• The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.129-135
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• 2011

Purpose: This study was done to examine the effects of Tai Chi exercise program on BMI, positive and negative psychiatric symptoms in patient with schizophrenia. Methods: The participants were patient with schizophrenia in S psychiatric hospital in D city. Twenty five patients were assigned to experimental group, and 26 patients were assigned to control group. Data were collected from May 9, to July 8, 2011. The Tai Chi exercise program was conducted with a duration of 60 minutes, 2 times a week for 8 weeks (a total 8 times). Measures were BMI, positive and negative psychiatric symptoms. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test and t-test with SPSS/WIN 19.0 version. Result: The experimental group received Tai Chi exercise program had a significant changes in BMI, positive and negative psychiatric symptoms. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that Tai Chi exercise program is an effective intervention program to improve the BMI, positive and negative psychiatric symptoms of patients with schizophrenia.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.179-186
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• 2013

Objectives This study is designed to compare the clinical characteristics of patients with early onset schizophrenia to those of adult onset schizophrenia patients in first episode. Methods Authors reviewed medical records of 16 early-onset schizophrenia patients and 22 adult-onset schizophrenia patients who had been admitted in the psychiatric ward and diagnosed as schizophrenia according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth Edition (DSM-IV) at Eulji University Hospital during 2004-2008. Socio-demographic data and clinical characteristics such as duration between onset and active phase, number of significant positive and negative symptoms, positive and negative symptom scores of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) scores, duration from onset to admission, duration of admission, and equivalent dose of antipsychotics were reviewed. These clinical characteristics of early-onset group were compared to those of adult-onset group. Correlation between age of onset and other clinical characteristics was also analyzed. Results Early-onset group showed more insidious onset pattern and had longer duration of hospitalization than adult-onset group. Early onset group also exhibited more negative symptoms, higher negative symptom scores, and higher CGI-S scores than adult-onset group after treatment. However, there were no significant differences in family history of psychosis, positive symptom frequency at discharge and equivalent dose of antipsychotics between two groups. Conclusions This study revealed that patients with early-onset schizophrenia exhibited more insidious onset, more negative symptoms, and more severe symptoms than those with adult-onset schizophrenia after treatment.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.62-71
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of listening to music in inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia, on their auditory hallucinations, and positive and negative symptoms. Methods: A quasi-experimental research design with $2{\times}2$ cross-over trial and convenience sample was used. Eleven patients (Group AB) listened to music followed by a wash out period and then a usual care period, and 12 patients (Group BA) had a usual care period followed by a wash out period and then listened to music. For one week those who were in the experimental period listened to individualized music using an MP3 player whenever they heard hallucinations. Results: There was a statistically significant decrease in the frequency of auditory hallucinations after listening to the music. There was a decrease in the mean scores for positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and general psychopathology after listening to music, but only negative symptoms showed a statistically significant decrease. The treatment effects on scores for positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and general psychopathology were greater in Group BA than Group AB. Conclusion: These findings suggest that listening to music may be useful for managing auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia inpatients.

• 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.

• 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 Biological Psychiatry
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.122-128
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• 2007

Objectives : The aim of this study was to investigate relationships between psychotic symptoms and cognitive functions in schizophrenia. Methods : The study group was composed of 36 schizophrenic patients. Positive, negative, and disorganization symptoms were assessed using the PANSS. Verbal, visuospatial, attention, memory, and executive functions were assessed using a battery of cognitive tests. Results : Correlation analysis between symptom vs. cognitive measures showed that (a) positive symptoms were significantly correlated with no cognitive measures, (b) negative symptoms were significantly correlated with all cognitive measures, and (c) disorganization symptoms were significantly correlated with executive and memory measures. Correlation analyses between symptom vs. cognitive factors showed that negative-disorganization factor is significantly correlated with executive-memory factor. Conclusion : Significant relationships were confined mostly to frontal symptoms vs. frontal cognitive functions. Thus, the relationships may be mediated mainly by variations in severity of frontal pathology among patients.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.149-154
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• 1998

Antipsychotic drugs(APDs) have been effective to alleviate psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia. However, some schizophrenic patients do not respond to APDs. In addition to psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia, negative symptoms, excitement, violence, agitation, depression, and disorganization are frequently noted in patients with schizophrenia. Though APDs are the first line drugs for these symptoms, other drugs than APDs to augment the effects of APDs are efficacious for the treatment of these symptoms. Such augmenting drugs include benzodiazepines, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, lithium, and electroconvulsive therapy. These augmentation strategies can boost the effects of APDs or decrease the requirements of APDs, and consequently decrease the chance of the occurrence of side effects of APDs. Augmenting strategies are revewed for each class of drugs or treatment modality.

• Korean Journal of Schizophrenia Research
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.51-55
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• 2019

Objectives: Late-onset schizophrenia (LOS, age at first onset ≥40 years) is characterized by including predominance of women, better premorbid social adjustment and lower severity of positive/negative symptoms. However, few studies have been conducted on LOS, especially in Asian countries. This study aimed to examine the clinical features of LOS in comparison with early-onset schizophrenia (EOS). Methods: By retrospectively reviewing medical records, we assessed demographic data and clinical features of 76 LOS (20 males) and 357 EOS (144 males) who admitted to the psychiatric ward of a general hospital. Results: The mean ages of onset were 47.3±5.1 (LOS) and 25.7±6.5 (EOS) years. There were significantly more women in LOS (73.7%) than EOS (59.6%). Significantly more LOS patients had a marital (88.2% vs. 25.8%) and employment history (28.9% vs. 13.1%) than EOS. Patients with LOS had fewer negative (14.3±9.0 vs. 19.9±9.3), general psychopathology score (36.9±11.1 vs. 42.3±13.9) than EOS patients. Conclusion: In line with previous studies, this study demonstrated that LOS patients have better premorbid social adjustment. Our finding also replicates previous findings that LOS patients differ from EOS in predominance of women and relative lack of negative symptoms. These results suggest that LOS may be a distinct subtype of schizophrenia.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.75-82
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• 1996

Object : The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes of positive stmtoms. negative symptoms, and depressive symptoms after fluoxetine trial in haloperidol-stabilized schizophrenic in-patients. Method : Fluoxetine(20mg/day) was added for 6weeks to stable doses of haloperidol given to 32 schizophrenic in-patients. The subjects was divided into positive and negative schizophrenics by PANSS. The authors checked PANSS. HRSD at baseline, the 2nd week. the 4th week, the 6th week of treatment. Result were as follows : 1) In all subjects, positive and depressive symptoms were significantly improved. 2) As time went on, positive and negative symptoms were not significantly improved in positive and negative schizophrenics. 3) As time went on, depressive symptoms were not significantly improved in positive and negative schizophrenics. Conclusion : We suggested that fluoxetine may be useful in the treatment of positive symptoms in schizophrenia and, It may be due to the effect on the serotonin system and the interaction between serotonin and dopamine system.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.544-549
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• 1993

The authors have experienced a case of organic mental disorder with bilateral frontal lobe atrophy in a 36-year-old man. He showed negative symptoms of schizophrenia such as anhedonia, social withdrawal, flat affect, poverty of thought.