Maeng Je Cho

Seoul National University | SNU · Department of Neuropsychiatry

This study aimed to characterize the association between paranoid ideation without psychosis (PIP) and suicide attempts in a general population. A total of 12,532 adults were randomly selected as the study sample through one-person-per-household method. Subjects completed a face-to-face interview. Among 12,532 subjects, 471 (3.76%) met criteria for...

Objective: This study aimed to examine how marital status, occupational status, and individual personality influence suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among Korean middle-aged adults, and explore the effects of their interaction. Methods: A total of 2,464 middle-aged adults were surveyed about suicidality in the past year (1-year suicidalit...

Background: In many high-income Western countries, the prevalence of dementia had been reduced over the past decades. Objective: We investigated whether the prevalence of all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) had changed in Korea from 2008 to 2017. Methods: Nationwide Survey on Dementia...

Purpose To investigate age-related differences in the relationships among at-risk alcohol consumption, alcohol use disorder (AUD), and psychological distress with a special focus on older adults. Methods We used a nationwide cross-sectional study of a representative sample of community-dwelling adults from the Korean Epidemiologic Catchment Area s...

Background We aimed to investigate the gender differences in the associations between the individual symptoms of AUD and MDD and SB using a network analysis. Methods Data from the 2011 and 2016 Korean Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study were analyzed. Variables were assessed using the Korean version of Composite International Diagnostic Interview....

Background: Although a focus on late-life depression may help preventing suicide in older adults, many older people, especially those living in rural areas, have relatively low accessibility to treatment. This study examined the feasibility and effectiveness of a village-based intervention for depression targeting older adults living in rural area...

Background: Although a focus on late-life depression may help preventing suicide in older adults, many older people, especially those living in rural areas, have relatively low accessibility to treatment. This study examined the feasibility and effectiveness of a village-based intervention for depression targeting older adults living in rural areas...

Background: There has been no study on the time trends of dementia incidence in Korea. We report the 5-year incidence and its correlates of all-cause and Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia, and compared our results with those of a 12-year-prior cohort study conducted in the same area. Methods: A total of 751 community-dwelling older adults were f...

Background Although a focus on late-life depression may help preventing suicide in older adults, many older people, especially those living in rural areas, have relatively low accessibility to treatment. This study examined the feasibility and effectiveness of a village-based intervention for depression targeting older adults living in rural areas....

This study aimed to characterize the association between paranoid ideation without psychosis (PIP) and suicide attempts in a general population. A total of 12,532 adults were randomly selected as the study sample through one-person-per-household method. Subjects completed a face-to-face interview. Among 12,532 subjects, 471 (3.76%) met criteria for...

**Selected as Editor's choice article (Vol. 248, JAD) https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-affective-disorders/editors-choice/editors-choice-articles-journal-of-affective-disorders** - Background: Subthreshold hypomania is defined as a distinct period of elevated, expansive or irritable mood lasting for at least four days, but insufficient...

Objective: Somatic pain is an important risk factor for suicide and suicidal behaviors. However, the association between the number of somatic pain conditions and lifetime suicide attempts (LSA) has not been well established yet. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine associations between LSA and multiple somatic pain (MSP), singe p...

Eating disorders comorbid with depression are an established risk factor for suicide. In this study, we aimed to determine the effects of binge eating (BE) symptoms on suicidality and related clinical characteristics in major depressive disorder (MDD). A total of 817 community participants with MDD were included. We compared two groups (with and wi...

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association between Body Mass Index, suicide, perceived stress, and life dissatisfaction in a general population sample of Korean adults. Methods: A total of 6,022 nationally representative adults aged 18 to 74 were selected using a multistage cross-sectional cluster sampling met...

Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are more prone to suicidal ideation and behavior. While those who have experienced interpersonal trauma exhibit more suicidality than those who have experienced non-interpersonal trauma, it is unclear how the traumatic effects are related to an individual’s personality characteristics. This stud...

Background: Alcohol-induced disinhibition (AID) is defined as a “loss of restraint over some form of behavior after drinking alcohol regardless of its amount”. Although many previous studies have investigated on alcohol use disorder and suicide attempt, few studies have focused on AID and suicide. Methods: A total of 9461 adults who had a history o...

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between adult Internet game addiction (IGA) and mental disorders. A total of 1401 adults aged between 18 and 74 years participated in this study. The IGA group had significantly younger patients, and it showed a higher proportion of unmarried and unemployed adults, and higher rates of suicida...

Purpose Internet addiction (IA) is defined as a psychological dependence on the internet, regardless of the type of activities once logged on, and previous studies have focused on adolescents and young adults. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between suicide attempts and sleep among community-dwelling adults with IA. Method...

