Effects of Outdoor Activities in Forests on Atopic Dermatitis / 우울ㆍ조울병

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of out-door activities in the forest environment, the so-called "forest therapy program," among children with atopic dermatitis (AD).METHODS: A total of 40 children with moderate-severity AD were enrolled in this study. All subjects were divided into either the "forest group" participating in the forest therapy program or the control group. The vitamin D level and quality of life (QOL) were measured at the initial visit and 8-week final visit.RESULTS: The SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index was reduced significantly more in the forest group than in the control group (39.17±4.48 vs. 27.00±4.87); however, it did not reach statistical significance. The vitamin D (25(OH)-D₃) level was increased significantly more in the forest group than in the control group (p>0.001). The mean QOL score was not significantly decreased in the forest group.CONCLUSION: The forest therapy program was proven to be associated with the reduction of the SCORAD index and the increase of vitamin D level. However, QOL measures did not show statistically significant improvement. Thus, the forest therapy program may have a positive trend of biological and psychosocial effects in children with AD.

What Is It to Be Mentally Healthy from the North Korean Refugees’ Perspective?: Qualitative Research on the Changes in Mental Health Awareness among the North Korean Refugees

OBJECTIVE: We investigated how mental health awareness among North Korean refugees transformed depending on temporal-spatial context changes. METHODS: In 2013, we conducted interviews with 10 refugees (eight women) who had been in South Korea for over a year and performed a qualitative analysis of the change in mental health awareness in the differences between living in North Korea, escape (a related period of forced sojourn in a third country), and settlement in South Korea. RESULTS: We classified 39 concepts into five main categories. The first two categories (while living in North Korea) were “a mindset for the system, but not for individual mental health” and “being confined in a social environment that was indifferent to mental health.” A third category appeared during escape: “focusing on survival amid continuity of intense suffering.” The final two categories appeared when settling in South Korea: “recognition of mental health amid cultural shock” and “introspection and sorting oneself out.” CONCLUSION: This qualitative study enabled a better multi-dimensional understanding of the social and cultural aspects involved in improving mental health awareness among North Korean refugees in South Korea. It is desirable to integrate mental health as a part of daily life and to expand training for North Korean settlers.

Identifying Research Direction for Mental Health of North Korean Refugees Using Delphi Technique / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: Refugees from North Korea are at risk of a range of mental health problems, posing urgent problems to their care. A review of research on mental health prevalence and services can indicate directions for further study. METHODS: The authors administered a Delphi survey to 16 professionals who are working for North Korean refugees, including professors and field workers. The collected data was analyzed by descriptive statistics including mean and standard deviation and verified with content validity ratio. RESULTS: The results are as follows: 1) The most serious problem in the research area is the importance of quantitative research rather than qualitative for North Korean refugees, who are often very negative and uncooperative with questionnaires. 2) There is a great need to develop competence of mental health professionals who are working for North Korean refugees. 3) Most participants agreed to the necessity of longitudinal study to define the factors facilitating successful adaptation among North Korean refugees. CONCLUSION: The following are our recommendations: 1) Appropriate measurements for North Korean refugees need to be developed reflecting their uniqueness. 2) Research of North Koreans has inherent selection bias. 3) It is essential to provide primary education on mental health to North Korean refugees.

The Negative Effects of Job Stress on Individual, Its Family, and Community : Development of the Scale and Its Validation / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to develop and validate a scale for measuring the negative effects of job stress on an individual, its family, and its community. METHODS: Based on open-ended questions, interviews, and expert comments, 73 preliminary scale items consisting of 12 factors were assembled. The initial survey was administered to 344 employees in order to conduct item analyses, reliability tests, and factor analyses of the stress assessment scale. The results of the factor analyses indicated that an 8 factor model comprising 43 items was most meaningful. For the final survey, data were obtained from 2732 employees. RESULTS: Factor analysis of the final survey data showed that the developed 8 factor model was appropriate for its intended use. Results of correlation analyses showed that the assessment scale was significantly related to stress response, thereby confirming convergent validity, and was related to various criteria including life satisfaction, hope, optimism, and subjective happiness, thereby confirming criterion-related validity. CONCLUSION: A scale useful in the assessment of negative effects on job stress on workers and on their community members including their families was developed and validated.

