This study analyzes the role of the Sorting Hat in structuring the identity of the characters in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. In the different stages of adolescence, one explores and re-establishes one's identity. One's sense of identity is determined by the commitments made regarding personal and social traits. However, it is difficult to establish a concrete identity formation process theory that is communicable to adolescents. In Harry Potter, the characters' identities are reflected upon the Sorting Hat and are continuously molded throughout the book. The Sorting Hat provides nurturing experiences based on temperament. Based primarily on their temperament, it sorts the students into four houses, each with their own distinct characteristics. Once sorted, the houses become the living and learning communities in which the students share the same dormitory and classes until their graduation. Within the community, the students seek connections, supportive relationships, and understanding within the group. The taking on of the group identity is an explanatory variable in the formation of individual identity. The Sorting Hat provides the students with stability and a safe boundary. After being sorted based on their temperament, the inexperienced and immature adolescents can explore different options under the guidance of the Hat before making a definite commitment. By presenting them with an appropriate environment (such as a mentor, friend, or family member), the Hat further shapes their identity and integrates the identity elements ascribed in the beginning. By providing experiences and interactions based on their unique temperament and environment, the Sorting Hat plays a crucial role in establishing the students' identities. The Sorting Hat can be an ideal model for finding one's identity during adolescence.
Adolescent* ; Friends ; Fungi ; Humans ; Learning ; Mentors ; Sociological Factors ; Temperament

OBJECTIVES: We examined the relationships between the body mass index, body weight perception, and depressed mood in a nationally representative sample of Korean adolescents. METHODS: We analyzed the data from the 2013 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey and evaluated the relationships between the body mass index, body weight perception, and depressed mood by gender (36655 boys and 35780 girls). RESULTS: For boys, a low body mass index and perceiving oneself as underweight were related to depressed mood. For girls, both low and high body mass indices were negatively related to depressed mood. In addition, self-perceptions of being underweight or overweight were positively related to depressed mood. Body weight perception was not a significant mediator in the relationship between body mass index and depressed mood. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that both body mass index and body weight perception significantly contribute to Korean adolescents' depressed mood. Thus, research and clinical attention needs to be given to underweight as well as overweight adolescents, because those who perceive their weight as not normal are at risk for depression.
Adolescent* ; Body Mass Index* ; Body Weight* ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Overweight ; Risk-Taking ; Self Concept ; Thinness

OBJECTIVES: The study compared the intelligence test profiles of Tourette's Disorder (TD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and TD with ADHD (TD+ADHD) groups. METHODS: The Korean Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-third edition (K-WISC-III) and Korean Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-fourth edition (K-WISC-IV) were administered to 13 children and adolescents with TD, 17 children and adolescents with ADHD, and 15 children and adolescents with TD+ADHD. Each parameter was compared among the groups using the Kruskal-Wallis test. RESULTS: The mean scores of the freedom from distractibility/working memory index (FD/WMI) and the digit span and arithmetic subtests of the TD+ADHD group were significantly lower than those of the TD group. CONCLUSION: According to the intelligence test results, the comorbid ADHD+TD group showed a significant decrease in working memory compared to the TD group. These findings are similar to those of previous research on cognitive functions and suggest that the TD+ADHD comorbid and TD alone groups exhibit different endophenotypes. The results also imply that WISC-III and WISC-IV, the most commonly used intelligence tests clinically, are effective in evaluating cognitive functions such as attention. Further research is required to confirm these results.
Adolescent ; Child ; Cognition ; Endophenotypes ; Freedom ; Humans ; Intelligence Tests* ; Intelligence* ; Memory ; Memory, Short-Term ; Tourette Syndrome*

Over the past quarter century, research on physical punishment has proliferated. Almost without exception, these studies have identified physical punishment as a risk factor in children's behavioral, emotional, cognitive and brain development. At the same time, the United Nations has established that physical punishment constitutes a breach of children's basic human rights to protection and dignity. Together, research findings and human rights standards have propelled profound global change. To date, 51 countries have prohibited all physical punishment of children. In this article, we review the literature on physical punishment within its historical context, and provide recommendations for health professionals working with families.
Brain ; Child ; Child Abuse ; Child Development ; Health Occupations ; Human Rights ; Humans ; Punishment* ; Risk Factors ; United Nations

