▲ Samsung Bit Clinic / Jeongyoon Huh, PhD in Psychiatry

What Is Depression?
Depression is a medical illness caused by imbalance of neurotransmitter in brain. It negatively affects the way we feel, think and act. Women have double the possibility of frequency than men except middle aged men who also suffer as much as women in general. 

Where Doest It Come From?
Depression, explains Jeongyoon Huh, PhD in Psychiatry and Director of Samsung Bit Clinic, comes from a variety of social, biological, psychological and physical reasons. It has many different triggers such as divorce, bereavement, illness, losing a job, debt, abuse, disputes with family members or friends, etc. 

How Can It Be Dealt?
Dealing depression alone is very hard and it needs medication and counseling. Alongside medication and counseling, latest equipment are available to treat the symptoms. American psychiatric equipment company Neuronetics's rTMS (Transcranial Magnetic Simulation) is a good example which is widely used by many psychiatrists to deal with various symptoms of depression such as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), bipolar and panic disorder. 

rTMS is the world's first FDA approved noninvasive form of brain stimulation developed and sold by Neuronetics. The patient is seated and wait for 5 to 20 minutes for the treatment that has no pain and annoyance as well as side effect. Unlike medication that can cause drowsiness, indigestion and weight gain, rTMS has no such effect and it does not use anesthetic or sedative. 

"Traditionally, depression was largely dealt with psychotherapy. But rTMS has brought a new way of treating it with cutting edge technologies. I reckon that many forms of mental and mind illnesses in the future will be dealt with 'brain network-driven treatments' by using the most advanced medical science" predicts Huh.

ADHD
ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. According to Huh, approximately 80% of ADHD patients accompany other mental illness. To treat the symptoms, CSN Vital Signs is being used. CSN Vital Signs is a behavioral assessment testing software for clinicians and researchers and it takes about 40 minutes. Alongside CSN Vital Signs, QEEG (Quantitative Electroencephalogram) is used. QEEG is a diagnostic tool that measures electrical activity in the form of brain wave patterns and we can take it as 'brain mapping'. 

QEEG, explains Huh, helps clinicians to know where they are of the treatment especially when the treatment is facing challenges. Because it maps out brain, we can know how far the patient has progressed. For this reason, QEEG is often used to bring up an objective assessment of the treatment. 

"It helps the clinician and also the patient see the progress in charts. Charts provide more objective diagnosis and future course of treatment than counseling because they show figures in numbers and graphs" says Huh.

Samsung Bit Clinic
Samsung Bit Clinic opened door February 2022 near Gangnam subway station Seoul. The first thing Huh did was introducing '20 minute reservation'. Huh observed that for depression patients, waiting more often worsen the conditions of the patient than not. And her observation proved to be right as patients at the clinic are satisfied for prompt response alongside kindness and professional diagnosis and treatments. Equipment-wise, the clinic boasts the 4th generation latest rTMS. 

Jeongyoon Huh
Huh is a holder of PhD in Psychiatry and studied at Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine. She built extensive knowledge and experience working for Samsung Medical Center as a full time doctor and an adjunct professor. Having secured a wealth of clinical experience, she opened Samsung Bit Clinic last month in the heart of Seoul where commerce and culture create a trendy vibe. 

She engaged in a number of papers: <Effects of smartphone use with and without blue light at night in healthy adults: A randomized, double-blind, cross-over, placebo-controlled comparison>, <Agoraphobia and Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Levels between Tamoxifen and Goserelin versus Tamoxifen Alone in Premenopausal Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer: A 12-Month Prospective Randomized Study> and <Efficacy of ziprasidone monotherapy in patients with anxious depression: a 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, sequential-parallel comparison trial>. She also presented <Increased Cardiovascular risks after Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Treatment in patients with panic disorder> at an American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting. 

"I named my clinic 'bit'. Bit means 'light' in Korean. I put my passion and determination in the word to bring back the light we once have in our lives. I and my certified staff is working together to treat each patient with utmost kindness and attention to detail in a way to bring good results. With the same intension, the clinic has cafe and home-like ambience for patients to be calm and relaxed" tips Huh. <PowerKorea>

PowerKorea is an official partner of Herald Corporation and the magazine is distributed to the KOTRA business centers in the world. We publish latest news of Samsung, Hyundai and government affairs and endeavor to serve as a platform to engage with people around the world.