OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the point prevalence of anxiety, depression and the associated risk factors in hospitalized patients with cancer. METHODS: A total of 114 patients with cancer who admitted to the Cancer Center in St. Mary's Hospital were enrolled for a day. The patients were asked to complete Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale(HADS). Sociodemographic and cancer related clinical variables were also evaluated. RESULTS: The point prevalence of anxiety and depression was 10.5% and 34.2%, respectively, as assessed with HADS. Logistic regression models revealed that distant metastasis was significantly associated with anxiety in patients with cancer and previous chemotherapy and Low socioeconomic status were significantly associated with depression. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that more than one third of patients with cancer suffer from either anxiety or depression. In addition, previous chemotherapy as well as low socioeconomic status and distant metastasis were associated risk factors of anxiety and depression, respectively. These findings suggest the need for screening and systematized psychosocial intervention for psychological distress in hospitalized patients with cancer.
Anxiety* ; Depression* ; Drug Therapy ; Hospitals, General* ; Humans ; Inpatients* ; Logistic Models ; Mass Screening ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prevalence* ; Risk Factors ; Social Class

The increasing number of patients with depression is a serious social issue in contemporary Korean society. To fully understand the pathophysiology of depression, this paper reviewed how depression affects the decision making process of humans. Various recent studies in behavioral economics, mathematics, medicine, and neurobiology have shown how humans make decisions and how emotional disturbances, such as depressive disorder, affect this process. There has been great progress in behavioral economics during this decade, and numerous experiments have been designed to evaluate decision making process in humans. In general, economic decision making is evaluated using the Iowa Gambling Task, and social decision making is assessed using the ultimatum game. Numerous research studies have analyzed the performance and reaction of patients with depression in these games. As a result of the advancement of neurophysiology, research has successfully identified the part of the brain that causes the specific results of tests being conducted on patients with depression. Meanwhile, computational neuroscientists have established decision making models based on bayesian framework. These models also match with the neuroanatomy. Although a large part remains unclear, researchers look forward to achieving a better understanding in depression by analyzing the distinct patterns of responses that patients under depression show in the experiment of behavioral economics.
Affective Symptoms ; Brain ; Decision Making* ; Depression* ; Depressive Disorder ; Economics, Behavioral ; Gambling ; Humans ; Interdisciplinary Studies ; Iowa ; Mathematics ; Neuroanatomy ; Neurobiology ; Neurophysiology

Objectives: The objective of the present study was to examine whether patients with severe depression and/or anxiety show a difference in the level of body awareness compared with that of healthy controls. Methods: Outpatients (n=100) with a diagnosis of moderate to severe depression and/or anxiety and 42 healthy controls were included in the study. Body awareness was assessed with the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) scale, and other clinical characteristics like anxiety and depression were measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Patient Health Questionnaire, respectively. The data were analyzed using ANCOVA, and statistically significant differences between the two groups in both the overall MAIA score and subscale scores were documented. Results: The overall MAIA scores of patients with depression and/or anxiety were significantly lower than that of healthy subjects. Specifically, the differences found in the subscales of trust, acceptance, attention-regulation, and return-to-body were significant, whereas the differences found in the subscales of notice and mind-to-body awareness were not. Conclusion These findings imply that the ability to monitor one’s own bodily sensations and to be aware of their connection with emotional states cannot serve as a marker for psychological well-being. Rather, it may be the aspects of attentional styles and attitudes toward bodily states that play a critical role in mental health. Further analyses examining the relationships between the subscales of body awareness and other psychological variables are deemed necessary.