Objective Education is expected to have an effect on differential item functioning (DIF) on the 15-item Modified Boston Naming Test in the Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Packet (BNT-KC). However, no study has examined DIF in the BNT-KC. Methods We used the item response theory to investi...

Many epidemiological studies suggest that overweight is associated with an elevated risk of psychiatric disorders and suicidal tendency. However, findings vary across studies, and some have contradictory results. We investigated the relationship of overweight with a range of psychiatric disorders and suicidality in the Korean general population. A...

Objective There are conflicting reports about whether individual anxiety disorders are independently associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. We examined whether anxiety disorders are related to suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in a community sample of South Korean adults. Methods In-person interviews based on the South Korean...

Objective We examined a functional model of acquired capability for suicide, which was elaborated from the “Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide”. Methods A total of 6,027 Korean community subjects were recruited from The Korean Epidemiologic Catchment Area study conducted in 2011. The subjects were assessed systematically using the Korea...

Objective The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of mental-physical comorbidity and health-threatening risk factors in subjects with mental disorders, and the risks of mental disorders in those with physical diseases for the last 12 months in the general Korean population. Methods Korean Epidemiologic Catchment Area study replicati...

We examined the prevalence, correlates, and psychiatric comorbidities of community-dwelling subjects with problematic Internet use (PIU). In an epidemiological survey of mental disorders among Korean adults conducted in 2006, 6510 subjects (aged 18-64 years) completed the Korean version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV...

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a well-known risk factor for suicidality, but depressed mood has been used non-specifically to describe the emotional state. We sought to compare influence of MDD versus sustained depressed mood on suicidality. Methods: A total of 12,532 adults, randomly selected through the one-person-per-household...

Background: Patients with subthreshold bipolar disorder (Sub-BP) experience severe clinical courses and functional impairments which are comparable to those with bipolar I and II disorders (BP-I and -II). Nevertheless, lifetime prevalence, socioeconomic correlates and diagnostic overlaps of bipolar spectrum disorder (BPS) have not yet been estimat...

Objective: Lack of knowledge about a disease could impede early diagnosis and may lead to delays in seeking appropriate medical care. The aim of this study was to explore knowledge of dementia (KOD) and to find the determinants of KOD among three groups: older adults with normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia. Methods:...

Background: This study evaluated the impacts of earlier traumatic events on the mental health of older adults, in terms of mental disorders and mental well-being, according to sociodemographic variables, trauma-related characteristics, and personality traits in a nationally representative sample of older Koreans. Methods: A total of 1,621 subjec...

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a type of clinical depression that can affect women after childbirth. Few previous studies have explored the association of depressive and physical symptoms among women with PPD in a nationwide community study. Method: A total of 18,807 adults, randomly selected, completed a face-to-face interview using...

This study investigated gender differences in symptom profiles of major depressive disorder (MDD) in the Korean general population. Data were pooled from the series of nationwide Korean Epidemiologic Catchment Area surveys conducted in 2001, 2006 and 2011, respectively. Of the 18,807 participants, 507 (397 women and 110 men) were diagnosed with MDD...

While decreasing trend in gender differences in alcohol use disorders was reported in Western countries, the change in Asian countries is unknown. This study aims to explore the shifts in gender difference in alcohol abuse (AA) and dependence (AD) in Korea. We compared the data from two nation-wide community surveys to evaluate gender differences i...

Network medicine considers networks among genes, diseases, and individuals. Networks of mental disorders remain poorly understood, despite their high comorbidity. In this study, a network of mental disorders in Korea was constructed to offer a complementary approach to treatment. Data on the prevalence and morbidity of mental disorders were obtaine...

Suicide attempts and depression are considerably misunderstood by Korean society. Studies regarding factors should provide basic information concerning the factors that should be considered when examining stigmatization. This study aimed to investigate sociodemographic factors related to the social stigma toward people with a history of suicide att...

Differences in clinical characteristics, symptomatology, and psychiatric comorbidity between early-onset depression (EOD) and late-onset depression (LOD) were examined in a nationwide representative sample. The Korean Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used to investigate psychiatric diagnoses and age of onset. A total of 319 subjects...

The lifetime prevalence of alcohol dependence in South Korea remains higher than other countries. The aim of our study is to identify factors associated with remission from alcohol dependence. Data from the Korean Epidemiological Catchment Area-Replication (KECA-R) study were used in our study. The Korean version of the Composite International Diag...

Background This study estimates the duration of sleep and its relationships with clinical correlates in a community sample of elderly individuals in Korea.MethodsA total of 1924 individuals aged 65 and over were interviewed in Korea. Sleep durations were classified into five categories: 5.00 h or less, 6.00 h per day, 7.00 h per day, 8.00 h per day...

This study investigated the prevalence of sexual problems and associated factors, focusing particularly on comorbid psychiatric disorders, among older Korean women. A nationally representative sample of women aged 50-74 years (n=3828) responded to in-person interviews using the Korean version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview to a...

