• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.48 no.5
• /
• pp.257-263
• /
• 2015

Objectives: Although the prevalence of depressive disorders in South Korea's general population is known, no reports on the prevalence of depression among patients who visit primary care facilities have been published. This preliminary study was conducted to identify the prevalence of depressive disorder in patients that visit two primary care facilities. Methods: Among 231 consecutive eligible patients who visited two primary care settings, 184 patients consented to a diagnostic interview for depression by psychiatrists following the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV criteria. There were no significant differences in sociodemographic characteristics such as gender, age, or level of education between the groups that consented and declined the diagnostic examination. The prevalence of depressive disorder and the proportion of newly diagnosed patients among depressive disorder patients were calculated. Results: The prevalence of depressive disorder of patients in the two primary care facilities was 14.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 9.1 to 19.2), with major depressive disorder 5.4% (95% CI, 2.1 to 8.7), dysthymia 1.1% (95% CI, 0.0 to 2.6), and depressive disorder, not otherwise specified 7.6% (95% CI, 3.7 to 11.5). Among the 26 patients with depressive disorder, 19 patients were newly diagnosed. Conclusions: As compared to the general population, a higher prevalence of depressive disorders was observed among patients at two primary care facilities. Further study is needed with larger samples to inform the development of a primary care setting-based depression screening, management, and referral system to increase the efficiency of limited health care resources.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.11
• /
• pp.4531-4536
• /
• 2015

Objective: To investigate the influence of offspring-related characteristics on the prevalence of depressive disorders among cancer patients and those who survived cancer for at least 45 years. Materials and Methods: Data were obtained from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA). To investigate the association between offspring and depressive disorder among cancer patients and survivors, we analyzed data from 292 cancer patients and survivors drawn from a total subject pool of 16,613 individuals at baseline. Results: According to our results, the odds ratio (OR) for subjects with five or more offspring developing depressive disorder was -0.794 (p-value: 0.039, SE: 0.329) compared with that of those with two offspring. In addition, the adjusted effect of the number of male and female offspring on the presence of depressive disorder showed that the OR for those with three or more female offspring for developing depressive disorder was -0.958 lower (SE: 0.305, p-value: 0.012) than it was for those with no female offspring. Conclusions: This article provides evidence for an association between offspring-related characteristics and depressive disorders among cancer patients and survivors. Therefore, offspring may be important contributors to the emotional status of cancer patients and survivors. Further study should precisely need to measure depressive disorders because of self-reported data.

• Anxiety and mood
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.3-9
• /
• 2013

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is defined as the tendency to react negatively on an emotional, cognitive, and behavioral level to uncertain situations and events. However, this definition is somewhat categorical and does not explain the phenomenology of IU. Intolerance of uncertainty scale (IUS), the standard measure of IU, was considered to have two factors : 'unacceptability and avoidance of uncertainty' and 'uncertainty leading to the inability to act'. IU may be a cognitive vulnerability factor for clinical worry and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). A number of moderators and mediators including cognitive avoidance, experiential avoidance and rumination influence the relationship between IU, worry, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, anxious and depressive symptoms. IU may be more strongly related to the symptoms of GAD than to symptoms of other anxiety disorders including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and major depressive disorder. IU may serve as an important transdiagnostic feature across anxiety and depressive disorders. Incorporating IU-specific treatment components into therapeutic protocols may result in pervasive benefits, and not only for those with GAD or OCD, but for people with any anxiety disorder or with depression.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.185-194
• /
• 1997

A comparison was made regarding illness behavior among patients with somatoform disorders, depressive disorders and psychosomatic disorders. The subjects consisted of out-patients with somatoform disorders(N=52), depressive disorders(N=52) and psychosomatic disorders(N=51). illness behavior was assessed by illness Behavior Assessment Schedule and the questionnaire about help-seeking behavior. The patients with somatoform disorders and psychosomatic disorders more often affirmed the presence of somatic disease, were more likely to have phobia of disease, had more preoccupation with ideas of disease and more frequently shopped around oriental clinics than the patients with depressive disorders. The patients with somatoform disorders more often attributed its cause to physical factors, less often attributed the origin of affective disturbance to psychological causes, showed Less depression and irritability, and were less likely to accept psychiatric treatment recommended by other physicians than depressive patients. The patients with somatoform disorders were more likely to report having been told that they suffered from a mild illness than those with psychosomatic disorders. The patients with somatoform disorders with psychological problems tended to inhibit expression of their emotion. Female patients with somatoform disorders more often affirmed the presence of psychological disorder and attributed its cause to psychological factors than male ones. These results suggest that in illness behavior, patients with somatoform disorders are different from depressive patients, whereas the former patients are similar to psychosomatic patients except the discrepancy between therapists and patients regarding evaluation of their symptoms. Thus, it is emphasized that first, therapists need to approach patients with somatoform disorders somatically with understanding of their underlying need to deny psychological problems, followed by either psychological or biopsychosocial approach.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.162-168
• /
• 2021

Objectives : Although dysfunctional breathing is a common symptom in general population and affects qualities of life, it is still underdiagnosed. There are some studies of prevalence of it in astma, but few studies in anxiety and depressive disorders. The purposes of this study were to explore the prevalence of it in anxiety and depressive disorders, and to investigate whether anxiety and depressed mood influence it. Methods : 135 patients diagnosed with anxiety or depressive disorders, and 124 controls were recruited. Nijmegen questionnaire was used to assess dysfunctional breathing, and Hospital anxiety depression scale was used. Results : The prevalence of dysfunctional breathing in anxiety or depressive disorders was higher than that in control. In the linear regression model, anxiety accounted for 59.6% of dysfunctional breathing, but depressed mood did not. With covariate adjusted for anxiety, scores of dysfunctional breathing in anxiety or depressive disorders were higher than in controls. Conclusions : Dysfunctional breathing in anxiety or depressive disorders is higher than that in control. Adjusting anxiety, its difference is still. Anxiety affects dysfunctional breathing, but depressed mood does not.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.144-151
• /
• 2006

