Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of aripiprazole long-acting injection in patients with schizophrenia undergoing antipsychotics combination therapy. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis using electronic medical records of patients with schizophrenia who initiated aripiprazole long-acting injectable and were treated with antipsychotics combination therapy. These patients were either admitted to a psychiatric hospital or treated as outpatients between June, 2019 and December, 2019. Results: Seventeen patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean number of antipsychotics significantly decreased from 2.53 use to 1.81 at month 12 (p=0.018). Total antipsychotics olanzapine equivalent dose significantly decreased from 46.96 to 27.54 at month 12 (p=0.005). The number of combined medications including antidepressants, mood stabilizers, anxiolytics, and anticholinergics did not significantly change. Both the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) score and The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score significantly improved until month 24 (p=0.004, 0.038; respectively). Conclusions This observational study confirmed that aripiprazole long-acting injection is an effective treatment option for patients with schizophrenia undergoing antipsychotic combination therapy. Well-controlled clinical trials are necessary in the near future.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of aripiprazole long-acting injection in patients with schizophrenia undergoing antipsychotics combination therapy. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis using electronic medical records of patients with schizophrenia who initiated aripiprazole long-acting injectable and were treated with antipsychotics combination therapy. These patients were either admitted to a psychiatric hospital or treated as outpatients between June, 2019 and December, 2019. Results: Seventeen patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean number of antipsychotics significantly decreased from 2.53 use to 1.81 at month 12 (p=0.018). Total antipsychotics olanzapine equivalent dose significantly decreased from 46.96 to 27.54 at month 12 (p=0.005). The number of combined medications including antidepressants, mood stabilizers, anxiolytics, and anticholinergics did not significantly change. Both the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) score and The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score significantly improved until month 24 (p=0.004, 0.038; respectively). Conclusions This observational study confirmed that aripiprazole long-acting injection is an effective treatment option for patients with schizophrenia undergoing antipsychotic combination therapy. Well-controlled clinical trials are necessary in the near future.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of aripiprazole long-acting injection in patients with schizophrenia undergoing antipsychotics combination therapy. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis using electronic medical records of patients with schizophrenia who initiated aripiprazole long-acting injectable and were treated with antipsychotics combination therapy. These patients were either admitted to a psychiatric hospital or treated as outpatients between June, 2019 and December, 2019. Results: Seventeen patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean number of antipsychotics significantly decreased from 2.53 use to 1.81 at month 12 (p=0.018). Total antipsychotics olanzapine equivalent dose significantly decreased from 46.96 to 27.54 at month 12 (p=0.005). The number of combined medications including antidepressants, mood stabilizers, anxiolytics, and anticholinergics did not significantly change. Both the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) score and The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score significantly improved until month 24 (p=0.004, 0.038; respectively). Conclusions This observational study confirmed that aripiprazole long-acting injection is an effective treatment option for patients with schizophrenia undergoing antipsychotic combination therapy. Well-controlled clinical trials are necessary in the near future.

Objectives: ：In this study, socio-demographic, drinking and emotional characteristics, and their correlations were compared among patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) according to the presence or absence of any type of criminal record. Methods: ：Among patients admitted to the hospital with AUD, 27 with and 31 without criminal records were included. Socio-demographic data and drinking characteristics such as first drinking age, average daily alcohol consumption were collected. In addition, the severity of alcohol problems, the degree of change readiness for drinking alcohol, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and impulsivity were evaluated using scales and statistically analyzed. Pearson’s correlation test was applied to reveal the differences in correlation of the characteristics according to the presence or absence of criminal records. Results: ：The first drinking age was significantly earlier in the AUD group with criminal records. Interestingly, the degree of change readiness regarding alcohol problem as shown in SOCRATES-K was significantly higher in the AUD group with criminal records. Anxiety symptoms were statistically significantly higher in the AUD group with criminal records. In AUD with criminal records, first drinking age negatively correlated with the degree of change readiness. In AUD without criminal records, first drinking age correlated negatively with the severity of alcohol problem, and the degree of change readiness, and the degree of change readiness negatively with age, and the degree of change readiness positively with the severity of alcohol problem. In Both groups, anxiety symptoms positively correlated with depressive symptoms. Conclusions ：This study showed that AUD patients with criminal record had a faster first drinking age and the higher degree of change readiness regarding alcohol problem. Significantly higher symptoms of anxiety were also presented in AUD patients with criminal record than AUD patients who have no criminal records. Some differences were identified in correlations among characteristics between the two groups.