Gender Differences in Somatic Symptoms and Current Suicidal Risk in Outpatients with Major Depressive Disorder

OBJECTIVE: Although somatic symptoms are common complaints of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), their associations with suicide are still unclear. METHODS: A total of 811 MDD outpatients of aged between 18 to 64 years were enrolled nationwide in Korea with the suicidality module of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and the Depression and Somatic Symptom Scale (DSSS). RESULTS: On stepwise regression analysis, current suicidality scores were most strongly associated with chest pain in men, and neck or shoulder pain in women. Severe chest pain was associated with higher current suicidality scores in men than in women, whereas severe neck or shoulder pain showed no significant differences between the genders. In conclusion, MDD patients of both sexes with suicidal ideation showed significantly more frequent and severe somatic symptoms than those without. Current suicidal risk was associated with chest pain in men, and neck or shoulder pain in women. CONCLUSION: We suggest that clinicians pay attention to patients' somatic symptoms in real world practice.

The Efficacy and Safety of Clonazepam in Patients with Anxiety Disorder Taking Newer Antidepressants: A Multicenter Naturalistic Study

OBJECTIVE: This study compared the efficacy and tolerability of clonazepam with other benzodiazepines in patients with anxiety disorders. METHODS: Inclusion criteria were as follows: age >20 years, diagnosis of anxiety disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria, taking only one type of antidepressant, and prescribed one of three oral benzodiazepines (alprazolam, clonazepam, or lorazepam). At baseline and week 6, clinical benefit was evaluated using the Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale (CGI-S), Clinical Global Impression-Anxiety Scale (CGI-anxiety), and Clinical Global Impression-Sleep Scale (CGI-sleep). RESULTS: Among 180 patients, no differences in demographic characteristics among the three benzodiazepine groups were noted. After six weeks of treatment, all benzodiazepine groups showed significant improvements in CGI-S, CGI-anxiety, and CGI-sleep scores (p<0.001). There were no differences in mean changes in CGI-S, CGI-anxiety and CGI-sleep among the three benzodiazepine groups. The incidence of side effects was significantly lower in the clonazepam group than with the other benzodiazepines. The incidences of adverse events for the clonazepam, alprazolam, and lorazepam groups were 26.7% (n=20), 48.4% (n=31), and 43.9% (n=18), respectively. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that clonazepam is as efficacious as other benzodiazepines for the treatment of various anxiety disorders. Furthermore, the safety profile of clonazepam was superior to the other benzodiazepines in this study.

The Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale in Alcohol Dependent Patients / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Korean version of Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) in alcohol-dependent patients. METHODS: The participants were 31 patients with alcohol dependence disorder. All participants were tested using the Korean version of C-SSRS. To test the concurrent validity, Beck Hopelessness Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Scale for Suicidal Ideation were applied. Reliability and validity were assessed by comparison of cronbach-alpha coefficients, Pearson's correlation coefficients. RESULTS: The Korean version of C-SSRS was proved to be a reliable and valid method for assessment of suicidal risk by verification of internal consistency and concurrent validity. CONCLUSION: These results support that the Korean version of C-SSRS is a reliable and valid tool for prediction of suicidal risk in a clinical setting.

A Study of Mental Health Literacy Among North Korean Refugees in South Korea / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate North Korean refugees' knowledge of mental illnesses and treatments and analyze the factors affecting this knowledge. METHODS: Subjects were selected via a snowball sampling method, and the survey outcomes of 152 North Korean refugee participants were analyzed. The factors affecting knowledge of mental illnesses were analyzed via a regression analysis by constructing a multivariate model with mental illness knowledge score as the dependent variable. RESULTS: The North Korean refugees' mental illness scores ranged from 3 to 24 points, with an average score of 13.0. Regarding the factors that influence mental illness knowledge, the subjects with South Korean spouses and those who had spent more time in South Korea had higher knowledge scores. Furthermore, the subjects who considered the mental health of North Korean refugees to be a serious issue revealed lower knowledge scores than those who did not believe it was a serious issue. The subjects who visit psychiatric clinics showed higher knowledge scores than those who do not. The South Korean subjects who had at least a college education exhibited higher scores than did those without advanced education. The subjects who are satisfied with life in South Korea manifested a higher mental illness knowledge score than those who are not. CONCLUSIONS: This study is significant as being the first study to ever measure and evaluate the level of North Korean refugees' knowledge of mental illnesses. In addition, the evaluations of North Korean refugees' mental illness knowledge and influencing factors while residing in South Korea created basic data that formed the foundation of an effort to enhance mental health literacy and provide proper mental health services. The results of this study can be utilized to solve mental health problems that might frequently occur during the unification process of North and South Korea in the future.

