• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.162-168
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• 2021

Objectives : Although dysfunctional breathing is a common symptom in general population and affects qualities of life, it is still underdiagnosed. There are some studies of prevalence of it in astma, but few studies in anxiety and depressive disorders. The purposes of this study were to explore the prevalence of it in anxiety and depressive disorders, and to investigate whether anxiety and depressed mood influence it. Methods : 135 patients diagnosed with anxiety or depressive disorders, and 124 controls were recruited. Nijmegen questionnaire was used to assess dysfunctional breathing, and Hospital anxiety depression scale was used. Results : The prevalence of dysfunctional breathing in anxiety or depressive disorders was higher than that in control. In the linear regression model, anxiety accounted for 59.6% of dysfunctional breathing, but depressed mood did not. With covariate adjusted for anxiety, scores of dysfunctional breathing in anxiety or depressive disorders were higher than in controls. Conclusions : Dysfunctional breathing in anxiety or depressive disorders is higher than that in control. Adjusting anxiety, its difference is still. Anxiety affects dysfunctional breathing, but depressed mood does not.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.142-148
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• 2023

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between premonitory urge, tic severity, and comorbidities in children and adolescents with chronic tic disorders. Methods : In this study, scales for tic symptoms, premonitory urge, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and ADHD symptoms were repeatedly measured twice in 26 children and adolescents aged 10 to 18 years with chronic tic disorders. Correlations between scales were confirmed through repeated measures correlation analysis, and causal relationships between scales were confirmed through regression analysis using a linear mixed model. Results : The degree of premonitory urges showed a significant positive correlation with the severity of tic symptoms, the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and the severity of ADHD symptoms. The ADHD symptoms showed a significant positive correlation with the severity of tic symptoms. These results were the same even in children and adolescents with tic disorders who were not diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Additionally, premonitory urges were found to have a significant positive effect on the severity of tic symptoms. Conclusions : These results may be helpful in treating tic disorders and can be used in future tic disorder research considering developmental trajectory.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.115-125
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• 1995

Reports about the prevalence of premenstrual symptoms state that occurs in 20 to 100% of most reproductive-age women. There is a close association between premenstrual syndrome and affective disorders as well as same some other psychiatric disorders. Late luteal phase dysphoric disorder (LLPDD) is a premenstrual condition defined in DSM-III-R by severe mood changes and other symptoms that repeatedly occur only in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. However, DSM-III-R does not specify how to compute the change from the follicular to the luteal phase or how to determine when the amount of change is great enough to warrant the diagnosis nor how to determine occupational or social functional impairment. This study was conducted to evaluate the nature, severity and magnitude of premenstrual syndrome in women with current psychiatric disorders by using prospective Daily Rating Form(DRF), and to measure symptom changes according to three scoring methods for diagnosing LLPDD. Our study obtains the data about premenstrual changes estimated by DRF from 22 women with psychiatric disorders who had met criteria for major depressive syndrome on the Premenstrual Assessment Form (PAF). The data was scored by each three methods and was determined to meet criteria A for LLPDD. The results are as follows: 1) the subjects, when scored according to the percent change method, effect size method and absolute severity method, met the DSM-III-R criteria A for LLPDD in 36.4% (8 subjects), 14% (3 subjects) and 4.5% (1 subject) of the cases respectively. 2) The items of irritability, anger and impatience were occurred most frequently on the DRF, when it was scored according to the three scoring methods. And the item of breast pain was next frequent according to the effect size method and the percent change method but according to the absolute severity method. 3) The PAF item of impaired social functioning was reported by 16 (73%) of the subjects. 4) 4 (18%) of the subjects met criteria A for LLPDD and reported impaired social functioning. The prevalency of LLPDD according to each method varied. The percent change method yielded the greatest (36.4%), and the absolute seventy method yielded the laest (4.5%), The effect size method yielded an intermediate frequency (14%). Therefore, for maximizing the diagnostic accuracy of LLPDD, a diagnostic procedure including a measure of change (e.q., effect size method, percent change method) as well as confirmed diagnosis by DRF, will be needed. Also, an accurate tool to evaluate impaired social functioning will be required.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.221-227
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• 1998

Although there has been a considerable research in psychoneuroendocrinology, particularly in relation to the biology of mood disorders, there has been a paucity of research regarding the effects of psychological factors on endocrine diseases. Of the existing literature, the most research is focused on diabetes mellitus, graves' disease. Especially diabetes appears to be the only endocrine disease that has been the focus of recent research studies. Most of the studies had retrospective designs or several methodological flaw. There has been no consistent results demonstrating that psychological factors affect the onset of diabetes mellitus. Several studies have suggested that psychological factors affect the course of diabetes. A small number of studies showed some evidence that psychological stress was associated with changes in glucose regulation in a subset of diabetic patients. There was also evidence to suggest that some temperament and coping skill influence glycemic control in child, adolescent diabetics. Studies of behavioral or psychosocial intervention on diabetic control have been small and have produced mixed results. There was a few controlled study suggested that stressful life events might be a causal role in Cushing's disease and Graves'disease, but there is no presently sufficient evidence to suggest that psychological factors affect the onset and the course of Cushing's disease and Graves' disease. In future, there is need for a well-designed biopsychosocial research with prospective designs, well defined patient population and control groups to study the relationship between psychological factors and endocrine diseases.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.109-119
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• 1996

