신경증 환자들의 일주간의 증상호소

One-Week Complaints of Neurotic Patients

This study was designed to investigate the frequency, occurrence and distribution of complaints in 100 neurotic patients and 100 employees over a one-week period and to compare these findings with the other reports from the different cultural areas. All subjects were administered the pencil-and-paper form of the Symptom Rating Test by Kellner and Sheffield. The results were as follows : 1) The average occurrence of complaints was significently higher in neurotic patients than in employees. The difference was significant for 35 symptoms, but it failed to reach a significant level for 3 symptoms. 2) The frequently reported somatic complaints by the patient group were being tired/lack of energy, palpitaitions/pounding of heart, and headache/head pains in the order of frequency. Neurotic patients used every part of body to somatize, much more so than the employee group. 3) The psychic complaints were associated with the anxiety-depression in both groups. 4) In comparision with the other reports from the different cultural areas, Korean people showed a greater tendency to somatize. Cultural differences modified the basic tendency to express the emotional distress, especially depression, in somatic terms and influenced the ways in which bodily complaints are expressed. From these results, we might characterize neurotic patients as patients who show strong tendency to somatize using every part of body. And these patients very often have associated depressive disorder. Further studies will contribute to the understanding of somatization and depression.