• Anxiety and mood
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.61-68
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• 2015

Objective : Police officers are exposed to job-related traumatic events and have a high prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study examined the relationship between PTSD symptoms and dimensions of temperament and character in police officers. Method : Thirty-six police officers participating in a psychological support program were enrolled. All subjects were asked to complete a demographic questionnaire, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and other self-reported symptoms scales. Results : Among all participants (age $40.8{\pm}10.2$, men 94.4%), the rate of 'post-traumatic stress symptoms group' was 47.2%. After controlling for confounding factors, lower self-directedness scores were significantly associated with higher PTSD symptoms (${\beta}=0.6$, p=0.03) in multiple regression analysis. Conclusion : Character traits, especially self-directedness, were associated with the severity of PTSD symptoms severity. These findings may provide useful information regarding personality factors related to PTSD in police officers.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.5-10
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• 2015

The secretion of melatonin exhibits a circadian rhythm entrained with the sleep-wake cycle. An alteration of this secretory rhythm has been found in various psychiatric disorders. This review summarizes the regulation of melatonin and its relationship to the circadian rhythm, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder, Alzheimer's disease and autism. The review also looks at the effect of melatonin and melatonin agonist on sleep and symptoms of depression, bipolar disorder and seasonal affective disorder. In Alzheimer's disease, the circadian rhythm alterations are associated with the change of melatonin levels and melatonin receptors. It has been reported that melatonin and melatonin synthetic enzyme levels decrease in autism spectrum disorder.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.69-79
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• 2016

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a degenerative disease characterized by the selective frontal and temporal lobe atrophy, and progressive deficits in behavior, executive function, or language. The prevalence and incidence of FTD are 15-22/100000 and 2.7-4.1/100000, respectively, in midlife. Hereditary is an important risk factor for FTD. Although there is some controversy regarding the further syndromatic subdivision of the different types of FTD, FTD is clinically classified into behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia, semantic dementia and progressive nonfluent aphasia. FTD can be misdiagnosed as many psychiatric disorders because of similarity of the prominent behavioral features. Advances in clinical, imaging, and molecular characterization have increased the accuracy of FTD diagnosis, thus developing for the accurate differentiation of these syndromes from psychiatric disorders. We also discuss about therapeutic strategies for symptom management of FTD. Medications such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, and other novel treatments have been used in FTD with various rates of success. Further advanced research should be directed at understanding and developing new diagnostic and therapeutic modalities to improve the FTD patients' prognosis and quality of life.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.765-772
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• 2012

In this study, a patient with both motor and vocal tic disorders of onset at age 34 was treated for a total of 316 days. The characteristics of the tic symptoms of the patient were examined and treated two to three times a week with herbal medicine, acupuncture, cupping, and habit reversal treatment along with western medication prescribed to the patient from a psychiatric clinic. Furthermore, the condition of the patient was evaluated once a week by the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale(YGTSS-K). Both motor and vocal tic symptoms deceased to a great amount after treatment and the patient was able to lower the dosage of western medication with the approval of her psychiatric doctor. This case suggests that Oriental medical treatment undergone with habit reversal treatment could improve tic disorders better than sole western medication treatment.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.101-107
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• 2006

Object : Since autonomic nerve system dysfunction was known as the mechanism of panic disorder, many researchers used heart rate variability (HRV) as means of measuring autonomic nerve function of patients with panic disorder. We aimed to examine the effect of paroxetine medication for 3 months on symptom improvement and change of heart rate variability of the patients with panic disorder. Methods : The subjects were patients with panic disorder who visited the psychiatric outpatient clinic of Samsung Medical Center in Seoul. We included panic disorder patients who were aged from 20 to 50 and in normal BMI range (from 18 to 30) to minimize the effect of age and weight on HRV data. We excluded the patients with EKG abnormalities, hypertension or other major psychiatric disorders. They took 20-40 mg paroxetine medication a day for 3 months. Alprazolam was used only during the first month to control the acute panic symptoms and was tapered off after that. We measured the acute panic inventory (API), Hamilton rating scale for anxiety and depression (HAM-A & HAM-D), Spielberger state-trait anxiety inventory (STAIS, STAIT), and Beck depression inventory (BDI) in order to assess clinical improvement of the patients. And we measured time and frequency domain HRV in the resting, standing and cognitive stress states to assess the change of HRV. All measurements were done before and after paroxetine treatment. Result : After paroxetine medication, patients showed significant improvement in all psychiatric scales. In time domain of HRV, standard deviations of all R-R intervals (SDNN) were significantly increased in all states. In frequency domain of HRV, the ratio of high frequency to total power (HF/TP) in the standing state was significantly increased. Conclusion : After 3 months paroxetine medication, panic disorder patients showed significant clinical improvement and change in HRV data such as SDNN in all states and HF/TP ratio in the standing state. This result suggests that paroxetine medication is effective for the improvement of autonomic nerve system dysfunction in panic disorder patients.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.28-35
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• 2018

Objective : The purpose of this study was to assess the use of mental health services by North Korean defectors. The study sought to understand the determinants of use with socio-demographical characteristics and the barriers of using mental health service. Methods : Data were collected from a sample of the 300 North Korean defectors who have settled in South Korea within the last three years, aged 18 years and older. Face-to-face interviews and a survey using the North Korean version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview were conducted. Results : 21.0% of respondents reported the use of mental health services. Among them, 16.0% reported the use of mental health specialty, 2.0% reported the use of general medical services, and 3.0% reported the use of others. Of the respondents who had one or more psychiatric disorders, 28.8% used mental health services. The highest rate of use of mental health services was by respondents who are aged over 50 years old, had less than 10 years of education, and were unemployed. Of those who suffered from a psychiatric disorder but did not seek for consultation, 74.4% said that they could handle the problem by themselves, and 74.6% asserted that they had no psychiatric disorder. Conclusion : North Korean defectors in South Korea used mental health services more than the general South Korean population. It would be crucial to provide appropriate mental health services based on the needs of North Korean.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.432-442
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe restraint use in care of patients with psychiatric disorders in an attempt to avoid unnecessary restraint use and provide information for developing standards regarding restraint use as a therapeutic maneuver. Methods: For this descriptive study, discharge records from N National Mental Hospital in the year 2009 were reviewed by trained nurses during Dec. 24, 2010 and Mar. 31, 2011. There were 596 restrains applied on 232 of 1,322 discharges. Data collected include general characteristic of patients, the frequency of restraint use, time since admission when restraint was applied, time of the day when restraint was applied, duration of restraint application, place of occurrence, reasons for restraint use, and degree of damage to the patent. Work experience of nurses who applied restraints, number of workforce at the time of restraint, and season of the year was also identified. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, t-test, ANOVA, $Scheff{\grave{e}}$ and Jonckheere-Terpstra were applied using SPSS 14.0 to analyze the data. Results: There were 596 restraint uses among 232 patients. Restraints were applied most frequently on males in their 40s, patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, and patients repeating admissions more than 6 times. Restraints were frequently applied within first week following admission, between 16:00 and 20:00, and the average duration of restraint was 5 hours. There were significant differences according to diagnoses of patients in the season restraint occured, time, place of occurrence, reason for restraint, and duration of restraint. Patients with alcoholism received longer restraint application. Conclusion: In order to avoid unnecessary restraint use in patients with psychiatric disorders, nurses and other health care team members need to acknowledge a group of patients such as patients with schizophrenia and alcoholism who relatively frequently restrained or receiving longer restraint. Reasonable and careful decision need to be made when applying restraint in the care of patients with alcohol problem.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.64-71
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• 1995

Cognitive-behavioral approach can be clinically applied to coping with stress, because cognitions are playing a central mediating role in the occurances of stress and stress reactions. In other words, cognitive distortions can be associated with causing and/or maintaining psychopathology. The goal of cognitive-behavioral approach is to help the patients identify and alter cognitive distortions and maladaptive assumptions. This approach is aimed not at curing but rather at helping the patients to develop better coping strategies to deal with their life and work. The cognitive-behavioral techniques often used in this approach include problem solving, hypothesis-testing, self-monitoring, cognitive challenges, generating alternatives to automatic cognitive distortions, self-instruction, attribution and reattribution, and techniques to control or suppress thoughts. This approach is considered to be helpful for treatment and prevention of psychiatric disorders including psychosomatic disorders, in which stress can greatly affect their onset and course.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.63-65
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• 2013

The new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) is published by the American Psychiatric Association. The diagnostic systems for mental disorders have come under criticism for relying on presenting signs and symptoms with the result that they do not adequately reflect relevant neurobiological and behavioral systems. Finally, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in the United States has suggested the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) to develop a research classification system based upon dimensions of neurobiology and behavioral aspect. The present review introduces the RDoC as a new reaseach framework.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.198-210
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• 1997

To examine the double-faced thymoleptic(antidepressant and antimanic) effects of risperidone in mood disorders, this article reviews the psychotropic-induced mania, thymoleptic effects of antipsychotics, therapeutic effects of risperidone and risperidone(RIS)-induced mania(RIM) in mood disorders, risk factors of RIM, possible neurochemical mechanism of these thymoleptic effects, pathophysiological and clinical significance of thymoleptic effects, and suggestive clinical guideline of RIS in mood disorders. RIS appeared effective for bipolar disorder at a lower dose than that recommended for schizophrenia, especially in the cases of maintenance of mood stabilizers, and gradual titration from low doses. Manic induction/exacerbation can occur by chance during RIS treatment in mood disorders, schizoaffective disorders, and schizophrenias. The possible risk factors for RIM are refractory mood disorder, especially in bipolar I disorder with poor initial response ; refractory schizoaffective disorders, especially in bipolar type with poor initial response ; refractory chronic schizophrenias, especially with initial responses ; psychotic features ; higher initial doses ; rapid titration ; combined therapy with antidepressants in refractory depression ; and RIS monotherapy in mania/hypomania. RIS is a drug that preferentially block 5-HT2 receptors. The effects of low dose are due mainly to the blockade of 5-HT2 receptors. There are more gradual increase in D2 blockade with increasing dose and this D2 blocking properties become apparent at higher doses. This may be related to a modulation of dopaminergic transmission by 5-HT2 antagonism at lower doses with the direct action of RIS on DA receptors coming into play at higher dose. The serotonergic antagonistic effect may be important for its effects on depressive symptoms. This, together with adequate blo-ckade of D2 receptors, may not necessarily lead to destabilization of mood disorder, but rather to more therapeutic effects. Therefore, this dose-receptor affinity relationship with both antidepressant and antimanic effects according to treatment duration can explain a continuum of antidepressant effect, antimanic effect, behavioral stimulation, and manic/hypomanic induction/exacerbation. It was the recognition of a useful psychiatric side effects by a thoughtful observer with fertile minds that led to their ultimate utilization as psychotropic drugs, i.e., phenothiazine, MAOI, TCA, and lithium. And, in vivo pharmacological challenge by novel psychotropics, as a neurochemical probe, with more specific actions is a useful tool to select pharmacologically homogeneous subgroup of the same phenotypical(clinical) condition, to further study the unknown underlying pathogenesis of various mental illnesses. Finally, RIS may be a useful alternative or adjunctive drug for patients with mood disorders without psychotic features or refractory to treatment with standard antipsychotic drugs. The more conservative doses(tirated slowly from 1-3 mg/d) of RIS, and maintenance of mood stabilizer in the cases with risk factors of RIM are recommended in mood disorder.