Hormone replacement therapy in menopausal women has recently been a hot issue in medical fields. The author reviewed the physiology of menopause and discussed the physiological mechanism and biological management of vascular flushing and menopausal depression. The above symptoms are hard to distinguish from those of psychiatric disorders.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.63-70
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• 2014

The prevalence of obesity and overweight is increasing in mood disorder, and it is connected to an increased cardiovascular mortality. Because of them, treatment for obesity may be an essential part of mood disorder treatment. Similar to the general population, non-pharmacological treatment such as correction of life habits should be considered first of all. If this approaches are fail, pharmacological treatment for obesity would be required as next step. Any drug for obesity is not approved officially in mood disorder. So approved drugs in general population, and drugs supported by several studies are prescribed in clinical settings. Several treatment guidelines for mood disorder and studies support that orlistat, metformin, topiramate and bupropion is effective and safe.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.65-72
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• 2007

Fatigue is a significant problem in health care. The relationship between chronic fatigue and psychiatric disorders has generated significant interest in recent years. Increased rates of psychiatric disorder among individuals with chronic fatigue have been reported. Fatigue may be defined as physical and/or mental weariness resulting from exertion. The cause of fatigue is complex, influenced by events occurring in both the periphery and the central nervous system. Because fatigue may result from a number of causes, it should be treated comprehensively. The treatment is largely symptomatic and rehabilitative.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.42-50
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• 1999

Alexithymia refers to a specific disturbance in psychic functioning characterized by difficulties in the capacity to verbalize affect and to elabolate fantasies. Although it was initially described in the context of psychosomatic illness, alexithymic charateristics may be observed in patients with a wide range of medical and psychiatric disorders. This study was designed to investigate alexithymic characteristics in the patients with alcoholism using Scored Archetypal 9 Test(SAT9) and Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 Korea version(TAS-20K). Twenty patients with alcoholism and twenty-four normal controls completed these tests. The results were as follows. 1) Patient group with alcoholism were significantly more alexithymic than normal control group in both SAT9 and TAS-20K. 2) No significant difference in the alexithymic measures was found between genders of both group. 3) No significant correlation was found between alexithymic measures and age or education level in both group. 4) Measures between SAT9 and TAS-20K showed significant correlation in the patient group.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.8-17
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• 2006

Neurofeedback, also known as EEG biofeedback or neurotherapy, is a new therapy differentiated from biofeedback in that brain waves are monitored to study brain itself as well as its functions. Needless to say, it has originated from biofeedback, however it has established itself as an independent and specialized therapy in the field of neurotherapy. In order to have a better understanding of neurofeedback we are going to have a look into its historical and theoretical background first and then we will explain how it can be used clinically. Neurofeedback was clinically introduced for epilepsy for the first time and its effect was proved. Since then it has been used successfully for a number of psychiatric disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD), anxiety, anxiety and mood disorder, sleep disorder, substance dependency, etc. Furthermore, it has been used for non-psychiatric or psychosomatic symptoms, such as headache, chronic pains, chronic fatigue symptoms, etc. Recently, it has been also used for non-medical areas, such as improvement of peak performance for sports and art activities, enhancement of cognitive function, etc, making the neurofeedback a very promising field for its potential and effectiveness.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.153-163
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• 2001

This study was attempted to investigate the discriminant validity of Korean version of Eating Attitude Test-26(KEAT-26) and to provide the sensitivity, specificity and efficiency according to cutting score, which may be useful to determine the optimal cutoff point on various purposes. The KEAT-26 was administered to 108 female patients with eating disorders, 179 female participants in body slimming center, 120 female athletic college students, 227 female college students, and 183 healthy normal women. Validity was tested by ANOVA and ROC curve analysis. The results revealed that the total score of the KEAT-26 showed a statistically significance between groups and that the score of the KEAT-26 of eating disorders group was significantly higher than that of the other groups in post hoc test. In comparison of the 4 subfactor score of the KEAT-26 between groups, significant differences in main effect within groups were found in all subfactors except factor IV. ROC curve analysis showed 80% of efficiency to discriminate eating disorders group from normal control group using cutoff score on maximum discriminant efficiency and 69% of efficiency to discriminate eating disorders group from high risk groups for eating disorders. Each cutoff score on maximum in efficiency was as follows ; 25 between eating disorders group and participants in body slimming center, 19 between eating disorders group and healthy normal woman, 23 between eating disorders group and athletic college students, 21 between eating disorders group and college students. Using 22(T score 65) of the KEAT-26 as the cutoff score, sensitivity was 54%, specificity was 84%, and overall efficiency was 80%. These results indicate that the KEAT-26 has a good discriminant validity in Korean population and also suggest that the KEAT-26 may be useful assessment tool to screen the disordered eating problems on clinical and epidemiological purposes.