Children exposed to potentially traumatic events are at risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the subsequent developmental course of posttraumatic stress symptoms appears to vary considerably. In this regard, some PTSD symptoms resolve without significant interventions, while for many children and adolescents, they persist until the patient receives appropriate treatment specifically designed to address PTSD and other trauma related symptoms. Evidence-based psychotherapies represent the standard of care for children with PTSD and, while psychopharmacologic interventions are utilized for many youth with posttraumatic stress symptoms and PTSD, there is little data available to guide the use of these medications in this population. However, given the structural challenges involved in disseminating and delivering evidence-based psychotherapies in all settings, prescribing clinicians should be aware of the medications whose use in children with pediatric PTSD has been studied. Herein, we review the PTSD assessment modalities, as well as the use of pharmacologic interventions in PTSD, including antiadrenergic agents, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and other medications.
Adolescent* ; Adrenergic Antagonists ; Child ; Humans ; Psychotherapy ; Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors ; Standard of Care ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*

The seeds of addiction are typically sown years prior to the onset of addictive substance use or engagement in addictive behaviors, due to the priming of the reward pathway (RewP) by alterations in the mechanism of stress-signaling from the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) and related pathways. Excessive stress from a single-event and/or cumulative life experiences during childhood, such as those documented in the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, is translated into neurobiological toxicity that alters the set-point of the HPA axis and limbic system homeostasis [suggested new term: regulation pathway (RegP)]. The resultant alteration of the RegP not only increases the risk for psychiatric and physical illness, but also that for early onset and chronic addictions by dysregulating the RewP. This paper reviews the interface of these symbiotic pathways that result in the phenotypic pathology of emotional dysregulation, cognitive impairment, and compulsive behaviors, as well as morbidity and shorter life expectancy when dysregulated by chronic stress.
Behavior, Addictive ; Cognition Disorders ; Compulsive Behavior ; Homeostasis ; Life Change Events ; Life Expectancy ; Limbic System ; Pathology ; Reward

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Psychiatry* ; Violence*

No abstract available.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate clinical characteristics of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) using methylphenidate (MPH). METHODS: Retrospective review of the charts of 79 children and adolescents with ASDs, who visited the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of Seoul National Hospital, from July 2010 to July 2011, was conducted. Changes in illness severity and improvement were measured using the Clinical Global Impression-Severity of illness (CGI-S) and Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) Scales. RESULTS: We found that MPH was prescribed in 23 (29.1%) children and adolescents. Of the 23 patients on MPH, 4 patients (17.4%) were on MPH monotherapy and 18 patients (78.3%) were using risperidone concomitantly. MPH was prescribed primarily for symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity in ASDs patients. The mean dosage of MPH was 26.2+/-11.1mg/day and mean duration of treatment was 31.9+/-28.7 months. Mean CGI-S score improved significantly from baseline to endpoint (from 5.4+/-0.6 to 4.1+/-0.9 ; p<.01). MPH was reported to be effective in 17 patients (17/23, 73.9%), and 10 patients (10/23, 43.5%) reported side effects. Side effects included decreased appetite (4/23, 17.4%), tic (2/23, 8.6%), sleep disturbances (2/23, 8.6%), headache (1/23, 4.3%) and irritability (1/23, 4.3%). CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrate that MPH may be used effectively and safely in children and adolescents with ASDs with hyperactivity and impulsivity. Future controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings.
Adolescent ; Adolescent Psychiatry ; Appetite ; Autistic Disorder ; Child ; Autism Spectrum Disorder ; Headache ; Humans ; Methylphenidate ; Phenazines ; Retrospective Studies ; Risperidone ; Tics

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the current prevalence rate of school bullying and its related psychopathology. METHODS: A total of 3,550 elementary/middle school students and their parents were recruited for this study. A self-report questionnaire on perpetration and victimization in school bullying was used for collection of data regarding prevalence and the present state of school bullying. For evaluation of associated psychopathology, self report forms, including the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder Rating Scale (ARS), Korean-Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL), Korean-Youth Self Report (K-YSR), and the Korean Eppendorf Schizophrenia Inventory (K-ESI) were applied. Samples were classified according to four subtype groups (control, victim, perpetrator, and victim-perpetrator) and characteristics of each group were compared. RESULTS: Overall, the prevalence rate for bullying perpetration was 64.4% and the prevalence rate for bullying victimization was 63.4%, indicating involvement of more than half of students in school bullying. Bully-victims reported high social immaturity and depressive and suicidal tendency, whereas bully-perpetrators reported less social immaturity and more externalizing problems. Among the subtype groups, the victim-perpetrator group showed the most prominent depressive/anxiety tendency and behavioral problems. CONCLUSIONS: Both victimization and perpetration of bullying are common problems for child and adolescent groups and several psycho-social problems were found to be related. The results of this study will guide direction of future study and development of strategies for prevention of bullying.
Adolescent ; Anxiety ; Bullying ; Checklist ; Child ; Crime Victims ; Depression ; Humans ; Parents ; Prevalence ; Psychopathology ; Schizophrenia ; Self Report ; Surveys and Questionnaires