Future of Clinical Practice in Psychiatry / 신경정신의학

The mission of psychiatric practice is rangesing from alleviating the distress and impairment caused by psychiatric disorders to promoting a state of well-being in order to cope with the normal stresses of life and for to improvement of social functioning. Various factors, including social changes in general and the change of Psychiatry is are grounded in clinical neuroscience and public health. The authors are to review the determinants of changes in clinical practice of psychiatry and to review plausible areas of new clinical practice in psychiatryic both from both a clinical neuroscience and a public health perspective.

Erratum: Future of Clinical Practice in Psychiatry / 신경정신의학

In this paper, the ACKNOWLEDGMENT was given incorrectly.

Psychological and Social Factors Affecting Internet Searches on Suicide in Korea: A Big Data Analysis of Google Search Trends

PURPOSE: The average mortality rate for death by suicide among OECD countries is 12.8 per 100000, and 33.5 for Korea. The present study analyzed big data extracted from Google to identify factors related to searches on suicide in Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Google search trends for the search words of suicide, stress, exercise, and drinking were obtained for 2004-2010. Analyzing data by month, the relationship between the actual number of suicides and search words per year was examined using multi-level models. RESULTS: Both suicide rates and Google searches on suicide in Korea increased since 2007. An unconditional slope model indicated stress and suicide-related searches were positively related. A conditional model showed that factors associated with suicide by year directly affected suicide-related searches. The interaction between stress-related searches and the actual number of suicides was significant. CONCLUSION: A positive relationship between stress- and suicide-related searches further confirmed that stress affects suicide. Taken together and viewed in context of the big data analysis, our results point to the need for a tailored prevention program. Real-time big data can be of use in indicating increases in suicidality when search words such as stress and suicide generate greater numbers of hits on portals and social network sites.

Relationship between Blood Pressure Variability and the Quality of Life

PURPOSE: Blood pressure variability (BPV) is emerging as an important cardiovascular prognostic factor in addition to average blood pressure level. While there have been some suggestions for the determinants of the blood pressure variability, little is known about the relationship between the blood pressure variability and health-related quality of life (QOL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-six men and women with mild hypertension were enrolled from local health centers in Republic of Korea, from April to October 2009. They self-monitored their blood pressure twice daily for 8 weeks. Pharmacological treatment was not changed during the period. Standard deviation and coefficient of variation of blood pressure measurements were calculated as indices of BPV. Measurements of QOL were done at initial and at 8-week follow-up visits. RESULTS: Study subjects had gender ratio of 39:41 (male:female) and the mean age was 64+/-10 years. The mean home blood pressure's at week 4 and 8 did not differ from baseline. Total score of QOL at follow-up visit and change of QOL among two measurements were negatively correlated to BPV indices, i.e., higher QOL was associated with lower BPV. This finding persisted after adjustment for age, gender and the number of antihypertensive agents. Among dimensions of QOL, physical, mental and hypertension-related dimensions were associated particularly with BPV. CONCLUSION: QOL may be a significant determinant of BPV. Improvement of QOL may lead to favorable changes in BPV.

Recent statistics and risk factors of suicide in children and adolescents

Youth suicide is like the tip of an iceberg; while many adolescents have died from suicide, many more adolescents have been harmed by suicide attempts and self-injury. Suicide influences not only the victims, but also their family members, friends, teachers, and neighbors. Witnesses can suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents worldwide and the first cause of death among Korean adolescents. The number of suicides in Korea, especially among high school students and female students, is rapidly increasing when compared with Western countries. Suicide accounted for 28.2% of deaths among Korean adolescents in 2010. There were 4.44% and 18.97% of adolescents who had attempted suicide and had experienced suicidal ideation in their lifetime, which shows that many adolescents have a potential risk for suicide. Previous studies in Western countries have revealed that risk factors for adolescent suicide consist of three categories: sociodemographic factors (male and low socioeconomic and educational status), mental health factors (depression and drug abuse), and individual negative life events and family diversity (family history of suicidal behavior, parental death, and child abuse). In conclusion, suicide is common and rapidly increasing in Korean adolescents. However, the risk factors of suicide and suicide behaviors in Korean adolescents are yet to be determined. A well-designed nationwide survey is needed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of suicide behaviors and mental disorders among Korean adolescents.