OBJECTIVE: It investigated the tendency of the increase of elderly patients in a psychiatric hospital. In this regard, it examined whether the number of patients with outpatient consultant, discharge, medical diseases, and neurocognitive disorder increased or not. METHODS: It retrospectively reviewed inpatient medical records for the years 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017. To investigate the changes of elderly patients admitted to psychiatry, it examined the changes of patients who are older than 50 or 60 years in addition to the people who are older than 65 years. It analyzed diagnosis, discharge, medical diseases, and outpatient consultant of the three groups respectively. RESULTS: It confirmed that the number of elderly patients who are older than 50, 60, and 65 years has increased in mental hospital for 10 years. There was a significant increase in the number of neurocognitive disorder patients, the ratio of consultant outpatient, and the mean number of outpatient consultant. Diabetes increased in all three groups. Especially it has significantly increased for patients who are older than 50 and 60 years. In the case of patients discharged due to transfer, the number of patients increased in all three groups but it was statistically significant for the patients who are older than 50 years. CONCLUSION: The study shows that the number of elderly patients increased with the trend of aging society. In relation to this, the rate of outpatient consultant and discharge, including diabetic and dementia patients, also increased. Therefore, if the mental health department provides a system to manage the elderly ward or nursing ward to respond to the increase of elderly patients, or to manage the accompanying chronic diseases such as diabetes and its complications, it could solve the inconvenience of patients due to the consultation outside a hospital or discharge.
Aged* ; Aging ; Chronic Disease ; Consultants ; Dementia ; Diagnosis ; Hospitals, Psychiatric* ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Medical Records ; Mental Health ; Neurocognitive Disorders ; Nursing ; Outpatients ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between metabolic syndrome and cognitive functions among chronic schizophrenia patients. METHODS: The survey participants were 105(40 metabolic syndrome and 65 non-metabolic syndrome) chronic schizophrenia patients at Yang-san Hospital. Each score of cognitive test(A Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Packet, stroop test), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Hamilton rating scale for Depression were assessed. Statistical analysis of the relationship between various tests of A Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Packet and metabolic syndrome were performed using ANCOVA and logistic regression. RESULTS: Schizophrenia patients with lower score on construction praxia were likely to be included in Metabolic syndrome group. However, there were no significant relationships in other tests between the two groups. CONCLUSION: This study found metabolic syndrome caused cognitive decline in chronic schizophrenia patients, especially Construction praxia. This study could be a basis to show metabolic syndrome has to be treated appropriately in schizophrenia patients and suggests the necessity of following longitudinal designed study.
Alzheimer Disease ; Depression ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Schizophrenia*

