OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study are to assess marital and sexual satisfaction among patients with schizophrenia compared to the general population and to evaluate the factors that may affect these levels. METHODS: Marital and sexual satisfaction of 66 married schizophrenic patients and 162 married normal controls were assessed with Enriching and Nurturing Relationship Issues, Communication and Happiness and Derogatis Sexual Function Inventory. We compared the differences in marital and sexual satisfaction and influential variables between these two groups through analysis of covariance with adjustment for age and the duration of marriage. Factors associated with marital and sexual satisfaction were identified with multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Patients with schizophrenia showed lower satisfaction with their marriage (p=0.018) and sexual lives (p<0.001) compared to the controls. Marital satisfaction of schizophrenics was influenced by violence from spouse, whereas their sexual satisfaction was affected by age, violence from spouse, conversation frequency after sexual relations, and revealing psychiatric history to spouse before marriage. There was a significant relationship between marital and sexual satisfaction in both groups. CONCLUSION: Patients with schizophrenia may have marital and sexual problems which can be caused directly or indirectly by symptoms and course of the disease. These results suggest that evaluation and appropriate intervention in the marriage and sexual lives of schizophrenics is necessary and important.
Happiness ; Humans ; Marriage ; Schizophrenia ; Spouses ; Violence

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders. Some characteristics of depression in Korea were elucidated. The tendency to express depressive feeling through somatic complaints is more prominent in Korea than in Western countries. Careful studies on depressive symptoms suggest that guilt and suicidal idea are apparent among Korean depressive patients as well as among Western subjects. But most depressive patients in Korea are reluctant to express suicidal idea, which is hidden under the somatic complaints. We should remember the possibility of research artifacts or cultural bias with regard to the evaluation of depressive symptoms of a country in comparison with other countries. Non-pharmacological treatment of depression includes dynamic psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, self-care treatment, etc. Some kinds of Korean culture relevant psychotherapies are introduced: Tea therapy, Imago therapy, Tao psychotherapy, and combined approach. Interest in the aged people is growing recently, and the research about the factors which affect the depressive disorders in older patients and treatment strategy for them is ongoing.
Artifacts ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Cognitive Therapy ; Depression* ; Depressive Disorder ; Guilt ; Humans ; Korea* ; Mental Disorders ; Psychotherapy ; Self Care ; Tea ; Troleandomycin

In the studies on the hatching mechanisms in mammals, many investigators focused on the embryonic intrinsic factor(s) in in vitro culture, but the uterine environment as the extrinsic factor(s) is thought to play an important role in hatching mechanism. Therefore, to evaluate the effect of uterine environment on the hatching event in vivo, the immature(GV) and ovulated(MII) oocytes, and the late 2-cell embryos of mouse were transferred to pseudopregnant foster mother's uterus during peri-implantation period. So it was verified whether there would happen hatching by only uterine environment independently on embryonic stage. The ultrastructural changes of the zona surface of transferred group were compared with those of in vivo and vitro group by SEM. 36 hrs after transfer, the immature and ovulated oocytes almost degenerated, and the late 2-cell embryos developed to various embryonic stages. However, the embryos which didn't develop to blastula stage did not hatch. The ultrastructural network of ZP in transferred group seemed to be smoothed uniformly, which was different from in vitro group. In conclusion, it is suggested that the uterine environment during peri-implantation period enhances the embryo hatching by provoking the structural change of ZP.
Animals ; Blastula ; Embryonic Structures* ; Herpes Zoster* ; Humans ; Mammals ; Mice* ; Oocytes* ; Research Personnel ; Uterus ; Zona Pellucida*

diopathic facial nerve paralysis after surgery is not common but has clinical significance. We report a case of facial nerve paralysis in the immediate postanesthetic period after cervical spine surgery. A 41-year-old man with cervical herniated disc was scheduled for cervical laminectomy. After uneventful surgery, he suffered from left facial numbness and weakness. Imaging study and audiogram couldn't reveal any anatomic abnormality except Thornwaldt cyst. Conservative treatment with steroids and antivirals resolved his symptoms until 16th day after surgery.
Adult ; Anesthesia, General ; Antiviral Agents ; Facial Nerve ; Facial Paralysis ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; Laminectomy ; Paralysis ; Spine ; Steroids

