Gimhae City Makes Every Effort to Establish Safety Net for Youth Mental Health Recovery and Suicide Prevention

Gimhae City, Gyeongnam, conducted education to restore adolescent mental health and establish a safety net for suicide prevention.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] Gimhae City, Gyeongnam, took steps on the 30th to restore the mental health of students in the area in collaboration with the Gimhae City Mental Health Welfare Center.

According to the 'COVID-19 Youth Mental Health Survey' released by the Korean Trauma Stress Society on the 29th, 10.2% of adolescents reported having thought about self-harm or suicide within the past two weeks, and 36% said they needed psychiatric treatment themselves, indicating a high demand for psychological evaluation, mental health counseling, and recovery programs.

In response, the city provided education and counseling to school staff in the area through post-intervention to help overcome crisis situations, and the Gimhae Office of Education Wee Center conducted special counseling and grief education for students.

Additionally, by fostering 'Life Guardians' through intensive suicide prevention education, teachers or friends nearby can detect signs of suicide and encourage counseling within schools. The Wee Center and the Mental Health Welfare Center will support professional counseling and educational programs to establish a mental health safety net for youth.

A related expert stated, "Extreme choices by adolescents can be largely overcome through professional counseling, and in fact, among the 60 at-risk youths managed by the Gimhae City Mental Health Welfare Center, there have been no cases leading to extreme choices."

Lee Jong-hak, Director of the Public Health Center, said, "In preparation for the post-COVID era, we will do our best to create a safe Gimhae City through mental health promotion and suicide prevention measures not only for youth but for all citizens."

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