National Evidence-based Collaborating Agency (NECA) Round-table Conference Consensus Statement: multidisciplinary responses to suicide, the first ranked cause of death in adolescents

The National Evidence-based Collaborating Agency (NECA) holds the NECA Round-table Conference that not only disseminates objective and systematic information on topics of social concern in public health care but also organizes discussions on core issues under dispute in the literature through panels composed of multidisciplinary experts. Accordingly, the Round-table Conference was composed of multidisciplinary experts including medical specialists in the areas of psychiatry and preventive medicine, psychiatric and mental health nursing, psychologists, social welfare experts, consultation experts, religious leaders, and government officials from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and Ministry of Health and Welfare. The Round-table Conference, tasked with analysis of the actual status and causes of, and search for solutions for suicide in adolescents, has reached consensus on the current status, trend, risk factors and prevention factors, problems and issues in prevention and coping strategies, effective prevention and coping strategies and areas of research needed for the future. The Round-table Conference commented on the actual status and gravity of suicides in adolescents, and came to the agreement that mental health issues including stress from interpersonal relationships and depression are the key risk factors of suicide. It was further agreed that problems in the measures being implemented for each of the areas include lack of manpower and funding, and inadequate organic association and cooperation among relevant institutions. They also agreed that development of a government-initiated suicide prevention program for adolescents, association among relevant experts, and development, and management of practical guidelines that are of broad and practical use are important. Furthermore, the panels were in agreement that the mass media must comply with the recommended level of coverage in reporting of suicide as adolescents are greatly influenced by provocative mass media reports due to their strong impulsive dispositions.

Revision of the Mental Fitness Scale : Validation and Confirmatory Factor Analysis / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to correct the statistical errors in the previous article on "The Development of the 'Mental Fitness' Scale" (MFS) and to confirm the validity of factor structure via confirmatory factor analysis. METHODS: Based on re-analysis of the factor structure of 25 preliminary items using the original dataset, we identified 22 items of the MFS and assessed test-retest reliability. Concurrent validity was assessed by correlating the new set of MFS with total scores of the Beck Depression Inventory and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. We also performed confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in order to verify the factor structure resulting from the exploratory factor analysis. RESULTS: Re-analysis yielded five factors of 22 items, which is different from four factors of 20 items in the previous paper. 'Self-understanding' was added as one of the five factors. The test-retest reliability coefficients were significantly high, ranging between 0.57-0.73. Internal consistency was computed, and Cronbach's alpha for five factors ranged between 0.67-0.86, and was 0.91 for the total score. Concurrent validity and discriminant validity were both significant. The validity of five factor structure based on CFA was verified as root mean square error of approximation was significant. CONCLUSION: Based on results of confirmatory factor analysis, the validity and utility of the revised MFS was increased.

Long-term Escitalopram Treatment in Korean Patients with Panic Disorder: A Prospective, Naturalistic, Open-label, Multicenter Trial

OBJECTIVE: Panic disorder is characterized by recurrent panic attacks, persistent concerns about additional attacks, and worry about the implications of the attack or significant changes in behavior related to the attacks. We examined the efficacy of 24-week naturalistic, open-label escitalopram treatment in terms of the response and remission rates and functional disability in 119 adult Korean patients with panic disorder from 6 clinical centers in South Korea. METHODS: Clinical severity and functional impairment were assessed at baseline and at 4, 12, and 24 weeks after the treatment using the Panic Disorder Severity Scale and Sheehan Disability Scale. Ninety-six patients (80.7%) showed a treatment response, and 87 patients (73.1%) had attained remission after 24 weeks of escitalopram treatment. RESULTS: Continuous improvement in the Panic Disorder Severity Scale and Sheehan Disability Scale scores was found over the 24 weeks of treatment. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that escitalopram treatment is very effective for panic disorder in terms of both response and remission rates and that long-term pharmacotherapy with escitalopram continuously improved panic symptoms and functional disability in Korean patients with panic disorder.

Cost-Utility Analysis of Paliperidone Palmitate Long Acting Injection (PLAI) versus Oral Atypical Antipsychotics in Non-Adherent Schizophrenia Patients in South Korea / 대한정신약물학회지

OBJECTIVE: Schizophrenia is a chronic and persistent mental illness and requires continuous treatment. Nevertheless, a majority of schizophrenia subjects show non-adherence to oral antipsychotics due to many factors including a lack of insight and a decline in their cognitive function. Medication non-adherence is associated with an increase in relapse and hospitalization and incurs a heavy burden not only to subjects and caregivers, but also to society. Treatment with antipsychotic long acting injection can maintain a consistent plasma drug concentration and has been shown to prevent relapse and re-hospitalization. This study aims to assess the cost-effectiveness of paliperidone palmitate long acting injection (PLAI) compared with atypical oral antipsychotics (risperidone, olanzapine, aripiprazole and paliperidone) in schizophrenia subjects who are non-adherent to oral atypical antipsychotics. METHODS: A decision-tree model was constructed to compare the clinical and economic outcomes of PLAI and oral comparator over 1 year in schizophrenia subjects who are non-adherent to oral atypical antipsychotics. Clinical data such as relapse rate, extra pyramidal symptoms (EPS) rate, suicide rate and non-adherence rate were obtained from published literature. Utility values for each schizophrenia health state were calculated based on an Australian study to measure the utility values for schizophrenia patients. Direct medical cost data were obtained from domestic literature. Sensitivity analyses were performed on major variables. RESULTS: Based on model estimates, PLAI can increase quality-adjusted life years (QALY) per patient by 0.39 and is associated with a 2.93-fold lower probability of relapse compared with the weighted average of the oral treatments (0.2204 vs 0.6462). The total annual medical costs per patient (including medication, inpatient and outpatient cost) were 4.51 million Korean Won for PLAI, and 5.19 million Korean Won for the weighted average of oral atypical antipsychotics, leading to a cost reduction of 0.68 million Korean Won with PLAI. CONCLUSION: With lower total medical cost and improved treatment outcomes compared to oral treatments, PLAI was assessed to be a dominant treatment option for schizophrenia patients who are non-adherent to oral atypical antipsychotics.

Productivity Time Lost by Sleep Disturbance among Workers in Korea / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: The daily activities and performance of the working population can be threatened by sleep disturbances, including insomnia. This study evaluated the sleep patterns, sleep problems, daytime sleepiness, and lost productivity time (LPT) resulting from sleep quality and sleep duration issues among workers. METHODS: The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and the Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ) were completed by 653 workers in an urban area. Statistical analyses were performed using independent t-tests. RESULTS: The average sleep duration among the subjects was 6 h 37 min. While 19.6% of the subjects complained of poor sleep quality, 53.4% were affected during the day by insomnia. The estimated annual cost of LPT due to presenteeism (Won13,892,545 vs. Won11,840,140 ; p=0.033) and the total annual cost of LPT (Won14,040,968 vs. Won11,961,302 ; p=0.032) were higher in poor sleepers than in good sleepers. Furthermore, workers with a shorter sleep duration had a higher annual LPT due to presenteeism (747.83 vs. 648.57 h ; p=0.046) and a higher total annual LPT (754.48 vs. 657.99 h ; p=0.049) than workers with a longer sleep duration. CONCLUSION: Sleep deprivation among workers caused 1 h 51 min LPT per week. This suggests that sleep disturbance affects workers' performance in an organization, as well as in terms of individual health.

Productivity Time Lost by Sleep Disturbance among Workers in Korea / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: The daily activities and performance of the working population can be threatened by sleep disturbances, including insomnia. This study evaluated the sleep patterns, sleep problems, daytime sleepiness, and lost productivity time (LPT) resulting from sleep quality and sleep duration issues among workers. METHODS: The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and the Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ) were completed by 653 workers in an urban area. Statistical analyses were performed using independent t-tests. RESULTS: The average sleep duration among the subjects was 6 h 37 min. While 19.6% of the subjects complained of poor sleep quality, 53.4% were affected during the day by insomnia. The estimated annual cost of LPT due to presenteeism (Won13,892,545 vs. Won11,840,140 ; p=0.033) and the total annual cost of LPT (Won14,040,968 vs. Won11,961,302 ; p=0.032) were higher in poor sleepers than in good sleepers. Furthermore, workers with a shorter sleep duration had a higher annual LPT due to presenteeism (747.83 vs. 648.57 h ; p=0.046) and a higher total annual LPT (754.48 vs. 657.99 h ; p=0.049) than workers with a longer sleep duration. CONCLUSION: Sleep deprivation among workers caused 1 h 51 min LPT per week. This suggests that sleep disturbance affects workers' performance in an organization, as well as in terms of individual health.

Cost of Relapse in Patients with Schizophrenia in Korea / 대한정신약물학회지

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to quantify the costs of treatment in patients with schizophrenia and to compare the cost according to the relapse status. METHODS: A total of 330 patients were consecutively enrolled from 11 hospitals in Korea. Differences in direct medical costs by relapse status in the 6 months were examined. RESULTS: The medical cost in patients with relapse was about seven times higher than the cost in patients without relapse. The cost for hospitalization largely accounted for the cost in patients who relapsed. The most common reason for the hospitalization in patients with relapse was poor drug compliance. CONCLUSION: Relapse in patients with schizophrenia significantly increases medical costs in Korea.