The renewed emphasis on dynamic psychiatry is a countervailing response to the giant leaps in Biologic Psychiatry in the last 2-3 decades. The psychiatrist is uniquely endowed with his medical background and psychological orientation to travel through the bio-psycho-spiritual interface of human existence and accompany the critically and terminally ill.
PSYCHIATRY ; BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY

Freud once emphasized the importance of both temperamental and environmental factors as the cause of mental illness while he discussed about 'the Nature and the Nurture'. And because of the limitation to discover the nature of the constitutional factor, he said, he focused on the environmental factor as the way through which we better approch to treat patients. As a psychoanalyst originally from neurological background, he though believed that there should be 'the biological bedrock' in every psychological phenominon. And one good example is that 'ego' comes from 'body ego'. Before and after him, in the history of psychiatry, the most popular idea is that body(brain) and mind are inseparable. During the past half century, there has been remarkable progress in the biological psychiatry field, which gives us a great opportunity to investigate the relationship between body and mind more in detail. So many biological psychiatrists suggest hypothetical theories to define the cause and the nature of mental illness. Some of them(like E Kendal) even darely propose the explanation of the psychological phenomena in biological terms. However, as Freud once hinted, we may never explain the nature of mental phenomena as a whole since there always will remain what we may never know no matter how hardly we try to know. It is because that is exactly the very nature of 'the unconsciousness' that is the most mystical part of brain.
Biological Psychiatry ; Brain ; Humans ; Psychiatry ; Temperament

World Federation of Biological Psychiatry(WFSBP) and Korean Society of Biological Psychiatry(KSBP) was recently held with more than 400 participants from the world The KSBP was established in 1985 to promote and develop clinical researches, education, and scientific exchange in the field of biological psychiatry. And The KSBP became a regular member of WFSBP in 1986, when was a turning point for KSBP to be involved in dynamic activities in scientific exchange and members' contribution to many international congresses. The themes of this congress were 1) "Bridging between East and West Biological Psychiatry" and Bridging between Basic and "Clinical Neuroscience". 2) exchanges of information and concepts provided an emerging synthesis of current and novel, A very well structured scientific program planned by members of the WFSBP Scientific Committee and colleagues from the many Asia Societies of Biological Psychiatry was presented for us, showing the most recent advances of the specialty. There were 4 plenary sessions, 21 symposia, free oral paper presentation, poster presentation, and an educational workshop. The Conference was very successful and highly educational.
Asia ; Biological Psychiatry ; Education ; Seoul

Recently, the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacolgy (KCNP) published an English language journal "Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience" for the purpose of international communications in the area of neuropsychopharmacology and related biological psychiatry. Historically, it is the first foreign language journal published in the Korean psychiatric society. This is writing to the background of publishing an English language journal in the perspectives of the limitations of Korean language journal and the international communications with researchers all over the world. The major concerns in publishing an English language journal are discussed. The future plan of continuously publishing "Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience" and some suggestions for the researchers who are going to submit manuscripts and to read this journal are described. We hope this is helpful for the publication of English language journal planning in the editorial committee of the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association.
Biological Psychiatry ; Hope ; Psychopharmacology* ; Publications* ; Writing

Recently, the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association (KCNP) has been expanded greatly in the number of members as well as the qualities in the area of practice and research. There are also 23 affiliated academic societies : Korean Academy of Psychotherapists, Korean Society for Analytical Psychology, the Korean Psychoanalytic Society, the Korean Association for Clinical Art, Korean Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, the Korean Association of Social Psychiatry, The Korean Society of Biological Therapies in Psychiatry, Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology, the Korean Society of Biological Psychiatry, Society of Korean Women Psychiatrists, the Korean Society of Clinical Hypnosis, the Society for Human Sexuality, Korean Society of Sleep Research, the Korean Society for Psychopathology and Psychiatric Classification, Korean Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, Korean Psychosomatic Society, Korean Academy of Sleep Medicine, Korean Association for Geriatic Psychiatry, Korean Academy of Psychiatrists in Alcoholism & Addiction, Korean Academy of Adolescent Psychiatry, Korean Academy Schizophrenia, Korean Society for Depressive and Bipolar Disorders, and Korean Academy of Anxiety Disorders. To further encourage the progress of the KCNP affiliated academic societies, the KCNP planning committee has developed the proposed criteria for assessing the societies.
Adolescent ; Adolescent Psychiatry ; Alcoholism ; Anxiety Disorders ; Biological Psychiatry ; Biological Therapy ; Bipolar Disorder ; Child ; Classification ; Community Psychiatry ; Female ; Humans ; Hypnosis ; Jurisprudence ; Psychiatry ; Psychology ; Psychopathology ; Schizophrenia ; Sexuality

OBJECTIVE: A clinically relevant approach to patient care grounded in neurobiological constructs and evidence based practice which emphasizes a relevant psychopharmacology is needed to optimally train psychiatry residents. METHODS: We implemented a biological psychiatry course that now incorporates neurobiology, psychopharmacology, and evidence-based practice in conjunction with a Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) perspective. A survey launched prior to course implementation and following each class session, served as the outcome metric of residents' attitudes toward the new curriculum and followed a baseline attitudinal survey designed to evaluate the program. RESULTS: Greater than 90% of the psychiatry residents at Duke University who took the attitudinal survey agreed or strongly agreed with needing a course that helped them develop an understanding of neurobiology, psychopharmacology, and evidence-based practice concepts. Most residents also indicated a less than adequate understanding of the neurobiology and psychopharmacology of psychiatric disorders prior to sessions. CONCLUSION: Our biological psychiatry curriculum was associated with enthusiasm among residents regarding the incorporation of neurobiology, psychopharmacology, and evidence-based practice into course topics and discussions. A biological psychiatry curriculum with integrated neurobiology and psychopharmacology built on an evidence base approach is possible, well-received, and needed in training of future psychiatrists.
Biological Psychiatry* ; Curriculum* ; Evidence-Based Practice* ; Learning* ; Neurobiology* ; Patient Care ; Problem-Based Learning ; Psychiatry ; Psychopharmacology* ; Teaching

Depressive disorders are very common and serious illness in many psychiatric practices. We are accustomed to normal depression in everyday life, but the pathologically depressive conditions are regarded as a seriously urgent illness by the majority of psychiatrists because of the high risk of suicidal or self-destructive behaviors. Diagnosis of depressive disorders is not a hard task with the exception of the cases of masked depression and secondary depression. Nonetheless we have experienced many unpredictable psychiatric accidents during the course of treatment for the depressives. Generally speaking, major depression shows a good response to antideressants, but a chronic course is the rule in dysthymic condition, and consequently we need psychothereutic intervention. Although psychiatry today is biologically-oriented, the necessity for psychotherapy is now accepted in practice. Bio-psycho-social model in modern psychiatry helps to understand the depressives with the multi-modal therapeutic approaches. Presumably I think we have to practice psychotherapy for the depressives at all times even when the biological cause of depression is clear. Depression is like a mixture of psycholological and biological phenomena.
Biological Phenomena ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder* ; Diagnosis* ; Masks ; Psychiatry ; Psychotherapy* ; Self-Injurious Behavior

This review describes the types of psychiatric treatment studied during the Japanese colonial period of 1910–1945 in Korea, known at the time as Chosun. Twenty-nine research papers and abstracts on psychiatric treatment were reviewed, which were published in the Shinkeigaku-zassi (Neurologia), the Seishin-shinkei-gaku zassi (Psychiatria Et Neurologia Japonica) and the Journal of Chosun Medical Association, by faculty members of the department of neuropsychiatry, Chosun-Governor Hospital and Keijo (Seoul) Imperial University School of Medicine. The major research area was biological psychiatry and biological treatment, as Japanese pioneers in psychiatry at that time had introduced German psychiatry into Japan. Professor Kubo published the most papers, followed by Dr. Hattori, Dr. Hikari, and Professor Suits. In Chosun-Governor Hospital, research on prolonged sleep therapy was an active field. In the Imperial University Hospital, malarial fever therapy, sulphur-induced fever therapy, and insulin shock treatment were the most frequent research topics. Some were tried for the first time in the Japanese Empire, which reflected the pioneering position of the university. These achievements are attributed to Professor Kubo. Six papers on psychotherapy were published. Among them, two papers were on persuasion therapy, three papers were case reports of psychoanalytic therapy, and one paper on Freud. However, this psychoanalytic therapy research seemed to be limited trials conducted following literal guidance, and no further development was noted. Generally, research was characterized by simple design, small numbers of subjects, lack of objective evaluation method, lack of statistical treatment, and especially lack of ethical consideration comparing with today's standard.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Biological Psychiatry ; Humans ; Hyperthermia, Induced ; Insulin Coma ; Japan ; Korea* ; Methods ; Neuropsychiatry ; Persuasive Communication ; Psychiatry* ; Psychoanalytic Therapy ; Psychotherapy

Suicide attempts at the Han river are rapidly increasing, which are 4.11 times from 2005 to 2015, whereas the rate of completed suicide in South Korea increased 1.07 times during the same period. However, few studies have been conducted on the issue because many suicide attempters were seriously injured after a fall in the Han river. We present a case of a patient with major depressive disorder (MDD) who attempted suicide and minimally injured after jumping from the bridge at the Han river. We could assess his psychological and neurocognitive functions before and immediately after his attempt. From this case, we can identify that higher cognitive aspect of executive dysfunction, especially in the frontal domain of selective attention and inhibition, may be associated with his suicide attempt. In conclusion, we suggest psychiatric treatments for cognitive impulsiveness and safety barriers at the bridge to prevent suicide attempts of patients with MDD.
Biological Psychiatry ; Cognitive Science ; Depressive Disorder ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Frontal Lobe* ; Humans ; Korea ; Rivers* ; Suicide* ; Suicide, Attempted

Panic disorder is characterized by acute panic attack accompanied by autonomic symptoms such as tachycardia, sweating, dyspnea, chest pain, dizziness, and tremors, as well as anticipatory anxiety and avoidant behaviors. 30% of the general population may have suffered isolated episodes of panic attack, and epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that the lifetime prevalence of panic disorder is around 4.8%. Panic disorder is commonly comorbid with the other psychiatric disorders, and 30% of patients with panic disorder show treatment resistance and a chronic waxing and waning course. Therefore, adequate treatment guidelines and strategies for panic disorder by evidence-based pharmacotherapy are needed and some treatment guidelines for panic disorder have already been developed in foreign countries. In this article, among the foreign guidelines for the pharmacological treatment of panic disorder, those by World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) in particular were reviewed. Also, the recently developed Korean Medication Algorithm Project for Panic Disorder 2008 by the Korean Academy of Anxiety Disorder was reviewed.
Anxiety ; Anxiety Disorders ; Biological Psychiatry ; Chest Pain ; Dizziness ; Dyspnea ; Evidence-Based Medicine ; Humans ; Panic ; Panic Disorder ; Prevalence ; Sweat ; Sweating ; Tachycardia ; Tremor