Psychological and Physiological Effects of a Smart Garden Program Using Mindfulness Meditation on Psychiatric Inpatients / 신경정신의학

Objectives@#This study investigates the psychological and physiological effects of a smart garden on psychiatric patients attending a day ward in a mental hospital. @*Methods@#A one-group pretest-posttest design was applied for this study. Twenty-four patients admitted to a mental hospital in ChunCheon City were included in the study and participated in a mindfulness meditation program in a cute-type indoor garden. The smart garden program was provided to the participants twice a week for 4 weeks, 10 minutes per session. A Self-Report Scale (SRS) and heart rate variability (HRV) of the patient were collected before and after experiencing the entire smart garden program. The SRS included three segments: Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck’s Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF). Furthermore, the patients’ HRV was assessed based on six parameters: standard deviation of the N-N intervals, square root of mean squared difference of successive N-N intervals (RMSSD), total power (TP), high-frequency, low-frequency, and low-frequency/high-frequency ratio. @*Results@#After attending the smart garden program, a significant difference emerged in three test areas in the SRS (BDI, BAI, and in the physical health domain of the WHOQOL-BREF; p<0.01), and in two HRV parameters (RMSSD and TP; p<0.05). @*Conclusion@#Results of the subjective and objective evaluation tools revealed that exposure to a smart garden program provides relaxing psychological and physiological effects to psychiatric patients.

Reliability and Validity of the Korean version of Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale (RCB-K). METHODS: Participants (n=598) included patients recruited through an online panel survey. For the semantic adaptation step, the scale was translated into Korean and then back-translated to English by one psychologist, one public health professional, one psychiatrist who could speak both Korean and English, and one professional translator, without communication between those involved. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test whether the factor structure of the RCB-K was consistent with the English version. Convergent validity was assessed by correlating the RCB-K scores with those of other scales (i.e., O'Guinn & Faber's Compulsive Buying Scale, Problem Gambling Inventory). RESULTS: The factor structure of the RCB-K was consistent with the two-factor structure established for the original RCB. Cronbach's α was high (0.906), indicating that the reliabilities of the items in each subscale were satisfactory. The RCB-K score was significantly correlated with those for the O'Guinn & Faber's Compulsive Buying Scale (r=0.7) and the Problem Gambling Inventory (r=0.422). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study indicate that the RCB-K is an effective and valid scale for evaluating the severity of compulsive buying. The findings suggest that the RCB-K is a promising assessment tool for use in the treatment and study of online compulsive buying behavior.

Coccygectomy for Treatment of Coccygodynia / 대한정형외과학회잡지

PURPOSE: Coccygodynia is a painful condition localized in the region of the coccyx. Most cases of coccygodynia are treated conservatively. However, we conducted an analysis of patients who underwent coccygectomy, with chronic intractable coccygodynia and assessed the results of their treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 2003 to August 2013, this study was conducted in order to investigate the benefit of coccygectomy in cases where conservative treatment has failed. We compared preoperative and postoperative visual analog scales (VAS) scores and confirmed duration of symptom free, complications. RESULTS: The average duration of symptom free was 3.4 months, and VAS score improved from 7.3 to 1.6. There was one wound infection. CONCLUSION: We can obtain satisfactory results through coccygectomy for chronic intractable coccygodynia.

A Phenomenological Study on Nurses' Experiences of Accidents in Patient Safety / 간호행정학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe nurses' experiences of accidents in patient safety. METHODS: Data were collected from October 8, 2011 to January 31, 2012 through in-depth interviews with seven nurses who had worked on wards or in the ICU in a university hospital. Data were analyzed by applying Colaizzi's phenomenological methodology. RESULTS: The following six categories were extracted: Fear of the patient's condition caused by the accident, Conflict in the accident report, Blame on others and circumstances, Feeling guilty and sorry as the patient's condition is improving, Being disappointed with the unfavorable atmosphere in dealing with the accident, After the accident, being sensitive in performing nursing duties and being faithful to the principles. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the organizational culture in the hospital related to accidents in patient safety is still closed and punitive, and such an atmosphere causes nurses to feel seriously hurt, but through this experience nurses are likely to mature as nursing professionals. Programs on prevention of accidents in patient safety and a system to guard against these accidents should be established. Also the organizational safety culture should be improved.

