the early phase of clozapine treatment.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.120-128
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• 1997

Clinical neuropsychological tests were developed originally for the diagnosis of neurological and neuro-surgical diseases. Recently, these tests are being introduced to psychiatric patients. Authors had the experience to use these tests in pychiatric outpatient clinic. Results were as follows. There was a significantly increase in language and attentional function in residual schizophrenia compared to normal control. In chronic neurosis, as visuospatial function was reduced, language and attentional functions were enhanced. With these results, authors suggest that application of neuropsychological tests in psychiatric patients may be very helpful in classifying the subgroups of disease, in selecting the modality of treatment, and in expecting prognosis.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.353-362
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• 2014

Objectives : The purpose of the study is to investigate the xerostomia in the chronic severe psychiatric patients in Korea because there were few reports on xerostomia in the psychiatric patients. Methods : The subjects were 61 psychiatric patients in the mental hospital by convenience cluster sampling. A self-reported symptom questionnaire was filled out by the three researchers on the basis of medical records by the informed consent. The stimulated salivary flow rate of the patients was measured by saliva sampling. Results : The subjects consisted of 45.9% of male and 54.1% of female. High school graduation accounted for 40.0% and 20.0% did not attend the school. The majority of the patients were medicaid recipients. Schizophrenia accounted for 86.9% and most patients were long term care recipients. A total of 68.9% of the patients suffered from salivary dysfunction. The medication in schizophrenia seemed to decrease the stimulated salivary flow rate and made the patients difficult in chewing and swallowing due to xerostomia and low saliva secretion(p<0.05). Conclusions : Medication in schizophrenic patients caused the salivary dysfunction. So the collaboration between the psychiatry doctors and dental hygienists is very important to improve the salivary secretion in the schizophrenic patients. The continuous and long term care of the xerostomia will help the patients maintain the good oral hygiene.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.127-135
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• 2004

Object:The goal of this study was to examine the changes in body weight and glucose levels of the patients treated with risperidone, clozapine or haloperidol in order to compare the effect of risperidone or clozapine with that of haloperidol. Methods:For nine months(January to September, 2003), a prospective study was performed in 60 patients with chronic schizophrenia who were in Seoul National Hospital. Two-week period was required for a drug wash-out. The patients were randomly assigned to risperidone, clozapine and haloperidol groups. They were given risperidone(n=20), clozapine(n=20) and haloperidol(n=20), respectively, everyday for 12 weeks. To examine the effects of these drugs on body weight and fasting glucose levels, we measured body weight and glucose levels of all the patients first without the drug treatment and at each end of 4, 8, and 12-week periods with the treatment. And we examined the differences among three groups in the changes of body weight and fasting glucose levels. Results:There were no significant differences in the changes of the body weight and fasting glucose levels between the atypical antipsychotics(risperidone or clozapine) and the typical antipsychotics(haloperidol). Conclusion:The study in the patients with chronic schizophrenia suggests that risperidone or clozapine do not cause any additional effects on body weight or glucose levels compared to haloperidol.