[2020 National Audit] "Suicide Prevention Hotline Calls Peak at Night, Counselors Reduced by Half"

Assemblywoman Kang Sun-woo "7 out of 10 Calls Unanswered Due to Staffing Shortages During Vulnerable Hours"

Status of Suicide Prevention Counseling Calls and 119/Police Station Linked Dispatches by Time Slot from January to August 2020

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jung] The 1393 suicide prevention counseling hotline receives a surge of calls during the early morning hours, but the number of staff on duty is concentrated during the daytime, resulting in gaps, according to a recent investigation. As the number of people reporting feelings of depression increases due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), there are calls for measures to address this issue.

According to statistics on suicide prevention counseling calls from January to August this year, submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to Kang Sun-woo (Democratic Party), a member of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, the time with the highest volume of calls is between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. The period from 11 p.m. to midnight recorded 7,103 calls, the highest, followed closely by 7,089 calls between midnight and 1 a.m. However, only nine counselors are on duty during these hours, resulting in a response failure rate of around 70%.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Suicide Prevention Counseling Center operates on a four-team, three-shift system (7 a.m. to 4 p.m., 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., and 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.). During the overlapping hours of 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., 18 counselors are deployed, but only nine work during the vulnerable period after 10 p.m. Over the past eight months, 3,952 calls were received between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., and 4,302 calls between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. With more staff on duty during these times, the response failure rates were relatively low at 31% for 2?3 p.m. and 55% for 3?4 p.m.

The Suicide Prevention Counseling Center has a system in place to dispatch police and fire services in emergencies. Last year, there was an average of about 297 dispatches per month, which increased by approximately 8% to an average of about 320 per month over the past eight months this year. Due to COVID blues, the number of people suffering from depression has risen, sometimes leading to suicide attempts in severe cases. The Ministry of Health and Welfare also reported that the counseling hotline itself is a demanding job, causing frequent turnover among counselors and various difficulties.

Assembly member Kang said, “Although the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters recently proposed measures such as expanding short-term personnel for 1393, if adjustments to staffing and improvements to working conditions that consider vulnerable hours are not supported, the effectiveness will inevitably be significantly reduced.” He added, “Mental health treatment and psychological counseling support measures for counselors who experience severe emotional exhaustion should also be prepared.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.