Despite Rapid Steps Toward Daily Recovery... Complaints of 'Corona Depression' Persist

Quarantine Authorities Fully Lift Social Distancing on the 15th
Despite Hopes for Normalcy, Many Suffer from 'Corona Depression'
Students Transition from Remote to In-Person Classes... Suffering from 'Back to School Blue' Syndrome
"Searches Related to Depression Also Increase... Proving Correlation Between Corona and Public Depression"

Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, many people have been suffering from depression. Photo by Pixabay

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] #In January, Park, a man in his 20s who recovered after being infected with COVID-19, suffered from muscle pain and fatigue even after his one-week self-quarantine period ended. He confessed that he felt tired and depressed all day long, and his body felt heavy and sluggish, making it difficult for him to carry out daily activities for a while.

During the more than two years of social distancing caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people complaining of COVID depression symptoms increased. COVID depression refers to the feelings of depression or lethargy caused by significant changes in daily life due to the spread of COVID-19. Although the government took the first step toward restoring normal life by fully lifting social distancing measures this month, many people still express feelings of depression caused by COVID, indicating the need for countermeasures.

Statistics also show that the number of people feeling depressed and anxious has increased compared to before the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the Ministry of Education's 'Student Mental Health Survey' released on the 13th, 27% of elementary school students responded that they felt more depressed than before the COVID-19 outbreak, and 26.3% said they felt more anxious. This means that about 30% of elementary school students feel more depressed and anxious than before the COVID-19 outbreak.

Experts interpret this as 'Back to School Blue.' The depression among children stems from the psychological burden experienced as children who had been attending irregular classes and remote learning return to school.

This is not just a problem for children. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's '2021 COVID-19 National Mental Health Survey,' overall mental health indicators have worsened due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. The survey showed that one in five citizens was in the depression risk group, and the rate of suicidal thoughts among the public increased significantly over the past two years (9.7% in March 2020 to 13.6% in December 2021).

There is also a statistic showing that depression-related counseling reached 5.83 million cases over the past two years during the COVID-19 spread. According to the National Center for Mental Health on the 18th, a review of COVID-19-related depression counseling data conducted by the National Trauma Center, regional trauma centers, mental health welfare centers, and related government departments showed a total of 5.83 million counseling cases. The number of COVID-19-related information provision cases was 25.13 million.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's '2021 Mental Health Survey,' the utilization rate of mental health services in South Korea over the past year was 7.2%. Photo by Pixabay [Image source=Pixabay]

Experts believe that anxiety about COVID infection and reduced face-to-face activities due to social distancing have increased feelings of depression and anxiety. For young adults, intensified job search difficulties and economic hardships caused by COVID are also analyzed as causes of COVID depression.

Given this situation, there is a growing call for active measures against COVID depression. While seeking help from professionals is effective when depression worsens, the '2021 Mental Health Survey' showed that only 7.2% of people used mental health services such as counseling or treatment from doctors or other professionals in the past year. The Ministry of Health and Welfare explained that this is a low level compared to 43.1% in the United States (2015), 46.5% in Canada (2014), and 34.9% in Australia (2009).

Meanwhile, a study released on the 6th revealed that the search volume for words like 'want to die' and 'depression' increased on domestic portal sites after the COVID outbreak. A research team led by Professor Cheon Byung-chul from the Department of Preventive Medicine at Korea University College of Medicine analyzed Naver search trends from 2016 to 2020 and found that while searches for terms like 'insomnia' were high at the beginning of the outbreak and then decreased, searches for 'want to die' continued to increase as the pandemic prolonged. The research team interpreted this as indicating the possibility of progression to severe stages such as suicidal thoughts beyond simple depression.

Professor Cheon explained, "We statistically proved the increasing trend in searches related to depression symptoms after COVID-19, indirectly confirming the previously suspected correlation between COVID and public depression."

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