At the same time, survey results suggest that Koreans fear being shunned by friends and others if they are diagnosed with a mental illness.
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A new survey reveals that seven in 10 South Koreans experience mental health issues, such as overwhelming stress and persistent feelings of depression. Compared to the 2022 survey, more people are reporting mental health problems, while attitudes towards mental health have worsened overall, with more than half of those surveyed believing they would be shunned by their friends if they were diagnosed with a mental illness.
The National Center for Mental Health released the results of a survey of 3,000 people aged 15 to 69 on Thursday asking about their general knowledge and attitudes about mental health in the nation in 2024.
According to the survey results, 73.6% of respondents said they had faced mental health problems in the past year, which is 9.7 points higher than the results of the 2022 survey (63.9%). In other words, the mental health of Koreans has worsened over the past two years.
In particular, the percentage of people who reported feeling overwhelming stress increased by 10 points from 36.0% in 2022 to 46.3% in 2024. The percentage of people suffering from long-term depression rose from 30.0% to 40.2%, and the percentage of people who experienced smartphone or internet addiction soared from 6.4% to 18.4%. The number of respondents who said they had thought about suicide also increased from 8.8% in the previous survey to 14.6%.
General attitudes towards mental health are also worsening: the proportion of people who think their friends would turn on them if they were diagnosed with a mental illness increased significantly from 39.4% in 2022 to 50.7%, while the proportion who think people with mental illnesses are more dangerous than neurologically normal people increased from 64.0% to 64.6%.
More respondents believe that receiving treatment from a psychiatrist would put them at a disadvantage in their careers, such as when looking for work, with the number increasing from 61.5% in 2022 to 69.4%.
However, with an increasing number of people agreeing with the views that “anyone can suffer from mental illness” and “mental illness is caused by brain dysfunction,” thinking about mental health issues seems to be progressing in some ways.
The most common answer for those who had mental health problems was to consult a family member or relative (49.4%), followed by a psychiatrist (44.2%), a friend or neighbor (41.0%), and a counselor or therapist (34.3%).
The government is providing counseling services to prevent the mental health of the public from worsening further. The Ministry of Health and Welfare has launched the 2024 Nationwide Mental Healthcare Investment Support Project to provide professional counseling services to people with problems such as depression and anxiety.
The plan is to initially support 80,000 people in the second half of 2024, with the aim of expanding this to 500,000 people by 2027. The program is aimed at people who have been referred to the mental health and welfare center or university counseling center as needing counseling, as well as those who have been diagnosed or referred by a psychiatric medical institution.
Those deemed eligible will be issued eight vouchers for specialized counseling services within 10 days of applying.
Reporter Song Ji-min
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