Objectives : Cognitive therapy is the most extensively researched psychological treatment for nonpsychotic unipolar outpatient depressive disorders. This review focused on the utility of this approach in severe or chronic depressive disorders, in relapse prevention and also on the potential benefits of combining cognitive therapy with medication. Methods : The author reviewed original studies and quantitative analyses on the effects of cognitive therapy, predictors of response, and neuroimaging studies of cognitive therapy in major depressive disorder. The sources used for the literature search were data bases : PubMed, EMBASE, CDSR on the internet, references in papers or books. Results : This review suggests that cognitive therapy is as effective as antidepressant medication in severe depressive disorders. And cognitive therapy can be an effective alternative to antidepressant medication. Patients benefited significantly more from combined cognitive therapy and antidepressant treatment than from either treatment alone. Most importantly, the addition of cognitive therapy to usual treatment appears to protect against future relapse in individuals known to be at high risk of repeated episodes of depression. In addition, subjects who received cognitive therapy showed significantly greater improvements in chronic depression than receiving antidepressant medication. Pooled data suggests that there is a significant relationship between the therapist's level of training or experience, the type of therapy used and patient outcome. Recent functional imaging studies examining brain changes following cognitive therapy report a variety of regional effects, but there is no consistent pattern across the few published studies. Conclusion : Cognitive therapy has proved beneficial in treating depressive patients. Despite empirical data supporting its efficacy, there are still problems in gaining access to cognitive therapy in clinical practice.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.226-233
• /
• 2006

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders. Some characteristics of depression in Korea were elucidated. The tendency to express depressive feeling through somatic complaints is more prominent in Korea than in Western countries. Careful studies on depressive symptoms suggest that guilt and suicidal idea are apparent among Korean depressive patients as well as among Western subjects. But most depressive patients in Korea are reluctant to express suicidal idea, which is hidden under the somatic complaints. We should remember the possibility of research artifacts or cultural bias with regard to the evaluation of depressive symptoms of a country in comparison with other countries. Non-pharmacological treatment of depression includes dynamic psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, self-care treatment, etc. Some kinds of Korean culture relevant psychotherapies are introduced: Tea therapy, Imago therapy, Tao psychotherapy, and combined approach. Interest in the aged people is growing recently, and the research about the factors which affect the depressive disorders in older patients and treatment strategy for them is ongoing.

• Anxiety and mood
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.20-28
• /
• 2019

Objective : The purpose of this study was to compare and analyze effectiveness of various psychotherapies of depressive symptoms in patients with anxiety disorders by means of a systemic review. Methods : A systematic search using key words was conducted using EMBASE, MEDLINE and CENTRAL. Results : Five studies were included in this systematic review. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) was used for quality assessment. Diagnostic-specific cognitive behavioral therapies for various anxiety disorders (ds CBT) were also effective in reducing comorbid depression. Transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapies targeting anxiety and depression (tCBT-AD) were not superior than ds CBT for anxiety disorders. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) was more effective than traditional cognitive behavioral therapy. Conclusion : ds CBT relieves anxiety symptoms as well as depressive symptoms comorbid with anxiety disorders effectively. In addition, MBSR is more successful for anxiety disorders with co-occurring depression by focusing broadly on the shifting relationship to internal experience rather than focusing narrowly on specific symptoms.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.74-83
• /
• 2020

Objectives Psychological resilience plays a significant role in many aspects of mental health. The aim of this study was to find an association between childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) features and adulthood psychological resilience in patients with mood disorders. Methods A total of 213 patients with mood disorders including major depressive disorder or bipolar I, II disorder and 909 healthy controls were included. We assessed childhood ADHD features using the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS), adulthood psychological resilience using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and current depressive mood using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Pearson's correlation, multiple linear regression and a mediation analyses were performed to examine the relationships between three WURS factor (impulsivity, inattention, and mood instability) scores, the BDI score, and the CD-RISC score. Results The CD-RISC score was negatively correlated with the WURS childhood inattention factor score and current BDI score in patients with mood disorders. BDI score mediated the influence of the inattention factor score on CD-RISC score among patients with mood disorders. The CD-RISC score was significantly lower in patients with mood disorders than in controls even after controlling for age, WURS scores, and the BDI score. Conclusions An evaluation of psychological resilience is important for enhancing recovery and quality of life in patients with mood disorders. When assessing psychological resilience, current depression and ADHD features in childhood, particularly inattention, should be considered.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.212-218
• /
• 2017

Objectives We aimed to examine whether mindfulness skills are mediating the improvements of depressive symptoms in patients with mood disorders who practiced Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). Methods A total of 19 patients with mood disorder were included in this study. The participants were divided into two subgroups: a normal to mild depression group and a moderate depression group. The participants completed questionnaires to assess depressive symptoms, anxiety, quality of life, suicidal idea, and mindfulness skills which were measured by the Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) before and after MBCT course. Results The moderate depression group showed improvements through MBCT in depressive symptoms and suicidal idea, but not in anxiety and quality of life. The normal to mild depression group showed no significant change through MBCT. The improvement of depressive symptoms in the moderate depression group was predictable by improvements of the five facets of mindfulness, especially by 'observe' and 'non-react' components. Conclusions This study showed that currently depressive patients with moderate severity but not with normal to mild severity benefit from MBCT in reducing depressive symptoms and suicidal idea. The improvement of depressive symptoms was mediated by improved mindfulness skills through MBCT.