Depression Treatments Increased by 24% Due to COVID-19... Suicide Attempts Up 10%, 20s Age Group Up 43%

Severe Threat to Livelihoods, 9 Trillion Won in Arrears... Record High Expected
Use of Some Free Meal Centers Increases 27-Fold

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] According to a comprehensive review of the National Assembly’s audit on the 8th, the number of depression treatment cases and suicide attempts surged in the first half of this year due to the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

According to data submitted by the National Health Insurance Service to Shin Hyun-young, a member of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, 182,780 people visited hospitals for mood disorders in the first half of this year, marking a 24.2% increase compared to the same period last year. By age group, teenagers and people in their 20s, who were unable to attend school or engage in employment activities, accounted for the largest proportions at 49% and 53%, respectively. The number of people visiting hospitals due to stress levels lower than mood disorders also increased by 9.7% during the same period. Panic disorder cases rose by 7%, and anxiety symptoms increased by 5%.

Depression patients visited hospitals intensively in February and June, when COVID-19 confirmed cases surged. According to Park Jung, a member of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee from the Democratic Party, the number of depression patients in February and June increased by 10.6% and 7.9%, respectively, compared to the same months of the previous year.

Suicide attempts also surged. According to data on the "Emergency Room-Based Suicide Attempt Follow-up Management Project" submitted by Nam In-soon, a member of the Welfare Committee from the Democratic Party, to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the total number of suicide attempters from January to August was 15,090, a 10% increase compared to the same period last year. In particular, people in their 20s showed the highest increase rate at 43%.

The number of medical expense support cases for suicide attempters from January to August this year totaled 614, nearly doubling compared to 383 cases during the same period in 2019. It was analyzed that 19.7% of the medical expense support cases for suicide attempters from April to August, when COVID-19 was spreading, requested help citing the influence of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, threats to livelihoods due to COVID-19 are also confirmed by figures. According to the status of overdue tax payments submitted by Kim Ju-young, a member of the Planning and Finance Committee from the Democratic Party, to the National Tax Service, the amount of overdue taxes in the first half of this year reached 8.9703 trillion won. This figure is close to last year’s overdue tax amount of 9.2 trillion won. According to the "Operation Status of Free Meal Services for the Homeless" submitted by Kang Sun-woo, a Democratic Party member, from homeless shelters nationwide, the average daily users of publicly linked free meal services increased by about 27 times compared to the previous year in some facilities.

Assembly member Shin Hyun-young said, "As COVID-19 prolongs, our lives are shrinking, and psychological symptoms such as depression are increasing," adding, "It is necessary to establish a national infectious disease response system that comprehensively covers the physical and mental health of the people in the era of infectious diseases, not only focusing on COVID-19 prevention and treatment."

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