OBJECTIVE: The Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS) is a stronger predictor of subsequent drinking and relapse of alcohol dependence that can be administered more quickly and easily than other craving scales. The goal of this study was to develop the Korean version of the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS-K). METHODS: To examine the psychometric properties of the PACS-K, responses were chosen from 80 patients admitted to a treatment facility for alcohol dependence. RESULTS: The PACS-K possesses good psychometric properties, as assessed by Cronbach's alpha estimates (Cronbach's alpha=0.91). The test-retest reliability of the PACS-K showed high correlation (p<0.01) when the retest interval was 1 day. When the validity of the PACS-K was investigated using correlation analysis with two other craving scales (the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), high correlations were obtained between total PACS scores and total OCDS scores, and between total PACS scores and VAS scores (p<0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: The PACS-K is a reliable and valid measure of alcohol cravings, and it could be useful for predicting which individuals are at risk for subsequent relapse.
Alcoholism ; Drinking ; Humans ; Psychometrics ; Recurrence ; Reproducibility of Results* ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVES: The Alcohol Urge Questionnaire(AUQ) has been used in alcohol dependence treatment and research. The goal of this study is to develop of the Korean Alcohol Urge Questionnaire(AUQ-K). METHODS: To examine the AUQ-K's psychometric properties, responses from 104 patients admitted in alcohol dependence treatment facility were investigated. RESULTS: The internal consistency of the 8-item AUQ-K, measured by coefficient alpha, was high(Cronbach's alpha =0.78). AUQ-K scores showed significant correlation when the retest interval was 1 day(p<0.01). The AUQ-K's validity was investigated using correlational analyses with two other craving scales[the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale(OCDS) and the Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)]. The high correlations were obtained between total AUQ-K scores and total OCDS scores, and between total AUQ-K scores and the VAS scores(p<0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: The AUQ-K is a reliable and valid short scale for measurement of self-reported alcohol craving. This scale may offer significant advantages over existing single-item measures of alcohol craving in the fields of alcohol dependence treatment and research.
Alcoholism ; Drinking ; Humans ; Psychometrics ; Reproducibility of Results

OBJECTIVES: Psychotic Symptom Rating Scale (PSYRATS) is an assessment tool to measure the severity of different dimensions of auditory hallucinations and delusions. The reliability and validity of the Korean version of PSYRATS (K-PSYRATS) were examined in Korean patients with major psychosis. METHODS: The inter-rater reliability of the K-PSYRATS was determined from the videotaped interviews of the five schizophrenic patients. To measure validity and internal consistency reliability, the 109 patients with auditory hallucinations or delusions were assessed using the K-PSYRATS, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) scale. RESULTS: K-PSYRATS was found to have excellent inter-rater reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient of auditory hallucination= 0.81, p<.001, intra-class correlation coefficient of delusion=0.97, p<.001) and internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha of auditory hallucination=0.77, Cronbach's alpha of delusion=0.76). Significant correlation was found between K-PSYRATS and positive syndrome subscale of PANSS and CGI. CONCLUSION: K-PSYRATS is a useful assessment instrument for psychotic symptoms in Korea.
Delusions ; Hallucinations ; Humans ; Korea ; Psychotic Disorders ; Reproducibility of Results*

OBJECTIVE: The development of metabolic disorders including diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia has been reported among schizophrenia patients treated with atypical antipsychotic drugs. The role of antipsychotic drugs in the development of this condition has not been proven yet. This study was conducted to investigate whether antipsychotic drugs that often induce weight gain influence glucose and lipid metabolism including insulin resistance and serum leptin level. METHODS: The study population consisted of 63 patients (all meeting DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia), who were divided into 3 treatment groups: haloperidol (N=21), risperidone (N=21), and olanzapine (N=21) monotherapy, and 31 healthy control subjects. Fasting blood samples for glucose, insulin, leptin and lipids were analysed. In addition, insulin resistance (IR) was calculated through the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) and body mass index (BMI) was also calculated. RESULTS: In patients receiving olanzapine, significant increases in BMI (p<0.01) and lipid profiles including LDL-cholesterol (p<0.05), triglyceride (p<0.01) and leptin levels (p<0.001) were found in comparison with the normal control group. A significantly higher degree of IR, as measured with the HOMA index, was found in patients receiving olanzapine than in patients receiving haloperidol (p<0.01) and risperidone (p<0.05), and in the normal control group (p<0.01). After removal of the impacts of BMI on the degree of HOMA-IR and serum leptin levels, the degree of HOMA-IR (p<0.05) and serum leptin levels (p<0.001) was also higher in patients receiving olanzapine than in the normal control group. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that olanzapine has more significant influence on metabolic complications than haloperidol and risperidone and the characteristics of antipsychotic drug per se may be involved in the development of metabolic complication as well as weight change.
Antipsychotic Agents* ; Body Mass Index ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Fasting ; Glucose* ; Haloperidol ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Insulin ; Insulin Resistance ; Leptin ; Lipid Metabolism* ; Risperidone ; Schizophrenia* ; Triglycerides ; Weight Gain