No abstract available.
Psychopharmacology*

No abstract available.
Psychopharmacology*

No abstract available.
Neurosciences* ; Psychopharmacology*

No abstract available.
Adolescent* ; Child* ; Humans ; Psychopharmacology*

Improvement of psychopharmacology resulted in changes in therapeutic target for patients with schizophrenia. Although the control of psychotic symptoms are considered to be the primary goal of treatment in schizophrenia, in recent years, functional recovery and improvement of quality of life (QoL) has been highlighted as the new therapeutic target. In this article, we reviewed the definition, assessment tools, and recent studies which have been done in Korea. QoL is complex and heterogenous concept, thus there have been no gold-standard measures for QoL. Standardization of assessment tools for Koreans has set the infrastructure for QoL researches in patients with schizophrenia. More researches are needed in this area, and it could provide information for the development of psychosocial program and systemic support for improving schizophrenic patient's QoL.
Humans ; Korea ; Psychopharmacology ; Quality of Life* ; Schizophrenia*

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

OBJECTIVE: The Korean College of Neuro psychopharmacology and the Korean Academy of Schizophrenia developed the Korean algorithm project for bipolar disorder to aid clinical decisions. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of Korean Medication Algorithm for Bipolar Disorder (KMAP-BP) in clinical settings in Korea. METHODS: A total of 126 bipolar patients were enrolled at 17 centers. Among them, 92 patients were treated according to the algorithm. All subjects were assessed over a 4-month period. Prescribing investigators were able to change the recommended treatment strategies of the algorithm if necessary. RESULTS: Overall ratings were favorable, with investigators stating that the overall quality of this algorithm was "good" or "no need to revise". Of manic patients, the majority (79%) showed treatment response (YMRS improvement > or =50%) at the first stage. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that this algorithm can be useful in clinical practices. However, some problems should be solved in the next version of KMAP-BP.
Bipolar Disorder ; Humans ; Korea ; Psychopharmacology ; Research Personnel ; Schizophrenia

Phenomenology was founded in the 19th century by Edmund Husserl. Apart from natural sciences and metaphysics, phenomenology is presented as a rigorous scientific discipline, which aims to provide an understanding of the subjective experiences of human beings. After the eras of descriptive and dynamic psychiatry, phenomenological methods were adopted by psychiatry, and phenomenological psychopathology suggested a new perspective for understanding the pathological experiences of psychiatric patients. However, after the development of psychopharmacology and the operational diagnostic system, the center of phenomenology in psychopathology was moved from comprehensive understanding to simple description. Thus, phenomenological psychopathology in its original meaning did not get remarkable repercussions, especially in the English-speaking world. In this article, some major concepts of phenomenology will be briefly presented and then phenomenological psychopathology in its original meaning will be introduced. Secondly, as an example of its application, symptoms of schizophrenia will be interpreted in terms of phenomenological psychopathology. Finally, the authors will present a neurobiological interpretation of the phenomenological psychopathology of schizophrenia and suggest a possible role of phenomenological psychopathology in mitigating the impasse in psychiatric genetics research.
Humans ; Metaphysics ; Natural Science Disciplines ; Neurobiology ; Psychopathology ; Psychopharmacology ; Schizophrenia

Depressive disorders have many faces in clinical features, long-term course, prognosis, and the patients with depressive disorders are not homogeneous group. So, there have been many subtypes of depression suggested and described by clinicians and researchers. But, there is few evidences which support unique pathophysiology and clinical implication about each subtype. The treatment of various subtype of depression is not also specified according to scientific evidence. Nowadays, the rapid development of psychopharmacology and many new antidepressants are making it more possible for clinician to choose antidepressant according to the subtypes of depression and to the characteristics of patients. Therefore, we reviewed the clinical evidence of the treatment for various subtypes of depressive disorders and tried to recommend more efficient antidepressant treatment, although there is a few data for subtypes of depressive disorders. We concluded that the specific choice of antidepressant for each subtypes of depression is not yet possible, because the current subtyping of depression is not clear in many aspects, and the clinical trials have focused mainly in depression in a whole. From now on, more efforts is needed about the more specified subtyping and more specified treatment in order to get more efficacy, safety, and the satisfaction of patients with depressive disorders.
Antidepressive Agents ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Psychopharmacology

Development of new drugs using the incrementally modified drug (IMD) technique is becoming increasingly popular in the pharmaceutical industry. The technique addresses the critical need of pharmaceutical companies to reduce the astronomical budget required to develop a new drug. Incremental drug modification can encompass modification of the structure, formulation, or indication of existing drugs. Typical examples of the technique include modification of chemical structure, changes to formulation, and development of compound drugs. While some large pharmaceutical companies use the technique as a strategic tactic to prolong patent rights and maintain a profitable brand, it can also offer many health benefits, such as the discovery of new uses for the same compound, improved safety, and raised patient compliance. Several incrementally modified drugs have already been marketed for psychiatric use, and many more are waiting for approval. This new trend may expand the options available to clinicians; the usefulness of chiral and long-acting drugs has already been proven in clinical practice. This review presents an overview of the incrementally modified drug technique and its current status in psychopharmacology. It also discusses the economic and clinical implications of the current popularity of this technique.
Budgets ; Drug Industry ; Human Rights ; Insurance Benefits ; Patient Compliance ; Psychopharmacology*