• Korean Journal of Schizophrenia Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.45-51
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• 2021

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has drastically impacted our society and health care system. People with schizophrenia are more vulnerable to this burden of illness and related societal changes. In addition, they are more susceptible to the transmission of COVID-19 and have a significantly higher mortality rate compared to the general population. In a recent study, vaccinated patients with schizophrenia showed a greatly decreased mortality level similar to that of the general population. However, patients with schizophrenia were less likely to be vaccinated. Mental health professionals should provide them with appropriate information on prevention strategies against COVID-19 and vaccination. Long-lasting social distancing and social disconnection can make people with schizophrenia more vulnerable to loneliness and depression. Furthermore, patients with schizophrenia may face challenges continuing psychiatric treatment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Social support and suitable mental health services using novel technologies should be developed and provided to patients with schizophrenia.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.521-533
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• 2018

This study aimed to understand the meaning and essence inherent in the life experiences of people with schizophrenia. We approached with phenomenological method, and the research participants were 10 adults, aged 20 or older, who were diagnosed with schizophrenia. As a result, we found four essential themes. The participants with schizophrenia lived a life with special constraints of being thrown to the reality in which they experienced continuing suffering. Nevertheless, their daily lives were maintained on the basis of their own feelings and needs. In this study, we confirmed that they should be understood and treated in the mental health field with the perspective that they are not 'patients' nor a pathological outcome, but a 'human' with schizophrenia.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.638-650
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• 2017

Purpose: Recently, the interest in positive psychotherapy is growing, which can help to encourage positive relationships and develop strengths of people. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of a positive psychotherapy program on positive affect, interpersonal relations, resilience, and mental health recovery in community-dwelling people with schizophrenia. Methods: The research was conducted using a randomized control group pretest-posttest design. A total of 57 adults with schizophrenia participated in this study. The study participants in experimental group received a positive psychotherapy program (n=28) and the participants in control group received only the usual treatment in community centers (n=29). The positive psychotherapy program was provided for 5 weeks (of 10 sessions, held twice/week, for 60 minutes). The study outcomes included positive affect, interpersonal relations, resilience, and mental health recovery. The collected data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA for examining study hypothesis. Results: Results showed that interpersonal relations (F=11.83, p=.001) and resilience (F=9.62, p=.003) significantly increased in the experimental group compared to the control group. Although experimental group showed a slight increase in positive affect, it was not significant. Conclusion: The study findings confirm that the positive psychotherapy program is effective for improving interpersonal relations and resilience of community-dwelling people with schizophrenia. Based on the findings, we believe that the positive psychotherapy program would be acceptable and helpful to improve recovery of mental health in schizophrenia.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.1125-1134
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• 2005

Purpose: This research investigated the daily experiences of patients' lives to develop a formal theory that explains the lives of schizophrenic patients. Method: A grounded theory method(Strauss & Corbin, 1998) guided the data collection and analysis. Thirteen patients who were diagnosed with schizophrenia in regional communities participated. Result: The experiences of chronic schizophrenic patients are defined as "escaping from a fallen mine" comparing their suffering to that of entrapped miners trying to free themselves from a collapsed mine tunnel with much difficulty and without hope. In observing participant's time lines of having lived with chronic schizophrenia, it advances with 'surrender', 'collapse', 'reaching out', 'rising', 'preparing to spring up', and 'starting anew'. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the experience of a chronic schizophrenic patient is like that of a miner caught under a fallen mine channel, who, without external help cannot escape the depths 'Of the mine, but at the same time must have conviction and hope of rescue and avert fear to cooperate with outside help. The result indicates that family members, doctors and nurses as well as an institute's persistent and active support is most critical for the patient's adjustment to social life.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.121-127
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• 2012

