It has passed 20 years since the first conference of the Korean Psychosomatic Society(KPMS) had been held. Therefore, it seems that it is the appropriate time to evaluate the current status and to look back the history of the Korean psychosomatic medicine in three aspects, clinical treatment, education, and research, and to make a plan for the future. Of the three areas, the clinical practice of Korean psychosomatic medicine will be discussed. As the past, I reviewed the historical background and development of KPMS, and the proposals presented at the first conference of KPMS in 1992. As the present, I presented the short stories about the psychosomatic clinic in Japan, Germany, and USA, to compare it with the present status of Korean one. And finally I made careful proposals for the future of the Korean psychosomatic medicine.
Germany ; Japan ; Korea ; Psychosomatic Medicine

The relationship of mind and body has stimulated extensive discussion for a long time. However, answers are ambigous and not forthcoming yet. Meanwhile, after the western medicine had embraced materialistic paradigm, conditions which cannot be substantiated by organic change were pushed out to periphery under the banner of "Medically Unexplained Symptoms". Medical experts endeavored to understand these mysterious illnesses based on the mind-body relationship and provided a frame of interpretation called Psychosomatic Medicine. This frame of interpretation had influenced not only the communication practice but also the health-seeking behavior and even the subjective experience of patients regarding their illnesses. The frame of interpretation had been drastically changed many times keeping pace with the socio-economic situation and the new scientific discoveries. Accordingly, body or mind was given differential importance by medical experts. For instance, when treatment modalities were lacking, mind was given excessive importance and patients were blamed for their unconscious motives, characterological weaknesses and for their lack of responsibility. In contrast, after the discovery of effective drug, mind was given no more attention and patients were no longer blamed for their contribution to suffering. In this paper, the historical change of the frame of interpretation for understanding migraine and headache was presented as an example. By this, it can be demonstrated how the frame of interpretation has modified the subjective experience of patients, and how the patients' responsibilities were viewed differently. This observation can help to realize the enormous influence of the frame of interpretation provided by medical experts.
Headache* ; Humans ; Migraine Disorders* ; Psychosomatic Medicine

Psychosomatic medicine is a part of medicine which is to find the effect of psychological, behavioural, and medical factors on the human body and disease. In the early 20th century, the idea of psychogenesis had been developed and resulted in the concept of psychosomatic disease which was believed to be caused by psychological factors. However a multifactorial model of illness developed and it allowed illness to be viewed as a result of biopsychosocial interactions. The following have been highlighted by consultation-liaison psychiatry. Psychosomatic medicine has addressed stress and psychiatric factors which affect the etiology, course, and treatment of medical disorders. Moreover it contributes the growth of other related disciplines such as psychoneuroendocrinology, psychoimmunology, behavioral medicine, health psychology and quality of life research. Nowadays, psychosomatic field becomes enlarged because medical and surgical departments have been developed rapidly, and research methods and tools have brought forth rapid progress and advance in medical science. Therefore the author reviews the past and present psychosomatic researches and suggests the future of psychosomatic research in Korea.
Behavioral Medicine ; Human Body ; Korea ; Psychoneuroimmunology ; Psychosomatic Medicine ; Quality of Life

There were several documents that might reflect the great concern on the education of psychosomatic medicine in medical school from the 1960s. But the hour of class and proportion of psychosomatic medicine have been quite small among the total lecture time of psychiatry. Notwithstanding the importance of biopsychosocial perspective in practice and research there have been no agreement on the goal and content of teaching psychosomatic medicine in the medical school curriculum. Consultation-liaison psychiatric activity in the hospital were currently under-developed and educational content and process were not systematic. We should have established the goal of psychosomatic education in the medical school that includes making doctor who could not only cure disease but also care the ill patients. And we should develop the curriculum that covers essential area of psychosomatic medicine and checking system to monitor the process of education. With the continuance of psychosomatic perspectives from medical school education to clinical subspecialty we can make progress in this field.
Curriculum ; Education, Medical ; Humans ; Organothiophosphorus Compounds ; Psychosomatic Medicine ; Schools, Medical

The traditional life concept of "body-mind holism" in Chinese medicine has drawn a special attention with the development of modern psychosomatic medicine. The "body-mind holism" is valuable in the guidance for clinical acupuncture practice, but, it is only remained on the theoretical significance by the medical masters in the past dynasties. In the paper, based on the understanding of Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic), the similarities and differences are compared between the body-mind theory and psychosomatic medicine. In association with clinical observation, from three aspects, i.e. body-mind pathogenesis, acupoint detection and observing the mind, and body-mind treatment, the guidance of "body-mind holism" is explored for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of acupuncture and moxibustion; the referents of "body" and "mind" are clarified in views of disease, diagnosis and treatment; and the treatment strategies of acupuncture and moxibustion are discussed in the perspective of "body-mind holism".
Moxibustion ; Psychosomatic Medicine ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Points ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Meridians

