[Health in the 100-Year Life Era] Isolation, Seclusion, and Despair Among the Younger Generation

Recently, the disappearance of a family of three who left for Wando ended with their bodies being found cold, leaving many citizens feeling devastated. The economic and psychological despair faced by the couple in their 30s can be sufficiently inferred from the father's business failure and cryptocurrency investment losses, as well as the mother's prescription for sleeping pills. However, there is also considerable public anger questioning whether it was necessary to take along their elementary school-aged daughter, who knew nothing of the situation.

According to a recent survey by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, one in five Koreans experienced severe depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic, and suicidal ideation increased by more than 40% compared to before the pandemic. In particular, over 40% of young people are in the mental health risk group, and half of them are classified as high-risk individuals who require immediate treatment. While the overall suicide rate across all age groups has slightly decreased since peaking in 2010, the suicide rate among young people has actually increased, with suicides among adolescents (ages 9?24) more than tripling compared to 2016. With the rapid population decline due to low birth rates, our society must seriously consider whether it is sustainable to watch young survivors suffer from mental health issues and end their lives by suicide.

The increasing isolation and withdrawal among young people, as well as the issue of solitary deaths, have reached a very serious level, yet there are no clear countermeasures. These individuals quietly end their lives out of our sight, so accurate statistics are not yet available, but universities and clinical settings frequently encounter young people saying, "I am afraid to leave the house," or "I want to give up on my studies." Moreover, their symptoms differ from those of adult psychiatric patients who improve with treatment for depression and anxiety. Their condition is a combination of identity confusion, severely diminished self-confidence after prolonged bullying, emotional abuse experienced from a young age, early separation from divorced parents, and other long-standing trauma symptoms and mental immaturity, making it very difficult to manage with standard psychiatric medication and counseling. I recall a graduate student who wept while recounting how, during middle and high school, they were bullied for a long time and, even after telling parents and teachers, were told, "You need to toughen up more. It’s not necessarily the other kids’ fault," which was even more heartbreaking. This student returned home from studying abroad due to sudden panic attacks, spent six months unable to leave their room, and had decided to die. Fortunately, with the help of parents and professionals, they have improved, but this is exactly the kind of case that, without social support, can develop into a young person’s solitary death.

American economist Angus Deaton, who won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2015, explained the cause of increasing mortality among middle-aged white Americans despite economic prosperity with the concept of "deaths of despair." He revealed a cycle in which repeated despair leads to loss of life’s meaning, resulting in drug addiction, alcoholism, and ultimately suicide, highlighting the growing despair among middle-aged white populations as a serious social issue. While it is difficult to directly apply this to our society, Deaton’s argument and similar cultural phenomena can somewhat explain the situation of our young people choosing isolated and withdrawn lives.

Fortunately, in 2021, Seoul City enacted the "Ordinance on Support for Socially Isolated Youth," initiating institutional measures. However, specific frameworks on how to identify these youth and effectively assist those who are afraid even to leave their homes have yet to be developed. It is anticipated to be a very challenging task. Approaching this issue with existing welfare and counseling service frameworks is likely to fail; from the start, it is necessary to gather relevant experts to devise creative solutions and support them through administration and institutional frameworks in a highly integrated governance approach. I sincerely hope that the genuine commitment of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who prioritizes walking alongside the vulnerable, will lead to solutions that save our young people. The rapidly growing fields of digital healthcare technology and digital therapeutics can provide the best means to reach these youth. The fusion of technology and welfare, as well as expertise and administration, holds hope to rescue our young people trapped in despair.

Shin Euijin, Professor of Child Psychiatry, Yonsei University Severance Hospital

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