Near-elderly adults go through many changes in socioeconomic status, such as retirement, which may affect their mental health differently according to when they live. We aimed to compare the prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) and its changes according to sociodemographic factors using nationally representative surveys of Korean near-elde...

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and correlates of mental disorders in Korean adults. Door to door household surveys were conducted with community residents aged 18-74 years from July 19, 2011, to November 16, 2011 (n=6,022, response rate 78.7%). The sample was drawn from 12 catchment areas using a multistage cluster method. Eac...

We examined whether childhood exposure to psychological trauma is associated with greater suicidality and whether specific psychiatric disorders modulate this association in a representative sample of Korean adults. The Korean version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 2.1 was administered to 6,027 subjects aged 18-74 years. Subjec...

This study was conducted to observe a longitudinal course of patients with schizophrenia enrolled in a community mental health center (CMHC) in Seoul, Korea, and to evaluate the clinical efficacy of case management provided for them.

This study compared the factors associated with the utilization of mental health services across various age cohorts, with a particular focus on the differential influence of the stigma placed on mental illness on the use of these services. The present study used data from a Korean national epidemiological survey of mental disorders among community...

Objective To investigate the natural course of depressive symptoms among community-dwelling elderly over 5 years. Rates and correlates of the incidence and the persistence of late-life depression were examined.MethodsA total of 701 elderly people 65 years of age or older without dementia at baseline were included in this study. The association betw...

Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) and traumatic experience are independent risk factors for lifetime suicide attempt (LSA). However, the relationships between trauma history and depressive symptomatology as they relate to LSA are not fully understood. Methods A total of 12,532 adults, randomly selected through one-person-per-household met...

Background: We assessed eight-year mortality rates and predictors in a rural cohort of elderly individuals with cognitive impairment. Methods: A total of 1,035 individuals, including 155 (15.0%) individuals with cognitive impairment, no dementia (CIND), and 69 (6.7%) individuals with clinically diagnosed dementia were followed for eight years fr...

Background: In many countries, illiteracy rates among aged people are quite high. However, only few studies have specifically investigated the impact of illiteracy on depression. Methods: Data for 1,890 elderly individuals (aged ≥65 years) were obtained from a nationwide dementia epidemiological study conducted in South Korea. Based on their rea...

We examined whether childhood exposure to multiple types of potentially traumatic events (PTEs) relative to a single type of PTE is associated with a higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders and greater somatic discomfort in Korean adults. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview 2.1 (K-CIDI 2.1) was administered to 6027 subjects aged 18-...

We compared the influence of major mental disorders on suicidality according to age, adjusting for suicide-related correlates. This study was based on the Korean national epidemiological survey of mental disorders including community-dwelling adults between 18 and 74 years of age (n=6022). Subjects were classified into three age groups; young (18-3...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences of the suicidal behavior, stress, internet gaming disorder-related symptoms and personality profiles between online game overusers and general users.

Previous epidemiologic studies have revealed that East-Asian populations experience fewer depressive symptoms than American populations do. However, it is unclear whether this difference applies to clinical patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). This present study included 1592 Korean and 3744 American outpatients who were 18 years of age o...

The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) has been used extensively in various settings across different cultures. This study was conducted to determine the thresholds associated with optimum sensitivity and specificity for the GHQ-12 in Korean adults. Data was acquired from a sample of 6,510 Korean adults, ages 18 to 64 years old, who were...

Although previous studies have shown that childhood parental death influences suicide attempts of their offspring, few studies have examined influence of gender and age at exposure. Koreans show the third highest suicide rate in the world, and many children and adolescents lost their parents during and after the Korean War. A total of 12,532 adults...

Background: Insomnia is a common psychiatric complaint among elderly individuals. This study investigates the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of insomnia by considering a community sample of elderly individuals in South Korea. Methods: A face-to-face household survey was conducted in five regions of South Korea from June 2008 to Augus...

The nationwide prevalence of major depressive disorder in Korea is lower than most countries, despite the high suicide rate. To explain this unexpectedly low prevalence, we examined the functional disability and quality of life in community-dwelling subjects with significant depressive symptoms not diagnosable as depressive disorder. A total of 1,0...

Although several studies have detected differences in clinical features among specific phobias, there is a shortage of detailed national data on the on the DSM-IV SP subtypes, particularly in the Asian population. To examine the prevalence, demographic and other correlates, and co-morbidities of DSM-IV SP subtypes in a nationwide sample of Korean a...

The prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) and its relationship with the demographic variables in an older Korean population were examined. A face-to-face household survey was conducted in five different regions of Korea from June 2008 to August 2008. Among a total of 3074 individuals who were aged more than 65, 1990 participants were interview...

