• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.114-121
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• 2013

Objectives: The aim of this study was to know differences of characteristics between presenile and senile patients who were consulted to the department of psychiatry during medical-surgical admission. Methods: The demographic and clinical data obtained from the medical records of psychiatric consultation in the presenile inpatients with age 50 to 64 years(N=162) and those of the senile inpatients with age over 65 years(N=171) were reviewed and compared. Results: 1) The most common chief complaints for psychiatric consultation in presenile patients were somatic symptoms, anxiety and sleep disturbance in order, while cognitive decline, clouded consciousness and depressed mood were most common in senile patients with statistical significance. 2) The most frequent psychiatric diagnoses after consultation in presenile patients were delirium, mood disorder and substance use disorder in order, while delirium, mood disorder and major neurocognitive disorder were most frequent in senile patients with statistical significance. 3) There were no significant difference in numbers of physical illnesses, while numbers of therapeutic drugs for them were more in senile patients. Conclusions : Our study found significant differences between presenile and senile patients on psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses in geropsychiatric consultation. Therefore, more subdivided age-specific approach seems to be needed for the geropsychiatric consultation activities.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.579-582
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• 2013

Background: In this study our aim was to determine the rate of smoking in a sample of psychiatric in-patients with diagnoses of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression and to examine factors related to smoking status and the level of dependence in this population. Materials and Methods: A total of 160 people were included in this descriptive study. 80 were inpatients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression and 80 people without any psychiatric diagnoses were included as a control group. The participants were interviewed face-to face using a semi-structured questionnaire and Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence was used to define smoking habits. Results: The mean age of the participants was $37.24{\pm}12.19$ years ranging from 18 to 81 years, 54.4% of the participants were (n=87) female, and 45.6% cases (n=73) were male. 70% (n=56) of the patients and 55% of the control group were smoking and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.01). Total score of Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence in the patient group was statistically significantly higher than in the control group (p<0.01). Conclusions: In our sample, the frequency of cigarette smoking and nicotine dependence among psychiatric inpatients was high, posing a high risk for smoking related diseases including cancers; therefore there should be counseling on tobacco control and smoking cessation programming targeting this population.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.275-282
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• 2023

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the psychiatric comorbidity status of adult patients diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and determine the impact of comorbidities on neuropsychological outcomes in ADHD. Methods: The study participants were 124 adult patients with ADHD. Clinical psychiatric assessments were performed by two board-certified psychiatrists in accordance with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. All participants were assessed using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview Plus version 5.0.0 to evaluate comorbidities. After screening, neuropsychological outcomes were assessed using the Comprehensive Attention Test (CAT) and the Korean version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition (K-WAIS-IV). Results: Mood disorders (38.7%) were the most common comorbidity of ADHD, followed by anxiety (18.5%) and substance use disorders (13.7%). The ADHD with comorbidities group showed worse results on the Perceptual Organization Index and Working Memory Index sections of the K-WAIS than the ADHD-alone group (p=0.015 and p=0.024, respectively). In addition, the presence of comorbidities was associated with worse performance on simple visual commission errors in the CAT tests (p=0.024). Conclusion: These findings suggest that psychiatric comorbidities are associated with poor neuropsychological outcomes in adult patients with ADHD, highlighting the need to identify comorbidities in these patients.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.106-115
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• 2004

Purpose: This study analyzed the general features, psychiatric histories, past suicidal attempts and psychiatric diagnoses of suicide victims admitted via the emergency department (ED). Methods: Reviewing the charts of 138 inpatients of suicide attempts admitted via the ED from January 2002 to December 2003, we analyzed various data, including sex, age, season, stressful events, psychiatric histories, previous suicidal attempts, and psychiatric diagnoses during admission, and we used a chi-square test to chart the statistical data. Results: A significant difference was found between 1 st attempts and repeated attempts as to the mechanical methods used for the suicide attempts, There was a significant difference in the kinds of drugs between patients with and without psychiatric histories. In the psychiatric diagnosis, there was a significant difference in AXIS I between patients with and without psychiatric histories. In AXIS II, there was a significant difference between patients with and without psychiatric histories, 1st attempts and repeated attempts. Conclusion: We emphasize the importance of psychiatric consults, treatments, and follow-ups for suicide victims and the emergency physicians' function in helping them to contact psychiatric doctors.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.104-119
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• 1998

This study was conducted to determine the important factors in the illness behavior of panic disorder patients. And then, find the best ways to lead the patients who have recurrent panic attacks to the adequate therapeutic situations. We studied 53 patients diagnosed as panic disorder according to DSM-IV among the outpatients who had been followed up at Bong Seng Memorial Hospital for 6 Ms, from May 1997 to October 1997. To evaluate the illness behaviors, we designed a checklist including socio-demographic data, degree of subjective distress from medical and psychiatric treatment, panic symptoms, life events, places of help-seeking, Anxiety Sensitivity Index. Using the checklist, we had semistructured interviews with the panic disorder patients to elucidate their help-seeking behaviors from first panic attack to diagnosing as panic disorder. The results were as follows ; 1) After first panic attack, the patients initially sought help at 1) Emergency room 40%, 2) Rest &/or Personal emergency care 35%, 3) Pharmacy 10%, 4) Outpatient care at hospital 10%, 5) Oriental medicine 5%. 2) Considering the panic symptoms, derealization, paresthesia and the severity of panic symptoms were the most important factors affecting the patient's help-seeking behaviors who had experienced the first panic attack. 3) Most of all the patients (80%) were apt to visit the hospitals within 15 days after experiencing about 3 panic attacks. 4) Before diagnosed as panic disorder, the patients had visited 3-5 health care centers during about 1 year. 5) Primary care physicaians(for example, emergency care physicians, family doctors and internists) had the most important roles in treating or guiding the patients to the adequate therapeutic situations. From the above results, the authors propose that non-psychiatric physicians have to know the panic disorder or attacks exactly. When patients complaint sudden onset physical symptoms e.g. palpitation, dyspnea, dizziness or the cognitive symptoms like the fear of death or insanity, physicians should consider the possibility of panic attack and encourage the patients to be evaluated for psychiatric illness.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2018

Objectives : This study aimed to investigate the psychosocial characteristics of functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID) in patients with psychiatric disorders. Methods : This study was conducted with 144 outpatients visiting the psychiatric clinic at a university hospital. FGIDs were screened according to the Rome III questionnaire-Korean version. Demographic factors were investigated, and psychosocial factors were evaluated using the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-15, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Korean, and State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory. Chisquared test and student's t-test were used as statistical analysis methods. Results : There were differences in education level between two groups divided according to FGID status (${\chi}^2=10.139$, p=0.017). Comparing the psychiatric disorder by FGID group, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) group showed significant differences (${\chi}^2=11.408$, p=0.022). According to FGID status, IBS group showed significant differences for anxiety (t=-3.106, p=0.002), depressive symptom (t=-2.105, p=0.037), somatic symptom (t=-3.565, p<0.001), trait anger (t=-3.683, p<0.001), anger-in (t=-2.463, p=0.015), and anger-out (t=-2.355, p=0.020). Functional dyspepsia group showed significant differences for anxiety (t=-4.893, p<0.001), depressive symptom (t=-3.459, p<0.001), somatic symptom (t=-7.906, p<0.001), trait-anger (t=-4.148, p<0.001), state-anger (t=-2.181, p=0.031), anger-in (t=-2.684, p=0.008), and anger-out (t=-3.005, p=0.003). Nonerosive reflux disease group showed significant differences for anxiety (t=-4.286, p<0.001), depressive symptom (t=-3.402, p<0.001), somatic symptom (t=-7.162, p<0.001), trait anger (t=-2.994, p=0.003), state anger (t=-2.259, p=0.025), anger-in (t=-2.772, p=0.006), and anger-out (t=-2.958, p=0.004). Conclusions : Patients with psychiatric disorders had a high prevalence of FGID, and various psychosocial factors contributed to such differences. Therefore, the psychiatric approach can offer better understandings and treatments to patients with FGID.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2013

Glutamate receptors are important components of synaptic transmission in the nervous system. Especially, ${\alpha}$-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptors mediate most abundant excitatory synaptic transmission in the brain. There is elaborate mechanism of regulation of AMPA receptors including protein synthesis/degradation, intracellular trafficking, exocytosis/endocytosis and protein modification. In recent studies, it is revealed that functional dysregulation of AMPA receptors are related to major psychiatric disorders. In this review, we describe the structure and function of AMPA receptors in the synapse. We will introduce three steps of mechanism involving trafficking of AMPA receptors to neuronal membrane, lateral diffusion into synapses and synaptic retention by membrane proteins and postsynaptic scaffold proteins. Lastly, we will describe recent studies showing that regulation of AMPA receptors is important pathophysiological mechanism in psychiatric disorders.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.176-180
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• 2011

Depressive disorders have strong genetic components. However, conventional linkage and association studies have not yielded definitive results. These might be due to the absence of objective diagnostic tests, the complex nature of human behavior or the incomplete penetrance of psychiatric traits. Imaging genetics explores the influences of genetic variation on the brain function or structure. This technique could provide a more sensitive assessment than traditional behavioral measures in psychiatric studies. Imaging genetics is a relatively new field of psychiatric researches, and may improve our understanding on neurobiology of psychiatric disorders. In this review, current understanding in neurobiology of depressive disorders, especially imaging genetic studies on serotonin transporter will be discussed.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.99-105
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• 2013

The movement disorders in psychiatry have been neglected, though it is an important psychiatric dimension to exert unfavorable influence on patients'quality of life. The etiologies of movement disorders in psychiatry can be classified as primary neurological disorders, psychiatric comorbidities of neurological disorders, manifestations of primary psychiatric disorders, drug-induced movement disorders and psychogenic movement disorders. For the rapid and proper treatment for movement symptoms and signs easily observed from psychiatric patients, psychiatrists' ability toward precise disgnosis and differential diagnosis of movement disorders should be preceded.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.467-474
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• 2019

Exposure to lead during pregnancy is a risk factor for the development of psychiatric disorders in the offspring. In this study, we investigated whether exposure to low levels of lead acetate (0.2%) in drinking water during pregnancy and lactation causes behavioral impairment and affects the expression of proteins associated with neurodevelopment. Lead exposure altered several parameters in rat offspring compared with those unexposed in open-field, social interaction, and pre-pulse inhibition tests. These parameters were restored to normal levels after clozapine treatment. Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses of the hippocampus revealed that several neurodevelopmental proteins were downregulated in lead-exposed rats. The expression was normalized after clozapine treatment (5 mg/kg/day, postnatal day 35-56). These findings demonstrate that downregulation of several proteins in lead-exposed rats affected subsequent behavioral changes. Our results suggest that lead exposure in early life may induce psychiatric disorders and treatment with antipsychotics such as clozapine may reduce their incidence.