Prevalence, Correlates, and Comorbidity of 12-Month Tobacco Dependence among Ever-smokers in South Korea, During 1984-2001

The rate of dependence among ever-users of a drug indicates the risk of developing dependence once an individual has been exposed to the drug. This is the first study to investigate 12-month tobacco dependence (TD) among ever-smokers in a community-based population. Analyses were based on two national studies of representative samples aged 18-64 in 1984 (n=5,025) and in 2001 (n=6,275), conducted with household visits and face-to-face interviews. The rates of 12-month TD among ever-smokers in men showed no significant difference between 51.6% in 1984 and 50.6% in 2001. On the contrary, the rates in women significantly increased from 33.3% in 1984 to 52.8% in 2001. After adjusting for the sociodemographic variables, 'male gender' was significantly associated with 12-month TD among ever-smokers in 1984, but not in 2001. 'Unmarried' was significantly associated in 2001 but not in 1984. 'Alcohol dependence' was the only psychiatric disorder associated with 12-month TD in both study years. In conclusion, 12-month TD was found in about 50% of ever-smokers, and gender differences between the rates of 12-month TD which was observed in 1984 disappeared in 2001. Individuals with 12-month TD showed higher comorbidity with alcohol dependence than ever-smokers without TD

Economic Burden of Schizophrenia in South Korea

This study estimates the treated prevalence of schizophrenia and the annual costs associated with the illness in Korea in 2005, from a societal perspective. Annual direct healthcare costs associated with schizophrenia were estimated from National Health Insurance and Medical Aid records. Annual direct non-healthcare costs were estimated for incarceration, transport, community mental health centers, and institutions related to schizophrenia. Annual indirect costs were estimated for the following components of productivity loss due to illness: unemployment, reduced productivity, premature mortality, and caregivers' productivity loss using a human capital approach based on market wages. All costs were adjusted to 2005 levels using the healthcare component of the Consumer Price Index. The treated prevalence of schizophrenia in 2005 was 0.4% of the Korean population. The overall cost of schizophrenia was estimated to be $3,174.8 million (3,251.0 billion Won), which included a direct healthcare cost of$ 418.7 million (428.6 billion Won). Total direct non-healthcare costs were estimated to be $121 million (123.9 billion Won), and total indirect costs were estimated at$ 2,635.1 million (2,698.3 billion Won). Unemployment was identified as the largest component of overall cost. These findings demonstrate that schizophrenia is not rare, and that represents a substantial economic burden

Partial versus full PTSD in the Korean community: prevalence, duration, correlates, comorbidity, and dysfunctions

A few studies have been conducted on the prevalence of partial posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but points of agreement and disagreement between full and partial PTSD have not been fully investigated. We interviewed a representative sample of 6,258 subjects, ages 18-64 years, in household visits using the Korean version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (K-CIDI 2.1). "Partial PTSD" was defined as >/=1 symptom in each of the three symptom groups (Criteria B, C, and D) and duration of >/=1 month (Criterion E). Estimated lifetime prevalence of partial PTSD was 2.7%, and that of full PTSD was 1.7%. A "female gender" risk factor was significantly associated with both partial and full PTSD. The mean duration of partial PTSD was 6.5 years, which was not significantly different from the 5.7 year duration of full PTSD. Traumas associated with the development of partial rather than full PTSD were "natural disaster with fire" and "military combat" in men, and "witnessing a traumatic situation" and "learning about traumas to others" in women, whereas "threatened by others" was more associated with the development of full PTSD. The rates of multiple comorbid disorders and of comorbid major depressive disorder and dysfunctions in work during the 1-month period prior to interview did not differ significantly between the partial and full PTSD groups. In conclusion, partial PTSD did not differ significantly from full PTSD in terms of duration, comorbidity, and dysfunction, but they differed markedly in terms of associated trauma types