This study examined the characteristics of people who have preference for complementary medicine and also the psychosocial factors that are related to the selection of complementary medicine. Two-hunred subjects recruited from the community were included in this study. Demographic variables, medical service characteristics, health locus of control, social support, coping style, and personality charateritics such as self-esteem, neuroticism, and hypochondriasis were measured. It turned out that nearly 80% of the subjects had already experienced at least one alternative therapy in the past. However, past expeiece was not significant in predicting future complementary medicine usage. People who were older in age, had more information about complementary medicine, used active-behavioural coping styles, and had internal locus of control were more likely to use complementary medicine in the future. Recommenations for furthur research is indicated.
Complementary Therapies* ; Hypochondriasis ; Internal-External Control ; Psychology

OBJECTIVES: This subjects investigated the psychological characteristics of patients with functional dyspepsia. METHODS: The subjects included ninety patients with functional dyspepsia and sixty four psychiatric out-patients. We administered Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and Illness Behavior Questionnaire(IBQ). RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the patients with functional dyspepsia and the psychiatric out-patients by MMPI. Two groups both showed a higher distribution in hypochondriasis, depression, hysteria subscales than in any other subscales. The patients with functional dyspepsia showed lower scores in disease conviction and affective disturbance subscales in IBQ subscales were similar between the patients with functional dyspepsia and the psychiatric out-patients. The patients with functional dyspepsia were divided into three groups for the Multivariate cluster analysis: normal(group 1), similar to psychiatric out-patient(group 2), and severe neurotic(group 3). The severe neurotic group showed higher scores in hypochondriasis, depression, hysteria, psychathenia, and schizophrenia subscales in MMPI and showed significant different scores in affective disturbance, disease conviction, psychological and somatic concerns, affective disturbance, denial, and irritability subscales in IBQ. CONCLUSION: If patients with functional dyspepsia show severe neurotic behavior, such as those in(group 3), they would need appropriate psychiatric intervention.
Denial (Psychology) ; Depression ; Dyspepsia* ; Humans ; Hypochondriasis ; Hysteria ; Illness Behavior ; MMPI ; Outpatients ; Psychology* ; Schizophrenia

BACKGROUND: Trigeminal neuralgia and atypical facial pain are representative disease entities of chronic facial pain. Most patients of these disaeses could be accompanied with psychological, emotional problems as their pain become chronic. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether different types of chronic facial pain lead to alteration in personality disorder or they are associated with particular characteristics of personality disorders using Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory (MMPI). METHODS: 40 patients of trigeminal neuralgia and 21 patients of atypical facial pain who had responded MMPI were enrolled in this study. Two groups were compared for age, sex, pain intensity (Visual analogue scale, VAS), duration of pain, MMPI scores and psychological impression from MMPI results. RESULTS: Pain intensity and chronicity were more severe and longer in trigeminal neuralgia group than atypical facial pain. However, some MMPI profiles such as hypochondriasis and hysteria were significantly elevated in atypical facial pain. Pain intensity and duration did not correlate with MMPI profiles in each group. Meaningful psychological impression from MMPI results which were interpreted by one psychologist were shown in 13 patients of trigeminal neuralgia (32.5%) and 14 patients of atypical facial pain (66.7%). Especially, psychosomatic disorder was most frequently found in atypical facial pain patients (47.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Atypical facial pain have more psychologic and emotional problems than trigeminal neuralgia, regardless of pain intensity and chronicity. Therefore, psychologic evaluation and treatment should be considered in atypical facial pain.
Chronic Pain ; Facial Pain* ; Humans ; Hypochondriasis ; Hysteria ; Minnesota* ; MMPI* ; Personality Disorders ; Psychology ; Psychophysiologic Disorders ; Trigeminal Neuralgia*

Onychotillomania, named by Alkiewicz, is a rare psychocutaneous disorder of the nails, and various psychological factors predispose the development of this condition. There has been no report of onychotillomania in Korea. We herein report two cases of onychotillomania seen in the nail clinic of our outpatient department. The first case was a 72 year old woman, who presented with a varying degree of dystrophic change to the first, second and third toenails on her right foot. She had a history of a depressive disorder and hypochondriasis. The second case was a 70 year old woman, who presented with complete destruction of the big toenail on her right foot, plus the 3rd and 4th fingernails of her right hand.
Aged ; Depressive Disorder ; Female ; Foot ; Hand ; Humans ; Hypochondriasis ; Korea ; Nails ; Outpatients ; Psychology

