OBJECTS: The purpose of this study was to present a model of inpatient group psychotherapy led by a doctor in charge, to evaluate this model in practice, and to give a effective inpatient treatment by application of this model. METHODS: The subject composed of 25 psychiatric inpatient. The authors performed this model of group psychotherapy for 6 months and evaluate this model by objective data. Also we analyzed this model globally to get comprehensive understandings. RESULTS: The results of the objective data were as follows: 1) This model was effective to subside patients' symptoms. And the patients estimated this model to be important and helpful to them. 2) Identification with therapist' among therapeutic factors was high rank. This meant that therapist him- or her-self is a important tool for therapy. 3) Therapeutic factors in upper level group was much different from those in lower level group. And various therapeutic factors was used complementarily between two groups. 4) To check '13 therapeutic factors' repeatedly made the patients acquire therapeutic factors spontaneously. And to check 'the most important event' repeatedly gave the opportunity of self-reflection. The results of global analysis to this model were as follows: 1) This group psychotherapy gave a field in which a therapist met patients as human being. 2) This model was easy to perform, and helpful to a comprehensive therapeutic approach. 3) This model was able to make the basis of continuous outpatient and day hospital treatment, and the basis of outpatient group psychotherapy or individual psychotherapy. 4) In this model, social workers, nurses, or students in practice played a role of the healthy ego. Therefore they were able to activate group psychotherapy. 5) This model was a practical and useful tool of the education for psychiatric residents, medical students, social works, and other students. CONCLUSION: This model of group psychotherapy was useful f3r inpatient treatment and easy to perform in general.
Education ; Ego ; Humans ; Inpatients* ; Outpatients ; Psychiatry* ; Psychotherapy ; Psychotherapy, Group* ; Social Workers ; Students, Medical

OBJECTIVES: Regarding the relationship between the laterality of seizure focus and depression in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), previous studies reported inconsistent results. The role of frontal function as moderating variable between laterality and depression had been proposed. We attempted to replicate functional involvement of frontal lobe (FIFL) and, as an effort to extend previous findings, to test the functional involvement of parietal lobe (FIPL) to prove the hypothesis derived from Heller's valencearousal theory of emotion. METHODS: In study 1, patients with TLE (right 19, left 17) performed MMPI-D as a depression measure, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) as a frontal function measure, and block design (BD) as a parietal function measure in the course of pre-operation assessment. Multiple regression model of depression which includes the interaction terms both between laterality and WCST and between laterality and BD were tested. In study 2, patients underwent anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL;right 20, left 25) were assessed and analyzed in the same way as study 1. RESULTS: In study 1, contrary to the FIFL and FIPL prediction, interaction of laterality with WCST or BD were not significant. In study 2, the interaction with frontal function was significant. Consistent with FIFL prediction, depression came to be evident when seizure focus was lateralized to the left side and simultaneously frontal function declined. But the interaction with BD remained insignificant, which suggests the invalidity of FIPL hypothesis. CONCLUSION: We replicated the FIFL hypothesis in the depression of ATL patients. The relation of depression with frontal function was more evident in post rather than pre operation sample. This pattern may be due to the inter-hemispheric interference of frontal functions in pre-operation sample and to the release-of-function phenomenon in post-operation sample. On the other hand, we did not succeed in confirming the role of parietal function in depression. Intactness of the parietal function in TLE was considered as the main cause of the negative finding.
Anterior Temporal Lobectomy ; Depression* ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe* ; Frontal Lobe ; Hand ; Humans ; Parietal Lobe* ; Rabeprazole* ; Seizures ; Temporal Lobe* ; Wisconsin

Objectives: Aripiprazole is an antipsychotic that functions as a partial agonist in hypodopaminergic states and a dopamine antagonist in hyperdopaminergic states. Methods: This paper reports a series of five clinical cases of worsening psychotic symptoms in schizophrenic patients related to the initiation of aripiprazole, oral and injection, as combination therapy. Results: In all five cases, the switching of aripiprazole improved the psychotic symptoms. Conclusion Even with the suggestive relationship between aripiprazole therapy and the worsening of psychotic symptoms, further research is needed.

