Mental illness is on the rise among Korean children and teenagers as pressures on them continue to grow.
The number of children and teenagers who were treated for depression surged 18.9 percent from 2019 to 39,870 in 2021, according to the National Health Insurance Service. The number of children and teens getting treated for anxiety disorders also surged from 16,797 in 2019 to 23,593 in 2021.
At the same time spending on private crammers soared to a record W26 trillion last year (US$1=W1,305).
Bae Seung-min at Gachon University's Gil Medical Center said, "Children are pressured to go to a good university compounded by fears of a tough job market unless they outperform everyone else. The popularity of medical schools shows just how high the standard of success has become that children are forced to accept at an early age."
Jung Chan-ho, who runs a clinic in Gangnam, said, "Parents spend a lot of money on their children and want their money's worth, which puts intolerable emotional pressure on kids."
Lockdown and sophisticated forms of online bullying also played havoc with youngsters' mental health. One middle school teacher in Seoul said, "Students spend a lot of time comparing who got the most comments or 'likes' on social media, who played with who, and who is the prettiest. So many kids get stressed out by fears of being ostracized."
A staffer at the Korea Youth Counseling and Welfare Institute said there were 47 instances of police being called in the last four months over messages posted by teenagers that suggested suicidal tendencies.
The number of mental health clinics for children and teens registered with the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry increased from 275 in 2015 to 498 this year, 10 percent in southern Seoul, where competition is even more severe, putting enormous pressure on the kids of the rich.
Booking a session with a psychiatrist at a university-run hospital is nearly impossible. Cheon Keun-ah at Yonsei University Severance Hospital said, "There are so many children with depression and other mental disorders that consultations are booked until 2028."
A study by the Ministry of Education last year showed that 28.7 percent of middle and high school students felt so depressed over the past year that they were unable to carry on with their daily activities, the highest level since 2013.
Hong Hyun-ju at Hallym University Medical Center said, "We need a special government agency for children's mental health, and parents need to get out of the mentality of equating their kids' success with their academic achievements, which only creates stress."