PURPOSE: The penile augmentation operation is becoming popular in Korea, but there is not enough data about psychologic aspects of Korean male's thoughts about their penile size. We investigated the flaccid and stretched penile sizes of young Korean males and their penile size complex or pride. We performed Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) test. This study may be used for better patient consultation in penile augumentation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After explanation and agreement to the purpose and methods of this study, 123 Korean male in early 20's who visit our institution were studied. We measured their pre-pubic bone fat pad depth, flaccid penile length, flaccid mid-shaft circumferences and stretched length under warm and comfortable private environment. Because the stretched penile length closely correlated with the erect length, we did not measure the erect length. Then they were asked to answer questions of MMPI and other questions including, 'how do you think about your penile size?'. We used the student t-test to analyze our data statistically. RESULTS: In 123 subjects, mean flaccid length, flaccid circumference, stretched length and fat pad depth were 6.9 0.8cm, 8.5+/-1.1cm, 9.6+/-0.8cm and 1.1+/-0.4cm respectively (Table 1). In 123 subjects, the distribution of the answer about penile size was 1 (0.8%) 'very small', 29 (23.6%) 'small', 86 (69.9%) 'normal', 6 (4.9%) 'large', and 1 (0.8%) 'very large'. Compared to the subjects who thought their penis was normal, the subjects who thought their penile size was small, showed high hypochondriasis and psychasthenia scale and the subjects who thought their penile size was large, showed high hysteria scale in MMPI test. Subjects who underestimated their penile size, showed high depression, psychasthenia scale in MMPI test CONCLUSIONS: In consultation of the patient who want penile augmentation, urologist should consider psychologic tendency of the patients about their penile size.
Adipose Tissue ; Depression ; Humans ; Hypochondriasis ; Hysteria ; Korea* ; Male ; MMPI ; Penis ; Psychology ; Self Concept*

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to analyze the psychological factors which influence myofascial pain syndrome and to evaluate whether the electromyographic study on the myofascial trigger point in shipyard workers satisfied the diagnostic criteria of myofascial pain syndrome. METHOD: We studied 61 patients who were employed in the shipbuilding industry and diagnosed myofascial pain syndrome. We investigated them using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and the visual analogue scale (VAS) and also obtained spontaneous electrical activity (SEA) by electromyographic study on myofascial trigger point. RESULTS: Mean VAS of subjects was 5.88. On the MMPI profile, the patients scored highest in psychopathic deviate, and then in hypochondriasis, depression and hysteria, in that order. The correlation of the VAS with results of electromyographic study and with the MMPI were not significant. In the electromyographic study, 19 patients out of 61 (31%) showed initial positive deflection on spontaneous electrical activities. CONCLUSION: This study suggested that considering the psychosocial aspect of myofascial pain syndrome, as well as organic aspects in hard manual labor such as shipyard work might be useful for treatment.
Depression ; Humans ; Hypochondriasis ; Hysteria ; MMPI ; Myofascial Pain Syndromes* ; Psychology ; Trigger Points

OBJECTIVEThe present study was designed to investigate the influence of viral myocarditis on mental behavior of the children.

METHODSMentality and behavior of the 178 children suffering from viral myocarditis were examined with Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) edited by Gong Yao-xian in 1986 and 104 sex, age, education and achievement-matched children with pneumonia or upper respiratory infection were enrolled as controls.

RESULTSThe mentality and behavior of the children with viral myocarditis were distinctly abnormal. The abnormal rates of boys and girls suffering from acute and deferment viral myocarditis were evidently higher than those of control children (P < 0.01). The behavioral abnormalities of boys were hypochondria, social difficulties, unwell of body and attack. Whereas, the girls presented hypochondria, unwell of body, social flinch and disobeyed discipline, which was significantly different from the control children. The total and hypochondria cursory mark of the second check result of deferment boys were evidently higher than those of the first check (P < 0.05). The total cursory mark of the second check result of deferment girls was higher than that of the first check (P < 0.05) and evidently higher than that of the acute second check result (P < 0.01). The abnormal rates of mentality and behavior correlated positively with the age of children and they were associated with the severity of the illness.

CONCLUSIONViral myocarditis evidently affected the mentality and behavior of children, which should be paid great attention to.