This paper reviews recent research and neuropsychological findings pertaining to the relationship between emotion regulation and interoception. This study adopted a narrative review approach, drawing upon diverse databases such as PudMed, PsycINFO, and SSCI for a comprehensive literature search. The analysis followed a structured sequence, initially exploring the diverse compositions and definitions of emotion and physical sensation. The dimensions and measurements of interception were examined. This paper discusses the potential mechanisms through which interoception influences emotion regulation and examines the appropriateness of using interoceptive skills to treat emotional disorders. Numerous findings substantiate the association between interoception and emotion regulation. In particular, the interoceptive senses perceived at the moment interact with the autonomic nervous system, along with the predictive representations in the central nervous system, influencing emotional states. Clinical research has consistently demonstrated how challenges in recognizing and interpreting interoceptive sensations correlate with difficulties in emotion regulation. These findings suggest a paradigm shift in understanding emotion regulation through the lens of bodily sensations. Nevertheless, further research is needed to consolidate the notion of how interoception is linked to the development and perpetuation of mood disorders, positioning it as a promising target for therapeutic interventions.

This paper reviews recent research and neuropsychological findings pertaining to the relationship between emotion regulation and interoception. This study adopted a narrative review approach, drawing upon diverse databases such as PudMed, PsycINFO, and SSCI for a comprehensive literature search. The analysis followed a structured sequence, initially exploring the diverse compositions and definitions of emotion and physical sensation. The dimensions and measurements of interception were examined. This paper discusses the potential mechanisms through which interoception influences emotion regulation and examines the appropriateness of using interoceptive skills to treat emotional disorders. Numerous findings substantiate the association between interoception and emotion regulation. In particular, the interoceptive senses perceived at the moment interact with the autonomic nervous system, along with the predictive representations in the central nervous system, influencing emotional states. Clinical research has consistently demonstrated how challenges in recognizing and interpreting interoceptive sensations correlate with difficulties in emotion regulation. These findings suggest a paradigm shift in understanding emotion regulation through the lens of bodily sensations. Nevertheless, further research is needed to consolidate the notion of how interoception is linked to the development and perpetuation of mood disorders, positioning it as a promising target for therapeutic interventions.

This paper reviews recent research and neuropsychological findings pertaining to the relationship between emotion regulation and interoception. This study adopted a narrative review approach, drawing upon diverse databases such as PudMed, PsycINFO, and SSCI for a comprehensive literature search. The analysis followed a structured sequence, initially exploring the diverse compositions and definitions of emotion and physical sensation. The dimensions and measurements of interception were examined. This paper discusses the potential mechanisms through which interoception influences emotion regulation and examines the appropriateness of using interoceptive skills to treat emotional disorders. Numerous findings substantiate the association between interoception and emotion regulation. In particular, the interoceptive senses perceived at the moment interact with the autonomic nervous system, along with the predictive representations in the central nervous system, influencing emotional states. Clinical research has consistently demonstrated how challenges in recognizing and interpreting interoceptive sensations correlate with difficulties in emotion regulation. These findings suggest a paradigm shift in understanding emotion regulation through the lens of bodily sensations. Nevertheless, further research is needed to consolidate the notion of how interoception is linked to the development and perpetuation of mood disorders, positioning it as a promising target for therapeutic interventions.

This paper reviews recent research and neuropsychological findings pertaining to the relationship between emotion regulation and interoception. This study adopted a narrative review approach, drawing upon diverse databases such as PudMed, PsycINFO, and SSCI for a comprehensive literature search. The analysis followed a structured sequence, initially exploring the diverse compositions and definitions of emotion and physical sensation. The dimensions and measurements of interception were examined. This paper discusses the potential mechanisms through which interoception influences emotion regulation and examines the appropriateness of using interoceptive skills to treat emotional disorders. Numerous findings substantiate the association between interoception and emotion regulation. In particular, the interoceptive senses perceived at the moment interact with the autonomic nervous system, along with the predictive representations in the central nervous system, influencing emotional states. Clinical research has consistently demonstrated how challenges in recognizing and interpreting interoceptive sensations correlate with difficulties in emotion regulation. These findings suggest a paradigm shift in understanding emotion regulation through the lens of bodily sensations. Nevertheless, further research is needed to consolidate the notion of how interoception is linked to the development and perpetuation of mood disorders, positioning it as a promising target for therapeutic interventions.

