• Anxiety and mood
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2014

Objective : Panic disorders are frequently accompanied by major depressive disorder (MDD). There is insufficient information about which clinical factors in panic disorder are associated with comorbid MDD. The aim of this study is to identify clinical factors related with comorbid MDD in patients with panic disorder. Methods : Two experienced psychiatrists diagnosed panic disorder based on DSM-IV criteria. This diagnosis in the 275 subjects was confirmed again by Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Lifetime comorbid psychiatric diagnoses were examined by MINI. The Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) and Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) were used to assess the severity of depressive, anxiety and panic symptoms. Results : The result of MINI showed that 95 patients (34%) with panic disorder satisfied the diagnosis of MDD. Multivariate logistic regression model showed that comorbid generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and the symptom of "fear of losing control or going crazy" were associated with MDD in patients with panic disorder. In female patients, the "chills or hot flushes" symptom was also associated with comorbid MDD. Conclusion : These results showed that coexisting GAD and certain symptoms of panic are associated with comorbid MDD.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.31-48
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• 2005

Purpose: Studies focus on cancer control, prevention, or assessment of psychosocial problems and intervention methods. However, few studies exist concerning psychosocial problems, measuring tools for those problems, and interventions for cancer patients in Korea. One of the purposes of this study was to review studies in this area, to examine various psychosocial problems experienced by cancer patients. This is a crucial area to investigate, since psychosocial problems in turn negatively influence the patients' immune function, which speeds the progress of the disease. Another goal was to identify instruments used to measure psychosocial functioning and problems in cancer patients, to analyze their validity and reliability, with the aim to discover the best instruments. A final goal was to explore and compare the effects of psychosocial interventions, to determine the most effective practices. Method: Journal articles published since 1995 were searched from PubMed Data base, Google search engine, and published cancer-related studies, using search keywords "psychosocial function and intervention for the cancer patients"; whole articles of selected references were reviewed and analyzed. Result: Most common psychosocial problems were depression, fatigue, nausea, pain, distress, resulting in a low quality of life. The seven scales found in the literature to assess the psychosocial functioning were Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Symptom Checklist 90-R, Profile of Mood States, Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale, Brief Symptom Inventory, and SF-36 HRQOL(Health Related Quality of Life). Social support interventions for cancer patients were effective in improving quality of life scores. Conclusion: It is necessary to apply support intervention strategies to help cancer patients in Korea. These strategies can help to reduce the effects of psychosocial symptoms, which in turn affect the development and control of cancer. Strategies developed in Western countries may need to be modified for use within Korea. Further studies are warranted to review the support intervention strategies that were being used to for cancer patients

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.176-182
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• 2011

Objectives: Previous investigations have presented some evidence of late cognitive effects in dental personnel exposed to metallic mercury. We wanted to examine if Norwegian dentists have an increased prevalence of symptoms consistent with neurological and/or cognitive malfunction. Methods: The study group consisted of 406 dentists from central Norway and 217 controls from the general population, all under the age of 70. They had responded to a standardised postal questionnaire (Euroquest) inquiring about seven symptoms in regard to neurology, psychosomatics, memory, concentration, mood, sleep disturbances, and fatigue. A score was calculated for each symptom based on 4 to 15 single questions scored on a scale from 1 (seldom or never) to 4 (very often). Results: The dentists and controls had a participation rate of 57.2 % and 42.9 % respectively. The dentists reported no more cognitive symptoms than the controls, with low average symptom scores from 1.16 for neurological symptoms in males to 1.73 for fatigue in females. Corresponding figures for the controls were 1.22 and 1.77. There were a total of 1.2 % of the dentists and 1.8 % of the controls who reported having three or more of the seven symptoms "often" or more frequently. Conclusion: Norwegian dentists do not report more cognitive and neurological symptoms than controls from the general population.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.40-47
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• 2011

Objective : This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in schizophrenia, and the relationship among OCD, severity of psychopathology, and social function in stable patients with chronic schizophrenia. Methods : We interviewed 138 symptom-stable inpatients who had been on a constant dose of antipsychotics for at least 1 month prior and diagnosed as chronic schizophrenia. Subsequently, patients were classified according to the existence of OCD as investigated using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders (SCID-I) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). Further, all clinical and demographic data was investigated. To investigate potential interrelationships, the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), Korea-Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (K-PANSS), and the Korean Personal and Social Performance (K-PSP) were used. An independent ttest and Chi-square test were used to compare groups and a Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between the Y-BOCS and other clinical rating scales. Results : The prevalence of OCD in schizophrenia patients was 18.1%. Patients with schizophrenia and OCD exhibited significantly earlier onset of schizophrenia, more severe psychiatric symptoms, and lower personal and social performance ability as compared to those without OCD. There was no significant relationship among Y-BOCS, K-PANSS, and K-PSP. Conclusion : We found that comorbid OCD was relatively more frequent in patients with schizophrenia. An investigation involving larger samples of schizophrenia patients with OCD with respect to social function and thus, the effect on quality of life is required.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.31-40
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• 2012

Objective : The purpose of this study was to analyze the correlation between symptom severity and neurocognitive factors in traumatic head injury patients. In addition, the effect of frontal lobe damage on these parameters was examined. Methods : We selected 18 patients who had brain damage for the moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (MSTBI) group, and 17 patients who met the diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) without the finding of brain damage for the comparison group. For the evaluation of neurocognitive function, K-WAIS, Rey-Kim Memory Test, K-FENT, WCST, and MMPI-2 were used. Results : The results of the comparison (using the malingering scale) revealed that the values of PDS and PK, which express the severity of symptoms, and the values of the validity scale F, F (B), and F (P) were significantly higher in the overly-expressed group. F (B) in overly-expressed group and PK, Pt, and Sc in the properly-expressed group had significant correlation with the severity of symptoms. F (B), S, and Stroop error inhibition in PTSD, and PK, Pt, Sc, and MQ in MSTBI had significant correlation with the severity of symptoms. The results of the comparison based on the finding of frontal lobe damage revealed that PDS, EIQ, and MQ ware significantly higher in the group without brain damage. Conclusions : It was revealed that each neurocognitive factor was correlated with the severity of symptoms. There was a decrease in complaints or symptoms reported by the frontal lobe injury group, and this is believed to be due to degenerative change in the personality and emotional functioning of these patients following frontal lobe damage.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.62-67
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• 2008

