우울증 환자의 질병행동에 관한 비교연구 ᅳ 한국과 일본의 대학병원 외래 환자를 대상으로ᅳ

A Study on Illness Behavior of Depressed Patients — Analysis Based on Outpatients of University Hospitals in Korea and Japan —

The aim of this study is to clarify factors determining illness behavior for Korean and Japanese depressed patients in relation to sociodem ographic and illness variables an d com pare illness behavior patterns between the two groups from the view point of cultural value. Data regarding the illness behavior of 62 Japanese and 69 K orean depressed outpatients of university hospitals who were diagnosed by IC D -9 were used. All subjects were interviewed with sem i-structured questionnaire. The first contact resources and time lag in approaching first mental health services and number of path until subjects’ first contact mental health services were dependent variables, whereas sociodem ographic and illness variables were in dependent variables. A nalysis showed 1) Korean subjects showed atendency of first contact to non-mental health resources, of multiple help resources and delayed contact to mental health resources. Also, korean subjects relied more on traditional and folk medicine and drugstore than Japanese subjects. 2) Sociodem ographic and illness variables did, inspite of stereotype, poorly impact on illness behavior except only one variable : Somatizing patients revealed a tendency of first contact to non-m ental health resources, of multiple help resources and delayed contact to mental health resources. Such a pattern was similar in Japan and Korea. Subjective symptoms are thought be an im portant factor on illness behavior of depressed patients beyond medical systems. 3) In Japan , the higher in educational status, the more rapid in contact to mental health resources and the depressed who have early experience of contact to the mentally ill manifested delayed contact to mental health resources. In Korea, the depressed who have their spouse m enifested delayed contact to mental health resources. Different support systems would be needed for the depressed patients in terms of utilization of mental health resources in different cultures