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to examine the associations among emotion regulation strategies, interoceptive awareness, and psychological distress measures—namely, depression, anxiety, and somatization. Additionally, we aimed to explore the predictive power of various facets of interoceptive awareness in determining the severity of symptoms for each mental disorder. Methods: A cohort of 130 outpatients diagnosed with depression/anxiety disorder were recruited, and 20 subjects exhibiting incomplete responses were excluded from the dataset, leading to a final sample size of 110 outpatients. The clinical symptoms were measured by Patient Health Questionnaire-9, State–Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y, and Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, and the usage of emotion-regulation strategies and interoceptive awareness was assessed with Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), respectively. A hierarchical regression analysis was performed to examine whether emotion-regulation strategies and interoceptive awareness explain the statistically significant variance in each of the symptoms. Results: In the depression model, cognitive reappraisal, accept, and attention regulation showed significant associations, while in the anxiety model, cognitive reappraisal, attention regulation, trust, and notice emerged as significant factors. Lastly, cognitive reappraisal and attention regulation were found to be significant contributors to the final model for somatization. Conclusion The inclusion of MAIA subscales improved the predictive ability of the regression model, highlighting the independent association between interoceptive awareness—particularly attention regulation—and clinical symptoms of anxiety and depression. Additionally, the study underscores the relevance of considering the specific pathological context when implementing interventions, as evidenced by the positive associations between the accept subscale and depression and between the notice subscale and anxiety, respectively.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the overall mental health consequences of the bereaved parents after the Sewol ferry accident. METHODS: Eighty-four bereaved parents participated in the study. Self-report scales assessing the severity of psychiatric symptoms and other related psychosomatic problems were used at 18 months following the accident. Univariate descriptive statistics and regression analyses were performed to report the prevalence, severity, and correlates of psychiatric symptoms. RESULTS: 94% of the participants appeared to suffer from complicated grief based on scores on the Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG). Half of the participants were categorized as having severe depression and 70.2% reported clinically significant post-traumatic symptoms according to scores on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and PTSD Check List-5 (PCL-5). No significant differences by gender were observed in the severity of psychiatric symptoms. A higher educational level was associated with more severe psychiatric symptoms in fathers. CONCLUSION: The loss of a child due to a disaster caused by human error may continue to have a substantial impact on parental mental health at 18 months after the event. A longitudinal study following parents' mental health state would be necessary to investigate the long-term effects of the traumatic experience in the future.
Bereavement* ; Child ; Depression ; Disasters ; Fathers ; Grief ; Humans ; Longitudinal Studies ; Mental Health* ; Parents* ; Prevalence ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic ; Weights and Measures

There is a considerable body of literature describing the trials of meditation as adjunctive treatment of psychiatry. Although meditation has included various concepts and activity through a long history, meditation used as a therapeutic intervention in psychiatry has usually been accepted as a kind of emotion and attention regulation training. The aim of this article was to review historical origin, clinical effectiveness, and neurobiological mechanism of meditation as treatment for psychiatric disorders. Meditation is originated from various types of religious tradition. In general, meditation is divided by the consciousness meditation and the awareness meditation. Concept of mindfulness-based therapy is mainly based on awareness meditation. In addition to two types of meditation, loving kindness meditation is developed and exercised in compassion-focused therapy. Neurobiological evidence suggests that meditation reduces stress-related autonomic and endocrine change. In addition, research using neuroimaging has provided biological evidence that a specific region of brain activity and connectivity is related to subjective experience of meditation. Clinical trials support the effectiveness of meditation for the treatment of anxiety, depression, and any other stress-related disorders. In the future, profound understanding of the neurobiological mechanism, clinical effectiveness, and side effects of meditation as treatment intervention of for psychiatric disorders would be provided for evidence based meditative practice.
Anxiety ; Brain ; Complementary Therapies ; Consciousness ; Depression ; Love ; Meditation* ; Mindfulness* ; Neuroimaging