Purpose: We examined the prevalence, correlates, comorbidities, and suicidal tendencies of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) according to the DSM-IV criteria in a nationwide sample of Korean women. Methods: A total of 2,499 women aged 18-64 years participated in this study. Diagnostic assessments were based on the Korean version of the Comp...

Purpose The diagnosis of insomnia is based on the presence of four different symptoms: difficulty in initiating sleep (DIS), difficulty in maintaining sleep (DMS), early morning awakening (EMA), and non-restorative sleep (NRS). This study investigated the differences in sociodemographic correlates and psychiatric comorbidity between the four sympto...

We examined the psychiatric morbidities, sleep disturbances, suicidality, quality-of-life, and psychological distress of community-dwelling subjects in Korea who had medically unexplained pain. A total of 6510 subjects (age 18-65years) participated in this study. A medically unexplained pain symptom (MUS-pain) was defined as pain lasting for 6month...

The question of whether religion has beneficial or detrimental effects on the mental well-being of the adult individual is debatable. Because most Korean citizens are free to select their own religion, there is a higher proportion of non-believers than believers among the Korean population. The aim of this research was to investigate the associatio...

We examined factors associated with lifetime treatment of alcohol dependence in a nationwide sample of Korean adults. Of the 6510 respondents, aged 18–64, who participated in the Korean Epidemiologic Catchment Area study, we analyzed 458 who had a lifetime diagnosis of alcohol dependence. Lay interviewers administered a diagnostic assessment, based...

This study aimed to estimate prevalence rates and risk factors of LLD among a large nationwide sample of Korean elders in South Korea. Of 8199 randomly sampled Koreans aged 65 years or more, 6018 participated (response rate=73.4%). Using the Korean version of the short form Geriatric Depression Scale (SGDS-K), we classified individual scoring 8 or...

The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) has been used extensively in a variety of settings across countries. The objectives of this study were to test the factor structure and internal consistency of the GHQ-12 in the Korean general population and to test relationships among the scales, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scal...

Background: The influences of demographics, culture, language, and environmental changes on Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores are considerable. Methods: Using a sample of 7452 healthy, community-dwelling elderly Koreans, aged 55 to 94 years, who participated in the four ongoing geriatric cohorts in Korea, we investigated demographic in...

The aim of this study was to identify brain areas related to apathy or depression in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). Eighty-one AD patients were enrolled in this prospective study. (99m)Tc-HMPAO single photon emission computed tomography was performed to evaluate regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). According to the Neuropsychiatric Inventory...

The strong comorbidity between substance use disorders (SUDs) and mood and anxiety disorders has been well documented. In view of lack of research findings addressing the co-occurrence of SUDs and mood and anxiety disorders, this study examined the pattern of comorbidity of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and nicotine dependence (ND) between 2 cultura...

We examined factors associated with lifetime treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) in a nationwide sample of Korean adults. Of the 6,510 subjects aged 18-64 years who participated in the Korean Epidemiologic Catchment Area study, 362 (5.6%) with a lifetime diagnosis of MDD were analyzed. Diagnostic assessments were based on the Korean versio...

We determined the influence of demographic characteristics on the categorical verbal fluency and to provided its' normative data for the community-dwelling elderly with diverse educational attainment. We administered the CFT using the animal category to 3025 (1420 men and 1605 women) non-demented community-dwelling Koreans aged 60-96 years who had...

We examined the prevalence, correlates, and comorbidities of adult attention-deficit hypersensitivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in a Korean community using data from the National Epidemiological Survey of Psychiatric Disorders in Korea conducted in 2006. A total of 6081 subjects aged 18 to 59 years participated in this study. Diagnostic assessments...

The present study represents the first attempt at examining variation across Korean cohorts with respect to lifetime risk of DSM-IV psychiatric disorders. To present data on lifetime prevalence and projected lifetime risk, as well as age of onset (AOO) and demographic correlates of DSM-IV psychiatric disorders as assessed in the nationwide survey o...

A recent national survey in South Korea indicated that the 12-month prevalence rate of major depressive disorder was 2.5%. Depressive disorders may lead to disability, premature death, and severe suffering of patients and their families. This study estimates the economic burden of depression in Korea from a societal perspective. Annual direct healt...

The number of Korean people who are currently suffering from depressive disorders that require medical treatment is assumed to be more than 2 million. However, only around 15% of those with depressive disorder are actively receiving medical treatment, and this leads to an increasing suicide rate. Hence, the National Evidence-based Healthcare Collab...

There is widespread recognition of the effect of physical activity on mental health. The authors examined the relationships between physical activity and mental health in a nationwide sample of Korean adults. A total of 6,510 subjects aged 18 to 64 years participated in the study. The short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire...