A Study on Psychiatric Validity of Sa-sang Constitution Theory / 신경정신의학

OBJECT: This study is to examine the validity of constitutional classification of Sa-sang medical theory. This theory classifies the human constitution to 4 types according to classical oriental philosophy on yin and yang. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Subjects were 312 medical students and 288 neurotic patients with diagnosis of neurotic, stress related and somatoform disorders and minor depressive episodes according to ICD-10. Medical students were classified to 4 Sa-sang constitutions by Noh Jung Woo scale, by Dr. Kim Dal Lae himself and Questionnaire for the Sa-sang Constitution Classification(QSCC II). For assessmnent of symptoms and signs, Korean version of SCL-90, a constitution scale and personality scale which were designed for this study were used. These instruments were found to be reliable and valid through statistical analysis. Subjects were asked to rate these scales. The data were analysed with factor analysis and factor scores were compared among 4 Sa-sang constitutions by ANOVA and t-test. The data from patient group were analysed with factor analysis and the results were compared with the Sa-sang medical theory. RESULTS: Results of classification by 3 ways were inconsistent showing a significant difference among them. Among them, QSCC II was most reliable. In QSCC II, only the factor scores of factors of homophobia-obsession, weakness-sensitiveness-indigestion- chillness-skin syndrome, sexual weakness, passive-unsociable personality, introverted personality and rational personality, were significantly high in So-um (small yin) group of medical students. A factor of warmnes and active-sociable personality were significantly high in Tae-um(big yin) group. Also active-sociable and affective pesonality was partly related with So-yang(small yang) group. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that those present classification methods are inconsistent, that these methods are proving only parts of Sa-sang medical theory, and that objective and scientific studies are needed for reliability and validity of Sa-sang medical theory.

Diaschisis and Motor Recovery in Stroke Patients

OBJECTIVE: To find out the motor recovery in stroke patients according to the presence of diaschisis. METHOD: Computed tomography (CT) and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) study were performed on a consecutive series of 98 inpatients from July 1995 to August 1996. Among them 42 stroke patients were included in this study with cerebellar, pontine, and bilateral hemispheric lesions excluded. RESULTS: The types of diaschisis were crossed cerebellar diaschisis (CCD) (36 cases), thalamocortical diaschisis (6 cases), striatocortical diaschisis (5 cases), and capsulocortical diaschisis (1 case). And the functional recovery scale improved from 37.5 points to 53.0 points by the motricity index and from 41.2 points to 68.8 points by the MBI score. Only the motricity index showed a significant inverse correlation with the asymmetry index in CCD. CONCLUSION: Although other types of diaschisis were found, the most frequent type was CCD. The lower the asymmetry score was the lower motricity index. Therefore, CCD could be a prognostic factor for the motor recovery.