• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.183-189
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• 2009

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to evaluate community mental health professionals and hospital workers attitude and awareness towards suicide. Methods : This study investigated 264 community mental health professionals and 228 hospital workers. SOQs (Suicidal Opinion Questionnaires) were used from July 2007 to September 2007. After a factor analysis for the attitude towards suicide, the items on ethics, mental illness, religion, risk, and motivation were included in the subsequent analysis. Results : There were significant differences in the attitude towards suicide according to religion, age, educational background, the marriage status, the economic position, and different professional licenses. Hospital workers' view was different from the community workers'. The hospital workers judged that suicide was due to mental illness, and suicide was high for the people in a special environment and who lacked motivation, which caused them to fall in a dangerous situation. For the lower educational group, they thought that suicide was attributable to mental illness. The awareness for suicide was significantly higher in the group with a postgraduate education, unmarried people, mental health professionals and the persons who had concern and experience with suicide. The factors that had an influence on the awareness of suicide were the items of mental illness, religion, risk and motivational factors. Conclusions : This study suggested that the factors to increase the awareness and attitude for suicide were the experience of increased education and case management of suicide. Therefore, education dealing with suicide and reinforcement of crisis management programs should be developed.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.119-135
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• 2019

There have been many efforts to reduce prejudice and discrimination against people with mental illness in our community. Studies have shown that the threat to people with mental illness is a important factor. In this study, we focused on contact experience and sense of community that are believed to influence both realistic and symbolic threat We looked the differences in threat depending on the type of contact(family, friends/coworker, public places, no contact) with people with mental illness. Next, if there is contact experience, we questioned that the quality of the experience could influence the threats in all types of contact. Finally, could contact experience and sense of community affect the threats? The total of 465 respondents were surveyed in this study. The result showed that the realistic threat were not different depending on the types of contact, but that the symbolic threat were more higher people with no-contact experience than people with contact experience. The quality of experience had a significant effect on both threats, except in the case of the family contact on realistic threat. Lastly, sense of community was analyzed as a significant variable for both realistic and symbolic threats. Based on these results, we discussed the impact of contact and sense of community and implications of this study.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.241-248
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors affecting the rights guarantee of people with mental illness among mental care facility workers. The subjects of this study were 132 mental care facility workers, and the research tools were rights and protection-related characteristics, rights recognition, and rights guarantee. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple linear regression using the SPSS/WIN 24.0 program. The result showed that the difference in rights guarantee relating to general characteristics were significant differences in religion. There were significant positive correlations among rights recognition and rights guarantee. The factors influencing the rights guarantee were rights recognition, recognizing the need to advocate rights, and religion. Based on the research results, it is necessary to improve recognition and actively advocate rights through continuous education in order to strengthen the rights guarantee of people with mental illness. Enhancement of rights guarantee will help people with mental disorder recover.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.75-80
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• 2023

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness characterized by extreme mood and behavioral swings, such as highs of euphoria and lows of depression. It is a socially significant disorder in which people with the disorder experience intense mood swings and, for those with severe bipolar disorder, it is even difficult leading a normal life. High stress levels in people with mental illness can lead to neuroendocrine disruption, and it is strongly linked to aging. When the neuroendocrine system becomes vulnerable to these mental illnesses and stress, it is likely to accelerate aging. And it's the epigenetic clock that can measure the extent of this accelerated aging. The Epi clock, a pan tissue clock, measures aging through DNA methylation, and the degree of methylation is modified and changed by environmental conditions in the body. Therefore we wanted to check the changes in the epigenetic age of the patients with bipolar disorder. While we found no significant differences in epigenetic age, we did confirm the possibility that people with bipolar disorder have different methylation than normal people. We also found that the EPIC array data fit better on the Epi clock than on the Horvath clock with age-accelerated data from normal people.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.90-97
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• 2012

Objectives: While there have been many quantitative studies on the public's attitude towards mental illnesses, it is hard to find quantitative study which focused on the contextual effect on the public's attitude. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that affect the public's beliefs and attitudes including contextual effects. Methods: We analyzed survey on the public's beliefs and attitudes towards mental illness in Korea with multi-level analysis. We analyzed the public's beliefs and attitudes in terms of prejudice as an intermediate outcome and social distance as a final outcome. Then, we focused on the associations of factors, which were individual and regional socioeconomic factors, familiarity, and knowledge based on the comparison of the intermediate and final outcomes. Results: Prejudice was not explained by regional variables but was only correlated with individual factors. Prejudice increased with age and decreased by high education level. However, social distance controlling for prejudice increased in females, in people with a high education level, and in regions with a high education level and a high proportion of the old. Therefore, social distance without controlling for prejudice increased in females, in the elderly, in highly educated people, and in regions with a high education and aged community. Conclusions: The result of the multi-level analysis for the regional variables suggests that social distance for mental illness are not only determined by individual factors but also influenced by the surroundings so that it could be tackled sufficiently with appropriate considering of the relevant regional context with individual characteristics.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.23-80
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• 2018