Objectives : Gender differences in demographic characteristics, symptom presentation, and severity may influence the selection of target behaviors as well as the course and outcome of therapeutic interventions for patients with social phobia. The purpose of this study was to explore the gender differences in the symptomatic characteristics of Korean patients with social phobia. Methods : A total of 256 outpatients with social phobia at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital were included in this study. All subjects were evaluated using the Korean version of the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview Plus. Potential differences in demographic characteristics, severity of anxiety, and situational fear and avoidance were examined. Self-report questionnaires and interviewer-administered instruments, including the Social Phobia Scale (SPS), Social Phobia subscale of the Fear Questionnaire (FQ-social), Appraisal of Social Concerns (ASC), and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), were used to evaluate the severity of the patients' symptoms. Results : There were no gender differences in demographic characteristics, age, age at onset of social phobia, total SPS score, FQ-Social score, ASC score, and LSAS score. In addition, there was no gender difference in the severity of fear in specific social situations. However, women reported significantly higher total scores on the social helplessness category of the ASC than men (p=0.009). Conclusion : Previous studies reported that the severity of social phobia symptoms is greater in women than in men, but our results suggest that there are no significant gender differences in the severity of social phobia symptoms. Thus, gender differences among patients with social phobia are discussed in the context of traditional sex-role expectations.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.10-18
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• 2023

Objective : The 18-item Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) is widely employed to assess symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, this instrument's factor structure does not align with contemporary dimensional models of OCD. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine psychometric properties of the 12-item Korean OCI (OCI-12) on four obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions, in patients with OCD. Methods : A total of 157 patients with OCD and 51 healthy controls completed psychological measures, including the OCI-R, Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS), and scales evaluating anxiety and depressive symptoms. Pychometric characteristics of the OCI-12 with three neutralizing and three hoarding items eliminated from the OCI-R, were analyzed. Results : All OCI-12 items registered excellent internal consistency at 0.83. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed strong association between individual items and their proposed latent factors (i.e., subscales). Convergent validity was appropriate. A high correlation was particularly observed for the DOCS score (r=0.71, p<0 .001). Moreover, the OCI-12 was as sensitive as the OCI-R for determining effects of empirically supported treatment for OCD. Conclusion : The OCI-12 is a 12-item measure that adheres to the prevailing 4-factor model of OCD dimensions. Like OCI-R, it possesses good to excellent psychometric properties, including reliability, validity, and sensitivity to treatment.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.48-55
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• 2022

Objective : Childhood trauma is a risk factor for and resilience is a protective factor against later affective symptoms. The current study aimed to explore the relation between childhood trauma and anxiety symptoms and the mediating effect of resilience in a sample of college students. Methods : Data from 238 subjects who completed the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) were analyzed. Predictors for BAI score and factor analyzed anxiety symptom dimensions were examined using regression models. Path analytic models were applied to test the mediating effect of the CD-RICS score on BAI score. Results : The CTQ score was significantly associated with the BAI score and the mediating effect of CD-RISC was significant as well. The cognitive dimension of anxiety was related to emotional abuse while the somatic dimension of anxiety to physical neglect. The CD-RISC score did not mediate those relations between anxiety dimensions and individual types of childhood trauma. Conclusion : Our data suggest that childhood trauma contributes to adult anxiety symptoms. There may be specific relations between types of childhood trauma and anxiety symptoms dimensions.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.211-218
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• 2012

Objectives Body image distortion is found in eating disorder and obesity and there are some evidence that schizophrenia is associated with body image distortion. This study sought to find whether schizophrenic patients report more body image distortion than healthy individuals and whether it is related with symptomatology. Methods A total of 88 inpatients with schizophrenia and 88 healthy controls were recruited. Weight, height, and body image accuracy were assessed in all participants, and assessment of mood, psychotic symptom severity and self-esteem, and personal and social performance scale were conducted. Results The patients with schizophrenia had higher Body Mass Index (p < 0. 001) and underestimated their body size more than controls (26.14% vs. 5.13%, p < 0.001). Multiple regression analysis showed that lower depressive symptoms and higher scores of general psychopathology predicted underestimation of body size. Conclusion Weight gain and metabolic syndrome are common adverse events of pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia. Thus, underestimation of body size among patients with schizophrenia may interfere with effort to lose weight or seek weight reduction programs. Clinicians need to consider possible unterestimation of underestimation of body size in patients whose general symptomatology is severe.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.892-901
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• 2020

Objective: This study reports the effect of Korean traditional medicine on persistent chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Methods: The patient was treated with Korean traditional medicine that included acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbal medicine. The effectiveness of the treatment was evaluated by the Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (QLQ-C30), the Quality of Life Questionnaire Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (QLQ-CIPN20), the Medicinae Doctor Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI), and a numeral rating scale (NRS). We also used the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to evaluate the patient's mood change after relieving the paresthesia. Results: After treatment, the symptoms were improved. Paresthesia decreased 80%p after Korean medicine treatment. Conclusions: According to this study, Korean traditional medicine can be an effective treatment for paresthesia in patients suffering from CIPN over 2 years.