Examining Antecedents and Consequences of Gambling Passion: The Case of Gambling on Horse Races

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the antecedents and consequences of gambling passion using structural equation modeling to examine relationships among gambling motivation, passion, emotion, and behavioral intentions in the horse racing industry. METHODS: An onsite survey was conducted with 447 patrons at a horseracing park in South Korea. A confirmatory factor analysis showed that the Gambling Passion Scale was valid and reliable, resulting in two sub-scales: obsessive passion (OP) and harmonious passion (HP). RESULTS: Study results indicated that extrinsic motivation influenced OP whereas intrinsic motivation significantly affected HP. Furthermore, OP was correlated with negative emotion, whereas HP was related to positive emotion. Gamblers' satisfaction was found to be influenced positively by positive emotion and negatively by negative emotion. Finally, satisfaction appeared to affect gamblers' behavioral intentions. CONCLUSION: Study results echoed the notion of distinct and separate gambling motivations and passions among horse racing gamblers. Furthermore, results identified specific areas to which horse racing operators or policy makers should pay special attention in developing effective marketing strategies to promote responsible gambling.

Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of the Readiness to Change Questionnaire Treatment Version / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Readiness to Change Questionnaire-Treatment version (RCQTV-K). METHODS: The participants were 92 patients who were seeking treatment of alcoholism in two hospitals for alcoholism. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test whether the factor structure of the RCQTV-K was consistent with the English version. Convergent validity was assessed by correlating the scores on the RCQTV-K with those on other scales (Alcohol Abstinence Self-Efficacy Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Korean Version of Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test). RESULTS: The factor structure of the RCQTV-K was consistent with the three-factor structure established for the original RCQTV. Cronbach's alpha was high, indicating that the reliability of the items for each subscale was satisfactory. Allocated stage of change showed significant differences among the scores on the other scales. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study indicate that the RCQTV-K is an effective and valid scale for evaluating the stage of readiness to change in patients seeking treatment for alcoholism. The findings suggest that the RCQTV-K is a promising assessment tool for use in the treatment and study of alcoholism.

The Development of Carbohydrate-Preference Rating Scale and Its Relation to the Eating Attitude Test / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to develop a carbohydrate-preference rating scale (CPRS) and to investigate its validity and reliability. METHODS: A 10-item questionnaire was developed or selected by three psychiatrists. The questionnaire was administered to 157 female college students in Seoul. Construct validity was investigated by performing a principal component analysis, and reliability was assessed in terms of internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: The principal component analysis revealed three factors underlying carbohydrate prefer-ences : habits of carbohydrate consumption, ability to control the consumption of carbohydrates and body weight, and the addition of sugar when drinking coffee. Taken together, these three factors accounted for 57.390% of the common variance. Cronbach's alpha was high, indicating the reliability of the questionnaire was satisfactory. When comparing the total score of the questionnaire by T test, the eating disorder group showed higher score than the control group. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the CPRS is a reliable and valid scale for assessing carbo-hydrate preferences. Although there are a lot of limitations, present study has significance as the basis of future research.

The Effect of Socio-Economic Factors on Occupational Injuries in Korea: A Time Series Analysis / 대한산업의학회지

OBJECTIVES: We performed a time series analysis in order to identify the relationship between the occupational injury rate and socio-economic factors, and through this predict the occupational injury occurrence rate. METHODS: We reviewed 168 sets of monthly data. For the statistical analysis, we used the economic index data provided by Statics Korea and the occupational injury index provided by the Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service gathered from 1994 to 2007. We performed a correlation analysis to find relationship between the occupation injury rate and economic factors. Using the correlation analysis result, we used time series analysis for the data in order to find out the association between occupational injuries and socio-economic indicators. We performed time series analysis to find out association occupation injury rate with socio-economic factors. In addition we ran a prediction occupational injury rate for 2008 and compared the result to the actual value. RESULTS: The factors associated with occupational injuries were the daily worker index (b=0.394, p<0.0001), the mechanical index (b=-0.023, p=0.0043), the manufacturing operation index (b=0.152, p<0.0001), the workers compensation coverage expansion (b=1.189, p=0.015), the IMF index (b=-2.05, p<0.0001), and the after IMF index (b=-1.565, p=0.01). The daily worker index, manufacturing operation index, and workers compensation coverage expansion had an effect that increased the occupational injury rate. Conversely, the mechanical index and IMF variable tended to decrease the occupational injury rate. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the daily worker index, manufacturing operation index, workers compensation coverage expansion, and IMF variables are related factors in regards to occupational injury.