Patients with hypertrophic cardiography often complain of chest pain and have electrocardioagrams suggesting myocardial damage or ischemia. Some of three patients have associated coronary arterial atherosclerosis. Transmural myocardial infarction may occur in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the absence of significant atherosclerosis of the extramural coronary arteries, about which several pathophysiologic exlpanations were discussed. Presented here, a case of 49-year-old man with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy accompanied with myocardial infarction and angiographically normal coronary arteries is reported. Asymmetric septal hypertrophy, characteristic morphologic abnormality of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, was progressed to dilated cardiomyopathy after the occurrence myocardial infarction.
Atherosclerosis ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic* ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Vessels ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction*

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the effectiveness and safety when treated in schizophrenics with paliperidone palmitate, a long acting injectable antipsychotic. METHODS: This was a 24-week open-label study, performed at one center in Korea. The eligible patients with schizophrenia diagnosed by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria were enrolled. Patients received long-acting paliperidone palmitate injection (234 mg, baseline; 156 mg, week 1 ; then once 4 weeks flexible dosing). Effectiveness assessments were measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), The Clinical Global Impression Severity Scale (CGI-S), The Personal and Social Performance (PSP) at baseline, week 1, every 4 weeks untill 24 weeks or endpoint. Safety assessments were measured by The Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale (ESRS), body weight (BW) and incidence of adverse events. Oral antipsychotics were stopped or tapered off within next 14 days. RESULTS: Of 20 patients recruited, 9 patients (45%) completed the study. Paliperidone palmitate produced a significant improvement in PANSS total score from baseline to endpoint. The response rate was 75% [mean change (+/- SD) -25.9 +/- 14.4, all p < 0.001]. The CGI-S and PSP total scores significantly improved during 24 weeks (All p < 0.001). Eighty percent of patients reported adverse events and most common adverse events (> or = 10%) in paliperidone palmitate were anticholinergic adverse event, extrapyramidal symptoms, weight gain, akathisia, insomnia, headache, agitation, anxiety and GI trouble. ESRS score is not statistically significant, but tends to get better at the end of the study when compared to baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Our study results demonstrated maintained effectiveness and safety of paliperidone palmitate treatment in schizophrenics. And provides both clinicians and patients with a new choice of treatment that can improve the outcome of long term therapy. Their potential effectiveness and safety should be better addressed by future randomized-controlled trials.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Anxiety ; Body Weight ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Dihydroergotamine ; Headache ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Psychomotor Agitation ; Schizophrenia ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Weight Gain ; Paliperidone Palmitate

OBJECTIVES: The second to fourth digit ratio (2D : 4D) is known to reflect testosterone level during intrauterine period. Testosterone is essential for masculinization of brain. Cloninger's type II alcoholism is characterized by early age at onset and largely limited to males. Compared with type I alcoholism, type II alcoholism is thought to be masculine. There is a possibility that the digit ratio of type II alcoholism is low compared with type I. We examined digit length ratio in Cloninger's type I and II alcoholism to understand the effects of intrauterine testosterone on the development of alcoholism. METHODS: The participants were 87 alcohol dependent patients. We divided two subtypes of patients by Irwin's symptom list, based on Cloninger's concept. We captured the images of both palms by the scanner and measured the lengths of digits by the graphic program. Then we analyzed the digit ratios by independent-sample t-test. RESULTS: The mean 2D : 4D of type I was 0.942 (right), 0.952 (left). The mean 2D : 4D of type II was 0.927 (right), 0.940 (left). In both hands, 2D : 4D of type II was significantly lower than type I. CONCLUSIONS: Type II alcoholism showed masculine type of digit length ratio compared with type I. It suggests the exposure of testosterone during intrauterine period might play an important role in determining the course and feature of alcoholism.
Alcoholism ; Brain ; Hand ; Humans ; Male ; Testosterone

No abstract available.
Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell*

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine 1) public knowledge and perceptions about attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 2) factors influencing the public's decisions to adhere to ADHD pharmacotherapy. METHODS: In this study, 396 participants responded to the internet survey regarding their experiences, beliefs and treatment preferences about ADHD. RESULTS: 252 respondents (63.6%) were reluctant to pharmacological treatment of ADHD. The respondents chose the functional impairment of the brain as the main cause of ADHD were favorable to pharmacological treatment and scored significantly high on the ADHD Knowledge Questionnaire. On the other hand, the respondents who regarded ADHD as an overly active personality rather than a disease were skeptical to pharmacotherapy and scored significantly low. The respondents who were acquainted with someone who had been diagnosed with ADHD perceived themselves relatively well informed about ADHD. However, the subjective perception of the degree of knowledge of ADHD was not correlated with the objective score of the ADHD Knowledge Questionnaire. CONCLUSION: The public is not well informed about ADHD and its treatments. Culturally appropriate psychoeducational strategies based on the media and the internet are needed. Providing biomedical conceptualization of ADHD to the public may aid with treatment decisions and promote adherence to pharmacological treatment.
Brain ; Drug Therapy ; Hand ; Internet ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVES: A day hospital has been remodeled after a vision to help psychotic patients quickly recover their psychological and social functions and lessen their induced regressions caused by long-term hospitalization, thereby enhancing their social abilities. The authors concerned once developed a day hospital model of an integrated therapy for psychotic patients suitable for Korean situation in their previous paper. Based on it, the present study was to determine how effective a day hospital would be, in comparison of the following two paired groups: day hospital group with experience of hospitalization(hereinafter abbreviated as DH group) & day hospital parents group with experience of hospitalization(hereinafter abbreviated as DH parents group) and OPD group with experience of hospitalization(hereinafter abbreviated as OPD group) & OPD parents group with experience of hospitalization(hereinafter abbreviated as OPD parents group). METHODS: During the 18-month long research period(from May to 1996 October 1997), 17 day hospital patients with experience of hospitalization & their parents and the same number of OPD patients with experience of hospitalization & their parents were corespondingly paired with at random, who identified themselves closest in the following categories: diagnosis, age, sex and function. All of them were asked to check questionnaires on their respective quality of life, insight, and their attitude about drug. Day hospital patients with experience of hospitalization and their parents were checked from the first day they were treated while OPD patients with experience of hospitalization and their parents were examined after discharge from hospital, commonly at the interval of 2 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months. RESULTS: 1) The quality of life scored higher in DH group than in OPD group. It turned increased significantly at the 3rd month and continued the same until the 12th month. At the 18th month, it showed a significant downturn. Meanwhile, DH group showed a significant upturn at the 3rd month and it turned down at 12 month. 2) The insight of DH group and DH parents group scored higher compared with OPD group and OPD parents group between the 3rd and 18th month, with the 3rd and 6th month showing a particular strength as well. Meanwhile, it continued unchanging for day DH group and DH parents group from the date on, of their discharge from hospital. 3) Attitude towards drugs scored higher in DH group than in OPD group at the 3rd and 6th month. It continued unchanging between the 6th and 18th month. It didn't score significantly higher in DH parents group than in their counterparts. 4) Satisfaction on the therapy started upward in DH group at the 3rd and 6th month, and scored higher in them than in their counterparts during the period form the 6th and 18th month. It started upward as well in DH parents group at the 3rd and 6th month, and scored higher in them than in their counterparts during the period form the 6th to the 18 month. 5) Number, and duration of DH group totalled lower than those by OPD group during the research period. CONCLUSION: The day hospital model, developed by the authors concerned, has proved a highly effective treatment for psychotic patients, as the data scored higher in the day hospital patients and their parents than in the OPD patients with experience of hospital and their parents in terms of "quality of life" by patients, insight, attitude toward drugs and satisfaction on its therapy.
Diagnosis ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Parents ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to examine the relationship between obesity and psychopathology of inpatients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Eighty four inpatients with schizophrenia and 81 control subjects were recruited. Height and weight were measured for calculation of body mass index (BMI). Symptom severity scales [Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale] and Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF) were conducted in all patients. Comorbid medical conditions, years of education, smoking status, age of onset, duration of illness, and medication history were collected. RESULTS: Patients with schizophrenia had significantly higher BMI and ratio of obesity than control subjects. Among patients, obese patients scored lower on symptom severity scales and better on functional assessment than not obese patients. Multiple regression analysis revealed an association of late onset and being obese with lower PANSS total score and better GAF score in patients. Late onset and being female were inversely related with negative symptom score. The type and dose of antipsychotics showed no association with obesity. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that patients with schizophrenia are likely to be more obese. Some characteristics of patients with less severe psychopathology, such as late onset, being obese, were coincident with the result of previous studies. In addition, the result showing that the heavier the weight of patients, the lower severity of symptoms was repeatedly reported in previous studies. The type and dose of antipsychotics were not associated with obesity. These results prompt further investigation of the relationship among schizophrenia, antipsychotics, and weight gain.
Age of Onset ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Body Mass Index ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Inpatients* ; Obesity* ; Psychopathology* ; Schizophrenia* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Weight Gain ; Weights and Measures