Psychiatry in Former Socialist Countries: Implications for North Korean Psychiatry

• 발행기관: 대한신경정신의학회
• 저자명: YoungSu Park SangMin Park JinYong Jun SeogJu Kim
• 간행물 정보: 『Psychiatry Investigation』제11권 제4호, 363~370쪽, 전체 8쪽
• 주제분류: 의약학 > 정신과학
• 파일형태: PDF
• 발행일자: 2014.10.31

영문 초록

Very little information is available regarding psychiatry in North Korea, which is based on the legacy of Soviet psychiatry. This paper reviews the characteristics of psychiatry in former socialist countries and discusses its implications for North Korean psychiatry. Under socialism, psychiatric disorders were attributed primarily to neurophysiologic or neurobiological origins. Psychosocial or psychodynamic etiology was denied or distorted in line with the political ideology of the Communist Party. Psychiatry was primarily concerned with psychotic disorders, and this diagnostic category was sometimes applied based on political considerations. Neurotic disorders were ignored by psychiatry or were regarded as the remnants of capitalism. Several neurotic disorders characterized by high levels of somatization were considered to be neurological or physical in nature. The majority of “mental patients” were institutionalized for a long periods in large-scale psychiatric hospitals. Treatment of psychiatric disorders depended largely on a few outdated biological therapies. In former socialist countries, psychodynamic psychotherapy was not common, and psychiatric patients were likely to experience social stigma. According to North Korean doctors living in South Korea, North Korean psychiatry is heavily influenced by the aforementioned traditions of psychiatry. During the post-socialist transition, the suicide rate in many of these countries dramatically increased. Given such mental health crises in post-socialist transitional societies, the field of psychiatry may face major challenges in a future unified Korea.

목차

INTRODUCTION

ETIOLOGY OF PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS

DIAGNOSES AND CLINICAL FEATURES OF PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS

TREATMENT OF PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS

SPECIAL MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES IN SOCIALIST SOCIETIES

CONCLUSION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

REFERENCES

키워드

Psychiatry Socialism North Korea