Acute Disease ; Adolescent ; Adolescent Behavior ; psychology ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Child Behavior ; psychology ; Child Behavior Disorders ; etiology ; psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Hypochondriasis ; etiology ; psychology ; Juvenile Delinquency ; psychology ; Male ; Myocarditis ; psychology ; virology ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Severity of Illness Index ; Social Behavior ; Virus Diseases ; psychology

An attemption was made to estimate the effect of menopause on the mental health of climacteric women. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory(MMPI) were questioned to 278 premenopausal women and 302 postmenopausal women. Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance in each variable of menopause, age, educational level, religion and partnership of husband, and two-way analysis of variance in two variables of menopause and one of other variables. The results were summarized as follows. 1. Menopause increased the scores of validity, psychopathic deviate, hypomania and paranoia scale, but conversely decreased the score of masculinity-femininity scale. 2. The older the climacteric women were, the lower scores of masculinity-femininity scale were observed. 3. The older the premenopausal women were, the higher scores of depression, hysteria, psychopathic deviate, psychasthenia and schizophrenia scale were observed, on the contrary, all scores of the postmenopausal women were decreased by the increment of their ages. 4. The higher the educational level of climacteric women were, the higher scores of correction and masculinity-femininity scale were observed, but the scores of hypochondriasis, hysteria, schizophrenia and social introversion scale were decreased by the increment of their educational level. 5. The scores of hypomania scale were higher in women of Buddhism than other religions. 6. The scores of validity, paranoia, psychasthenia, schizophrenia and social introversion scale were higher in windows than women with husband.
Buddhism ; Climacteric* ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Hypochondriasis ; Hysteria ; Introversion (Psychology) ; Menopause* ; Mental Health* ; Minnesota ; Paranoid Disorders ; Schizophrenia ; Spouses

BACKGROUND: Epilepsy patients may have a various whole gamut of psychological problems attending upon, in part or in whole, epileptic seizure focus. To investigate psychological problems related to epileptic focus and their postsurgical change, personality evaluation was performed in medically intractable epilepsy patients before and after the epilepsy surgery. METHODS: There were 103 temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients with or without hippicampal sclerosis (HS) and 22 extratemporal lobe epilepsy (XTLE). We used MMPI as an objective method of assessing emotional state and personality profile of the patients. The preoperative MMPI scales were compared between the TLE group and the XTLE group, between TLE with HS group and without HS group (NHS), and right and left TLE groups. In addition, the postsurgical changes of MMPI scales were analyzed upon only 31 TLE patients who had preoperative and postoperative MMPI RESULTS: First of all, in terms of mean value of each scale, all results observed were within normal range. When these results were analyzed using t-test, the scores of social introversion were significantly higher in HS group than in NHS group. Secondly, there were significant postoperative decrease of depression, hypochondriasis, psychasthenia, schizophrenia scales in HS groups and mascu-linity-frminity scale in NHS group. There was no significant difference of MMPI scales between TLE and XTLE CONCLUSION: The results of this study that hippocampal sclerosis may affect the preoperative personality and the removal of pathologic hippocampus may improve MMPI scales.
Depression ; Epilepsy* ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Hypochondriasis ; Introversion (Psychology) ; MMPI ; Reference Values ; Schizophrenia ; Sclerosis ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to compare characteristics of parents of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children in relationship to treatment compliance. METHODS: A total of 271 school-aged children diagnosed with ADHD were devided into two groups by treatment duration; early dropout group (n=117, treatments discontinued within three months) and continuous treatment groups (n=154, treatments continued for more than three months). Scores on the Korean Personality Inventory for Children (KPI-C), Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), Korean Parenting Sense of Competence (K-PSOC), Korean Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (K-PSI-SF), and Parental Acceptance Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ) were compared between two groups. RESULTS: According to the results of the KPI-C, parents of the early dropout group showed a higher tendency to regard their children's symptoms as 'somatization' and 'delinquency', compared with those of continuous treatment groups (49.9 vs. 46.3 and 60.9 vs. 58.2, p=0.048 and 0.046, respectively). Parents in the early dropout group showed higher scores on hypochondriasis and psychasthenia subscales in MMPI (54.7 vs. 52.1 and 51.5 vs. 48.5, p=0.024, and 0.017, respectively). The results of the K-PSOC showed that parents in the early dropout group perceived a lower sense of parenting competence (27.3 vs. 58.6, p=0.047). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested that characteristics of the parents and their perspectives regarding children's symptoms could be possible factors associated with treatment compliance in ADHD. Further researches on this issue may provide opportunities to improve treatment compliance for children with ADHD.
Child ; Compliance ; Humans ; Hypochondriasis ; Mental Competency ; MMPI ; Parenting ; Parents ; Patient Dropouts ; Personality Inventory ; Pilot Projects ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Rejection (Psychology)