Understanding the biopsychosocial model of illness is crucial for any meaningful advance of health. The maintenance and promotion of health is achieved by different combinations of physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being. Health is not an objective of living. It is not only a state, but also a resource for everyday life. Health is a positive concept that emphasizes personal and social resources, as well as physical capacities. Understanding the biopsychosocial model of health and disease is very important in the medical system. George Engel challenged the medical profession to reconsider a strict biomedical approach to medical education and care, and to embrace a "new medical model," the biopsychosocial model. He argued that humans are at once biological, psychological, and social beings who behave in certain ways that can promote or harm their health. Although understanding the biopsychosocial model of illness is important, Korea's medical system have mainly been focusing on the biomedical model of illness. I would like to highlight the importance of biopsychosocial model of illness for Korea's medical system and real clinical field according to the 20th anniversary of Korean Society of Psychosomaitc Medicine.
Anniversaries and Special Events ; Education, Medical ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Korea ; Psychosomatic Medicine

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine current status of somatic symptoms of late school-aged children using the school health clinic and to investigate the influence of perceived attachment security and social support on their somatic symptoms. METHODS: For this descriptive study, self-report questionnaires were completed by fifth and sixth graders attending 'A' elementary school in Gyeonggi-do. Data from 216 students were included. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Most frequent somatic symptoms were headache, fainting, backache, numbness in a body part, and muscle ache in that order. More frequent somatic symptoms were reported by girls, students who recognized their family SES as low, students who used school health clinic often and students who were dissatisfied with school life. Somatic symptom showed negative correlations with attachment stability and perceived social support from family and teachers. In the regression analysis, the variables; low attachment stability, female gender, and low satisfaction with school affected more frequent somatic symptoms. CONCLUSION: Careful monitoring of late school-aged children expressing frequent somatic symptoms is required. Intervention programs to improve attachment security and satisfaction with school should be developed for school children, especially girls, presenting with somatic symptoms.
Back Pain ; Child* ; Female ; Gyeonggi-do ; Headache ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Parent-Child Relations ; Psychosomatic Medicine ; School Health Services* ; Statistics as Topic ; Syncope

Alcohol is so-called "a magic bullet" affecting on the various organs and central and peripheral nervous systems and causes mental illness as well as physiological and psychological dependence. Also, alcohol problem is related with serious social problems including family violence, suicide, loss of job and crimes. Because alcohol use disorder is a common cause of consultation and liaison in general hospital, we could consider alcohol use disorder of one of psychosomatic disorder. Thus, I reviewed the prevalence, rate of consultation, and general consultant and treatment issues in treating patients with substance use disorder in a psychosomatic medicine.
Consultants ; Crime ; Domestic Violence ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Magic ; Peripheral Nervous System ; Prevalence ; Psychosomatic Medicine ; Social Problems ; Substance-Related Disorders ; Suicide

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of mental-physical comorbidity and health-threatening risk factors in subjects with mental disorders, and the risks of mental disorders in those with physical diseases for the last 12 months in the general Korean population. METHODS: Korean Epidemiologic Catchment Area study replication (KECA-R) was conducted for 6,510 adults between August 2006 and April 2007. The Korean version of Composite International Diagnostic Interview 2.1 (K-CIDI) was used in the survey. Prevalence of mental and physical disorders, and risk factors for physical health were calculated, and their associations were evaluated with adjustment for age and sex. RESULTS: Subjects with any mental disorder showed significantly higher prevalence of chronic physical conditions (adjusted odds ratio, AOR=1.5 to 2.8, p<0.001) and medical risk factors including smoking, heavy drinking, overweight, and hypertension (AOR=1.5 to 4.0, p<0.001). Of those with chronic physical conditions, 21.6% had one or more comorbid mental disorder compared with 10.5% of the subjects without chronic physical disorders (AOR=2.6, p<0.001). Contrary to expectations, depressive disorders did not show significant association with hypertension and prevalence of obesity was not influenced by presence of mental disorders. Further studies should assess these findings. CONCLUSION: This is the first identification of significant mental-physical comorbidity in the general Korean population. Clinicians and health care officials should keep in mind of its potential adverse effects on treatment outcome and aggravated disease-related socioeconomic burden.
Adult* ; Comorbidity* ; Delivery of Health Care ; Depressive Disorder ; Drinking ; Epidemiology ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea* ; Mental Disorders ; Obesity ; Odds Ratio ; Overweight ; Prevalence ; Psychosomatic Medicine ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Treatment Outcome