OBJECTIVE: Promoting mental health and preventing mental health problems are important tasks for international organizations and nations. Such goals entail the establishment of active information networks and effective systems and indicators to assess the mental health of populations. This being said, there is a need in Korea develop ways to measure the state of mental health in Korea. METHODS: This paper reviews the mental health indicator development policies and practices of seven organizations, countries, and regions: WHO, OECD, EU, United States, Australia, UK, and Scotland. Using Delphi method, we conducted two surveys of mental health indicators for experts in the field of mental health. The survey questionnaire included 5 domains: mental health status, mental health factor, mental health system, mental health service, and quality of mental health services. We considered 124 potential mental health indicators out of more than 600 from indicators of international organizations and foreign countries. RESULTS: We obtained the top 30 mental health indicators from the surveys. Among them, 10 indicators belong to the mental health system. The most important five mental health indicators are suicide rate, rate of increase in mental disorder treatment, burden caused by mental disorders, adequacy of identifying problems of mental health projects and deriving solutions, and annual prevalence of mental disorders. CONCLUSION: Our study provides information about the process for indicator development and the use of survey results to measure the mental health status of the Korean population. The aim of mental health indicator development is to improve the mental health system by better grasping the current situation. We suggest these mental health indicators can monitor progress in efforts to implement reform policies, provide community services, and involve users, families and other stakeholders in mental health promotion, prevention, care and rehabilitation.
Australia ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Information Services ; Korea ; Mental Disorders ; Mental Health ; Mental Health Services ; Organothiophosphorus Compounds ; Prevalence ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Scotland ; Social Welfare ; Suicide ; United States

The aim of the current study is to investigate plans for improvement of psychiatric departments in university hospitals of Korea. We examined the operation situation in the department of psychiatry in university hospitals of foreign countries. In addition, consultation conferences with experts were conducted. To improve the situation of the department of psychiatry in university hospitals, policy development, expansion of psychiatric fields, strengthening of education and research, and support from government may be necessary.
Congresses as Topic ; Education ; Hospitals, University* ; Korea ; Policy Making

OBJECTIVES: Dealing with mental diseases is an overriding concern which could bring about improvement in mental health, social equity, and quality of life. This paper analyzes the current state of research infrastructure of national mental health research in Korea and other developed countries and suggests activation plans for psychiatric research. METHODS: After performance of comparative analysis, shortcomings of Korean infrastructure are examined and activation plans are suggested. RESULTS: Korea is comparatively and absolutely lagging behind in terms of mental health Research and Development (R&D), owing to the small investment in R&D, inadequate government-led long-term developmental strategy and supporting system, absence of industrialization of developed techniques and government-led R&D project, and insufficient human resources, which impedes facilitation of mental health research. Thus, in order to facilitate mental health research, 1) Reinforce international cooperation and research capability through cultivation of professionals equipped with international competitiveness. 2) Construct a government-led R&D system by establishment of a comprehensive R&D system and mental health research institutes. 3) Build cooperative systems between industry and academic circles and promote translational research and its practical use in order to lay the cornerstone for industrialization. CONCLUSION: Developed countries have achieved significant growth and superb investment performance in the mental health industry due to constant and active investment by government. In addition, basic-clinical-mental health research regarding early diagnosis, early intervention, and tailored treatment, is actively being put into practice. In Korea, government-led long-term investment plans in psychiatric research and researcher cultivation programs should be implemented. In addition, infrastructure for application of developed techniques should also be established. If so, it will provide momentum for growth and facilitation of psychiatric research.
Academies and Institutes ; Developed Countries ; Early Diagnosis ; Early Intervention (Education) ; Humans ; International Cooperation ; Investments ; Korea ; Mental Health ; Quality of Life ; Translational Medical Research

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale (RCB-K). METHODS: Participants (n=598) included patients recruited through an online panel survey. For the semantic adaptation step, the scale was translated into Korean and then back-translated to English by one psychologist, one public health professional, one psychiatrist who could speak both Korean and English, and one professional translator, without communication between those involved. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test whether the factor structure of the RCB-K was consistent with the English version. Convergent validity was assessed by correlating the RCB-K scores with those of other scales (i.e., O'Guinn & Faber's Compulsive Buying Scale, Problem Gambling Inventory). RESULTS: The factor structure of the RCB-K was consistent with the two-factor structure established for the original RCB. Cronbach's α was high (0.906), indicating that the reliabilities of the items in each subscale were satisfactory. The RCB-K score was significantly correlated with those for the O'Guinn & Faber's Compulsive Buying Scale (r=0.7) and the Problem Gambling Inventory (r=0.422). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study indicate that the RCB-K is an effective and valid scale for evaluating the severity of compulsive buying. The findings suggest that the RCB-K is a promising assessment tool for use in the treatment and study of online compulsive buying behavior.
Gambling ; Humans ; Psychiatry ; Psychology ; Psychometrics ; Public Health ; Reproducibility of Results* ; Semantics ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare psychomotor performance related with automobile driving in patients with schizophrenia under the treatment of a typical antipsychotic agent, haloperidol, or an atypical antipsychotic agent, aripiprazole. METHODS: We evaluated driving ability of schizophrenia patients by using the cognitive perceptual assessment for driving (CPAD). Twelve patients receiving haloperidol monotherapy and 18 taking aripiprazole monotherapy participated in this study and the results of CPAD were compared with each other. RESULTS: Of 30 participants, 15 (50%) of the patients passed the CPAD to be regarded as competent to drive, 3 (10%) of the patients failed the CPAD considered to be severely impaired. Controlling for sex, age, education, duration of illness, there were no significant differences in the CPAD results between two treatment groups. We observed a trend that patients who received aripiprazole showed a higher total score of the CPAD than haloperidol-treated patients (55.2+/-4.9 vs. 45.7+/-8.4, p=0.080). CONCLUSION: There were no significant differences in the psychomotor performance relevant to driving ability between haloperidol and aripiprazole groups. But our results suggest that aripiprazole might have the neurocognitive advantage over haloperidol. Future study with a large sample size and diverse antipsychotics is warranted.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Automobile Driving ; Haloperidol ; Humans ; Imidazoles ; Nitro Compounds ; Piperazines ; Psychomotor Performance ; Quinolones ; Sample Size ; Schizophrenia ; Aripiprazole

BACKGROUND: Cordyceps militaris have been reported to modify the immune and inflammatory responses both in vivo and in vitro. Macrophages play important roles in the innate immunity through the phagocytosis of antigens. This study examined the effects of Cordyceps militaris on the activation of murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells and primary macrophages. METHODS: The components contained in culture broth of Cordyceps militaris were purified by propyl alcohol extraction and HP 20 column chromatography to CMDB, CMDBW, CMDB5P, and CMDB25P. The amounts of nitric oxide (NO) were determined by using ELISA, Griess reagent respectively. The amounts of some cytokines were determined by using ELISA, western blot, and RT-PCR. The expression levels of cell surface molecules (ICAM-1, B7-1 and B7-2) were measured by flow cytometric analysis. RESULTS: All the components of Cordyceps militaris produced significant amounts of NO. In particular, CMDB produced much more NO in RAW 264.7 cells and primary macrophages than other fractions of Cordyceps militaris. CMDB increased significantly the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1beta, and IL-6 dose-dependently in RAW 264.7 cells. Examination of the gene expression level also showed that the enhanced production of cytokines was correlated with the up-regulation of i-NOS expression, cycloxygenase (COX)-2 expression, IL-1beta and IL-6 expression, and TNF-alpha expression on the expression of mRNAs by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Western blot analysis also confirmed that CMDB enhances the expression level of these cytokines. CONCLUSION: These results show that CMDB stimulates the production of NO and pro-inflammatory cytokines and can also up-regulate the gene expression levels in macrophages.
1-Propanol ; Blotting, Western ; Chromatography ; Cordyceps* ; Cytokines ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Gene Expression ; Immunity, Innate ; Interleukin-6 ; Interleukins ; Macrophages* ; Nitric Oxide ; Phagocytosis ; RNA, Messenger ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Up-Regulation