Factors Associated with Unmet Needs for Medical Care among Island Inhabitants in Korea / 農村醫學 地域保健

OBJECTIVE: Korea has 3,170 islands with about 188,000 inhabitants. These inhabitants' needs for health services might go unmet because of geographic isolation, slimmer availability of health services, and higher proportion of the elderly compared with the mainland population. Unmet health service needs might result in serious health problems for these island residents. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate their unmet health service needs and related factors from population of Nowha island. METHODS: The survey was conducted from July 30 to August 1 by trained interviewers. Target population were residents in Nohwa island and the sampling method was incomplete quota sampling. General characteristics, socioeconomic status, utilization of health service, and unmet medical service needs were investigated. First univariate and then multivariate logistic analyses were done for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: 324 residents were surveyed and the proportion of unmet health services needs was 26.5%. People living alone and of female sex had increased health services needs based on univariable analysis. From the multivariate analysis, those living alone increased the health services needs. Self-determined low socioeconomic status and medical aid increased the proportion of unmet medical needs, but these were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: In Nowha island, those who are elder, and of lower socioeconomic status had much higher unmet medical needs. The results suggest the need for more social support by qualified health services to solve this unmet medical needs problem.

Influencing Factors in Approving Cerebrovascular and Cardiovascular Diseases as Occupational Disease in Seoul / 대한산업의학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to analyze the factors that affected the decision making process in approving workers' compensation claims for cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases cases that occurred just before refoming approval standards of Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act on 1 July 2008 and to provide fundamental information in preparing better standards. METHODS: We examined 283 claims cases involving cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases that occurred between 1 January, 2006 and 31 December, 2007 and collected data based on the worker's compensation records from 3 Seoul Regional Centers of the Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service. We analyzed the approval rates and odds ratios according to the general characteristics, injury information, past medical histories, and work related information using chi-square or univariate logistic regression. In addition, we identified the factors affecting the approval using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Overall, 101 of the 283 cases were approved and approval rate was 35.7%. Approval rates differed significantly according to type of disease, survival, accident site, accident time, the presence of associated disease and overwork (p-value <0.05). In the multivariate logistic regression analysis with adjusted for age and sex, approval rate of death cases with associated disease was lower than cases without associated disease (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.12~0.42). Approval rate of cases occurred in worksite was higher than others (OR 4.81, 95% CI 2.22~10.40). Cases of accepted overwork had a higher approval rate significantly than cases of not accepted (OR 28.53, 95% CI 9.74~83.52). CONCLUSION: Factors in approving cases of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disease as cases involving occupational disease included conditions of overwork, high rate of accidents in the workplace and the presence of associated disease. It is necessary to investigate further behaviors of work and chronic work-related stress.

A Comparative Study of Involvement and Motivation among Casino Gamblers

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper is to investigate three different types of gamblers (which we label "non-problem", "some problem", and "probable pathological gamblers") to determine differences in involvement and motivation, as well as differences in demographic and behavioral variables. METHODS: The analysis takes advantage of a unique opportunity to sample on-site at a major casino in South Korea, and the resulting purposive sample yielded 180 completed questionnaires in each of the three groups, for a total number of 540. Factor analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Duncan tests, and Chi-square tests are employed to analyze the data collected from the survey. RESULTS: Findings from ANOVA tests indicate that involvement factors of importance/self-expression, pleasure/interest, and centrality derived from the factor analysis were significantly different among these three types of gamblers. The "probable pathological" and "some problem" gamblers were found to have similar degrees of involvement, and higher degrees of involvement than the non-problem gamblers. The tests also reveal that motivational factors of escape, socialization, winning, and exploring scenery were significantly different among these three types of gamblers. When looking at motivations to visit the casino, "probable pathological" gamblers were more likely to seek winning, the "some problem" group appeared to be more likely to seek escape, and the "non-problem" gamblers indicate that their motivations to visit centered around explorations of scenery and culture in the surrounding casino area. CONCLUSION: The tools for exploring motivations and involvements of gambling provide valuable and discerning information about the entire spectrum of gamblers.

The PTSD Symptom and Related Factors among the Residents after Samsung-Hebei Spirits Oil Spill / 대한산업의학회지

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to estimate the mental health problems and other related factors in residents that experienced the Samsung-Hebei spirits oil spill by surveying PTSD symptoms. METHOD: Trained interviewers performed direct interviews of the residents approximately 70 days after the oil spill. We investigated PTSD symptoms through PTSD Symptom Scale Interview Version (PSS-I). To determine those factors related to PTSD symptoms, the following factors were determined as part of the survey: gender, age, occupation, duration of cleanup activity, monthly income and amount of debt. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze all factors. RESULTS: Of the 318 residents investigated, 56.6% of the subjects had PTSD symptoms related to the spirits oil spill (about 70 days post spill). With regard to occupation, those subjects answering fishery (POR:3.05) and commerce (POR:4.24) as their occupations experienced higher PTSD symptoms than residents answering farming as their occupation. Residents who answered that they had debt over 10 million KRW (POR:2.61) were more vulnerable to PTSD symptoms compared to residents without debt; residents with acute physical symptoms were vulnerable (POR:5.11) to PTSD symptom compared to residents without acute physical symptoms. The results of multiple logistic analysis, including the cleanup activity, age, gender, occupation, acute physical symptoms and amount of debt in the model suggest that only cleanup activity increased PTSD symptoms. The subjects who had engaged in cleanup activities for longer periods of time had more PTSD symptoms and an additional dose-response relationship. CONCLUSION: Many residents in Samsung-Hebei spirits oil spill area had PTSD symptoms. This suggests that there were serious mental health problems among the residents, who might require specific social supports and psychiatric interventions as a result of the oil spill.

Prevalence of Baker's Asthma among Workers in an Industrial Bakery / 대한산업의학회지

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of baker's asthma due to flour dust in an industrial bakery in Korea. METHODS: Of the 596 active workers, 380 were allocated to a category of either direct exposure (DE) or indirect exposure (IE) to flour dust and completed a modified ISAAC questionnaire. Of the 380 participants, 233 were screened by an occupational physician interview, a skin prick test, and an ELISA for serum-specific IgE antibodies to wheat flour extracts. Selected workers received serial monitoring of peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), and positive PEFR respondents received a methacholine challenge test. The diagnosis of baker's asthma was confirmed by a specific inhalation challenge with wheat flour extracts. RESULTS: The prevalence of sensitization to wheat flour and baker's asthma was 21.0% (25.9% DE, 13.3% IE) and 3.2% (5.1% DE, 1.8% IE), respectively. DE had an increased risk of sensitization to wheat flour (OR 2.15, 95% CI = 1.03~4.51). Sensitization to wheat flour and the prevalence of baker's asthma correlated significantly (PR 38.63, 95% CI = 6.14~243.22). CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate a considerable prevalence of baker's asthma among flourexposed workers in Korea. Future studies will be required to survey the situation in flour mill companies and seek ways to protect the health and socioeconomic position of flour industry workers.

Patient Satisfaction in Workers' Compensation Medical Care / 대한산업의학회지

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the patient satisfaction and its influencing factors after medical care for workrelated injuries. METHODS: A self-reported questionnaire was mailed to 921 workers who had experienced workers' compensation medical care. The data from 335 respondents (response rate was 36.4%) were merged and analysed with the data from the Korea Labor Welfare Corporation (KLWC) which contain other general information of the respondents. RESULTS: Dissatisfaction with their medical care was reported by 17.3% of the respondents. Overall patient satisfaction (OPS) was highly correlated with the medical treatment process such as hospital facility, medical therapy, surgical therapy, doctor's explanation and physical therapy. However, OPS was negatively influenced by three factors: 1) unsatisfactory hospital care during waiting period before the approval of workers' compensation, 2) forced end of the hospital care by the workers' compensation, and 3) end of the hospital care with no further improvement. CONCLUSIONS: To improve the satisfaction of patients with work-related injuries, both the practice of medical treatment and also the administrative process of workers' compensation must be reformed. These reforms are needed to improve the quality of workers' compensation medical care and prevent abnormal illness behavior such as inappropriate treatment seeking.

Microarray Analysis of Gene Expression in Rat Glioma after Ethanol Treatment

Objetives: Identification of target genes for ethanol in neurons is important for understanding its molecular and cellular mechanism of action and the neuropathological changes seen in alcoholics. The purpose of this study is to identify of altered gene expression after acute treatmet of ethanol in rat gliom cells. METHODS: We used high density cDNA microarray chip to measure the expression patterns of multiple genes in cultured rat glioma cells. DNA microarrays allow for the simultaneous measurement of the expression of several hundreds of genes. RESULTS: After comparing hybridized signals between control and ethanol treated groups, we found that treatment with ethanol increased the expression of 15 genes and decreased the expression of 12 genes. Upregulated genes included Orthodenticle(Drosophila) homolog 1, procollagen type II, adenosine A2a receptor, GATA-bindning protein 2. Downregulated genes included diacylglycerol kinase beta, PRKC, Protein phosphatase 1, clathrin-associated protein 17, nucleoporin p58, proteasome. CONCLUSION: The gene changes noted were those related to the regulation of transcription, signal transduction, second messenger systems. modulation of ischemic brain injury, and neurodengeneration.Although some of the genes were previously known to be ethanol responsive, we have for the most part identified novel genes involved in the brain response to ethanol.

Neuropsychological Characteristics of Schizophrenic Patients who Committed Homicide / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: There is a moderate but significant association between schizophrenia and violence. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between violence and brain cognitive functions in schizophrenic patients who have committed homicide using neuropsychological tests. METHODS: The study involved three group of subjects: schizophrenics who have committed homicide (n=51), schizophrenics who have not committed homicide (n=50) and normal control (n=50). Intelligence test (K-WAIS), memory test (Rey-Kim Memory Test) and executive function test (Stroop test, WCST) as well as Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality (SIDP) were administered by trained researchers. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in demographic variables among groups. Schizophrenic patients showed overall cognitive deficit in intelligence, memory and executive functions, regardless of homicide behavior. Homicidal schizophrenic group was not significantly different from non-homicidal schizophrenic group in every cognitive domain. There was no significant correlation between index scores of cognitive functions and Life History of Aggression assessment (LHA). However, index scores of cognitive functions were negatively correlated with the PANSS and schizotypal trait scores. CONCLUSION: Cognitive dysfunction is common across both schizophrenic groups. It doesn't significantly correlate with homicidal experience, but it correlates with the schizophrenic symptom domains.

Clinical Characteristics of Schizophrenic Patients who Committed Homicide / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: Recent studies have shown that schizophrenic patients are at increased risk to commit acts of aggression, and aggressive behaviors have severe critical results for the patients and victims. The purpose of the present study is to assess the homicidal behaviors of schizophrenic patients as a extreme case of aggressiveness. METHODS: 93 homicidal schizophrenic patients and 93 non-homicidal schizophrenic patients participated in this study. Diagnostic evaluation was made with SCID (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV), and personality trait was evaluated with SIDP (Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders). Symptom evaluation was done with PANSS (Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale), and violent behaviors were assessed with LHA (Life History of Aggression) and OAS (Overt Aggression Scale). RESULTS: There were no significant differences in demographic variables, schizotypal personality trait and antisocial personality trait between two groups. Mean age at homicidal commitment was 34+/-8.9 years and 9.8+/-7.5 years after the onset of illness. The major criminal victims were the parents of the patients(N=49, 53.7%). The aggressiveness was higher in homicidal schizophrenic patients in LHA and OAS scales. There were statistical significances in separate items of the PANSS scale such as excitement (P4), poor rapport (N3), lack of judgement and insight (G12), disturbance of volition (G13), poor impulse control (G14) and active social avoidnance (G16), but not in the positive, negative, general subscales and the total scores of the PANSS scale. CONCLUSION: Excitement and poor impulse control persisted in homicidal schizophrenics, although overt psychotic symptoms decline after proper treatment. Homicidal behavior can be preventive if proper treatment for excitement and poor impulse control are given.

The Clinical Characteristics of Female Gamblers: Focusing on Casino Visitors / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: Recently, the number of female gamblers has increased, therefore, the proportion of women is around one third of all the pathological gamblers. However, the majority of previous studies on pathological gambling have been performed with only male subjects and tended to generalize those results to females. The authors have investigated the gender differences in level 3 gambling in terms of characteristics of gambling and associated psychiatric symptoms. METHODS: 166 participants (104 males, 62 females) who came to a casino have been evaluated for their sociodemographic data and the characteristics of gambling. Participants completed the following self-reported questionnaires: The Korean Version of South Oaks Gambling Screen (KSOGS), The Korean Version of Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), The Korean Version of Beck Anxiety Scale (BAI), The Korean Version of Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), The Korean Version of Behavioral Activation/Inhibition System Scale (K-BAS/BIS), CAGE (The CAGE Questionnare), The Korean Version of Eating Attitudes Test (KEAT). RESULTS: Female level 3 gamblers had significantly later age of onset for their gambling behavior than male. Female level 3 gamblers were significantly more depressed and male level 3 gamblers had more severe alcohol use problems. The proportion of the participants with more severe eating problems was significantly higher in female level 3 gamblers than their male counterparts. CONCLUSION: This study suggests the importance of considering the associated depressive symptoms and eating problems in female gamblers.

The Reliability and Validity of the Korean Translation of the Gambling Symptom Assessment Scale(KG-SAS) / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the Korean translation of Gambling Symptom Rating Scale (KG-SAS). METHODS: Using self-report sampling, we eventually included 231 subjects and analysed 70 subjects. These subjects were tested for KG-SAS and the Korean version of Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS). RESULTS: In the reliability test, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was .913 which provided the evidence for the internal consistency. Content validity was assessed with factor analysis and two factors were extracted. Compared with the original scale, both scales embody the same theoretical conceptualization. To assess the validity of the KG-SAS, correlation coefficient was calculated between the KG-SAS and the Korean version of BIS. We got the result that there was a correlation between the KG-SAS and the Korean version of BIS (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study support that the KG-SAS is a reliable and valid scale for evaluating pathological gambling symptom assessment. Based on the results, this study suggests that KG-SAS would be a promising measurement to treat and study pathological gambling.

An Estimation of Optimal Medical Manpower in Mental Hospital / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to surmise appropriate level of medical manpower of mental hospital from the perspectives of clinical experts, psychiatrist and psychiatric nurse. METHODS: First, we wlleded data on medical manpower of domestic mental hospitals and foreign mental hospitals. Next, psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses were asked to complete a survey. We estimated the optimal level of medical manpower examining appropriate volume of medical services that should be provided for psychiatric patients, and analizying the survey carried out by direct questions. RESULTS: The number of psychiatrists of group A of private mental hospitals was 1.7 times more than that of public mental hospitals; when the number of psychiatrists in public mental hospitals was regarded as 1.0, and group B of private mental hospitals was 0.5 times, and the university hospitals 8.2 times. The number of psychiatric of group A of private hospitals was 1.5 times more than that of public mental hospitals; when the number of psychiatric nurses in public mental hospitals was regarded as 1.0, the group B of private mental hospitals was 0.6 times and university hospitals was 2.6 times. The foreign mental hospitals had more medical manpowers in all occupations than domestic mental hospitals. The number of psychiatrists estimated according to the first method was 11.1 persons and the number of psychiatric nurses was 26.3 persons per 100 beds, and the number of psychiatrists estimated according to the second method was 4.3 persons per and the number of psychiatric nurses was 20.8 persons per 100 beds. CONCLUSION: The estimated optimal number of psychiatrists for mental hospital is 4.3 persons and of psychiatric nurses was 20.8 persons per 100 beds. However, these numbers can be flexible depending on the ratio of short-term acute patients and long term chronic patients.