Objectives : The multimodal telepresence systems have been adopted in a variety of applications, such as telemedicine, space or underwater teleoperation and videoconference. Multimedia, one of the telepresence systems, has been used in various fields including entertainment, education and communication. The degree of subjective telepresence is defined as the probability that a person perceives to be physically in the remote place when he/she experiences a multisensory feedback from the multimedia. The current study aimed to explore the neural mechanism of telepresence related to multisensory feedback in patients with schizophrenia. Methods : Brain activity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging while fifteen healthy controls and fifteen patients with schizophrenia were experiencing filmed referential conversation at various distances (1 m, 5 m and 10 m). Correlations between the image contrast values and the telepresence scores were analyzed. Results : Subjective telepresence was not significantly different between the two groups. Some significant correlations of brain activities with the telepresence scores were found in the left postcentral gyrus, bilateral inferior frontal gyri, right fusiform gyrus, and left superior temporal sulcus. There were no main effects of group and distance. Conclusion : These results suggest that patients with schizophrenia experience telepresence as appropriately as healthy people do when exposed to multimedia. Therefore, patients with schizophrenia would have no difficulty in immersing themselves in multimedia which may be used in clinical training therapies.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.62-71
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of listening to music in inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia, on their auditory hallucinations, and positive and negative symptoms. Methods: A quasi-experimental research design with $2{\times}2$ cross-over trial and convenience sample was used. Eleven patients (Group AB) listened to music followed by a wash out period and then a usual care period, and 12 patients (Group BA) had a usual care period followed by a wash out period and then listened to music. For one week those who were in the experimental period listened to individualized music using an MP3 player whenever they heard hallucinations. Results: There was a statistically significant decrease in the frequency of auditory hallucinations after listening to the music. There was a decrease in the mean scores for positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and general psychopathology after listening to music, but only negative symptoms showed a statistically significant decrease. The treatment effects on scores for positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and general psychopathology were greater in Group BA than Group AB. Conclusion: These findings suggest that listening to music may be useful for managing auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia inpatients.

• Korean Journal of Schizophrenia Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.66-72
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• 2012

Objectives : The aim of this study was to investigate whether verbal and spatial working memory functions were impaired not only in patients with schizophrenia but also in people at ultra-high risk for first-episode psychosis. Methods : Twenty-five patients (M 13, F 12) with schizophrenia (SPR), 21 people at ultra-high risk for psychosis (UHR)(M 10, F 11) and 19 normal controls (NC)(M 10, F 9) were recruited. The working memory was assessed by using the verbal and spatial n-back test. The working memory load increased incrementally from the 0-back to the 3-back condition. Results : SPR performed significantly lower than NC and UHR in terms of hit rates of verbal and spatial n-back test. UHR subjects conducted significantly lower than NC and higher in trend-level than SPR in terms of hit rates of verbal and spatial n-back test. These differences were derived from the high working memory load (2-back and 3-back), not from the low working memory load (0-back and 1-back). There was no significant difference between the verbal and spatial n-back test across the three groups. Conclusion : These findings suggest that verbal and spatial working memory dysfunction may be general rather than differential in terms of stimuli modality, and this working memory deficit may be an important trait factor in schizophrenia.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.11 no.10
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• pp.585-592
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• 2013

This study was done to investigate the effects of cinema therapy on schizophrenia patients' depression and self esteem. The research design was a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. Participants were recruited from two mental health facilities in J city(20 in the experimental group and 20 in the control group). The research was carried out from March to April, 2010. The cinema therapy was conducted seven times. After the cinema therapy, depression of schizophrenia patients in experimental group was lowered compared with that of patients in control group, and the difference was statistically significant (t=-4.17, p<.001). After the cinema therapy, self esteem of schizophrenia patients in experimental group was improved compared with that of patients in control group, and the difference was statistically significant(t=5.77, p<.001). The results indicate that the cinema therapy was a useful program leading positive effects on depression and self esteem in schizophrenia patients.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.251-256
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• 2013

Objectives : Qi gong is generally considered to be safe in most people when learned from a qualified instructor. But abnormal psychosomatic responses or mental disorder may be induced when Qigong is practiced inappropriately, excessively, or when practiced unguided in predisposed individuals. Here we reported a case of Qigong-induced Mental Disorder (QIMD). A woman who had not had a psychiatric disease, by chance started Qigong practice, and felt raising- Qisymptoms, including headache. Methods : We identified the unique characteristics of QIMD and discusses differences with other diseases such as somatoform disorder and schizophrenia. Results : To conclude, QIMD does not come under current somatoform disorder subtypes and schizophrenia. Conclusions : It has distinct characters that occurring after Qigong practice, symptoms of upper body, feeling that something to rise up.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.5-12
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• 2013

The purpose of this review is to address the flow of current neuroscientific researches and to provide for the clinicians with therapeutic evidences for schizophrenia which can help them clinical decision making. Since the very beginning, a lot of scientific studies about schizophrenia have been undertaken. In this review, I describes the evidences focused on development of schizophrenia including neurobiological dysfunction, neurodevelopmental model, Kalirin, and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor(BDNF) and neuroanatomic abnormalities based on neuroimaging studies. In conclusion, schizophrenia influencing on broad impairment of human function such as activities of daily life, occupations, and relationships has been studied underlying causes and treatments, but still remained uncertainty. However, there are plenty of useful evidences available for the clinicians to make a good therapeutic choice.