Since the 1960s, the United States' (U.S.) deinstitutionalization policy has reinstated people with mental illness into communities. Unfortunately, when untreated, some people with psychiatric disorders become homeless, and some commit serious crimes during a psychological crisis. Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT), also known as Kendra's Law in New York and Laura's Law in California, provides treatment, services and support to people with mental illness in the community. AOT has repeatedly been found effective and is recognized as an evidence-based practice. The response to the mental health crisis (crisis intervention) in the U.S. has also been successful in preventing worsening mental illness and related criminality and other issues. This paper provides an opportunity to create a platform from which to learn how to successfully apply the AOT and crisis intervention of the U.S. to South Korea within the cultural and societal context when establishing social services for people with mental illness in South Korea's communities.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.31-41
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• 2015

Purpose: The study was performed to identify factors influencing suicidal ideation in patients with chronic mental health problems and who live in the community. Methods: Data were collected using questionnaires and participants were 140 people with mental illness living in Y-si, Gyeonggi-do. The study was carried out from May 15 to September 30, 2014. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Correlation Coefficients, and Logistic Regression with the SPSS/WIN 18.0 statistical program. Results: The number of persons who attempted suicide was 47(33.6%) and the number who had suicide ideation was 22(15.7%). The mean score for depression was $6.4{\pm}6.45$. The mean score for life satisfaction was $16.5{\pm}8.21$. Depression had a significant negative correlation with life satisfaction. Odds ratio of suicide ideation was 1.19. The significant factor influencing suicidal ideation was depression. Conclusion: The results of this study can be used in the development and practice of programs to decrease suicide in people with mental illness.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.74-85
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to analyze the vocational rehabilitation service environment of the mentally facilities. Focus group interview (FGI) was conducted for obtain the data. According to the interview results, first, in providing vocational rehabilitation services for people with mental illness, comprehensive services should be provided considering various needs. Second, the facilities are not recognized as vocational rehabilitation facilities for people with disabilities. Therefore, it is operated according to the regulations on mental rehabilitation facilities in the Mental Health Welfare Act. Third, they need management supports. Finally, It raised the necessity of revising laws and systems that are not systematized without reflecting reality. Based on the results of this study, some suggestions are presented.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.579-591
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• 2017

The Illness Management and Recovery(IMR) Program was designed to improve self-management and recovery of people with mental illness. The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of the Korean version of the IMR program on recovery, knowledge against mental illness, hope among inpatients with severe mental illness. 92 participants diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder were assigned to either an IMR group(n=51) or the control group(n=41) without randomization. Data collection had been conducted from June 2015 to December 2016. Mental Health Recovery Scale, Knowledge Scale, and Hope Scale was administered to participants before and after the intervention. Participants in the IMR program showed significant improvement in progress toward their recovery and knowledge about their mental illness compared with those receiving treatment as usual. However, changes in hope were not significant in both groups. This is the first evaluation of the effects of the Korean version of the IMR program. Our findings support potential benefits of implementing the Korean version of the IMR program.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.264-272
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• 2023

Background: Private health insurance supplements the coverage of national health insurance in Korea. In this situation, the subject of the study is to identify the healthcare utilization of people with physical and mental illnesses according to private health insurance. Methods: This study used data from the Korea Health Panel Survey 2018. The study population consisted of 813 individuals with physical and mental illnesses (PMI). Multiple logistic regression analysis and binominal logistic regression analysis were conducted about the utilization of emergency, inpatient, and outpatient medical services of people with PMI depending on enrollment in private health insurance (PHI). Results: The results of this study indicated that individuals with PHI utilized emergency and outpatient medical services less frequently compared to those without PHI. Conversely, having PHI was associated with a higher utilization of inpatient medical services compared to not having PHI. Binomial logistic regression analysis revealed that individuals with PMI who had PHI exhibited a higher frequency of visits to emergency and outpatient medical services compared to those without PHI. However, the significance of this trend was not observed in the case of emergency medical services. On the other hand, individuals with PMI who had PHI showed a lower frequency of visits to inpatient medical services compared to those without PHI. Conclusion: In conclusion, there was a significant relationship between having PHI and the utilization of medical services in people with PMI. There is a need for a follow-up study considering the type of mental illnesses, length of stay, and health outcome of people with PMI depending on having PHI.