"Teachers Exposed to Violence, Over 60% Experience Depression Levels"

Yoon Gan-woo, Head of Green Hospital, MBC Radio Interview
Reports Results of Mental Health Survey of 6,000 Teachers

"Depression is often called the common cold of the mind, meaning it fluctuates between better and worse. At one point in time, about 10% of the general population, or one in ten people, were found to have depression. However, in this recent survey, elementary school teachers who are frequently exposed to dangerous situations or violence showed depression levels exceeding 60% in some cases."

On the 6th, Kwanwoo Yoon, head of the Occupational Medicine Department at Green Hospital, spoke about the depression situation among teachers in an interview on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus.' This survey was conducted by Green Hospital through an online questionnaire to investigate the actual conditions in schools following the Seo-i Elementary School incident.

Dr. Yoon stated, "When you properly understand the characteristics or working environment of a group, you can accurately interpret the results. About 6,000 teachers participated in the survey," adding, "Even using only refined data, the mental health levels came out this high."

On the 49th day memorial of the late Seo-i Elementary School teacher on the 4th, a citizen is placing flowers at the memorial altar set up at Seo-i Elementary School in Seoul. Photo by Huh Younghan younghan@

The survey found that nearly 40% of teachers exhibited severe depressive symptoms, which is about four times higher than the rate among the general adult population.

In particular, Dr. Yoon revealed, "The survey confirmed that depression not only involves symptoms but also leads to suicidal thoughts and attempts." It was found that elementary school teachers suffer from much more severe depressive symptoms.

Dr. Yoon suggested a solution, saying, "When mental health problems worsen in a group, two types of measures are necessary: one is medical intervention, and the other is administrative action."

"If medical intervention includes various psychological counseling and medical treatments, then administrative actions involve giving those in dangerous situations some time to step away and refresh themselves temporarily, or reallocating them to less stressful duties. Both types of administrative measures should be implemented simultaneously."

Dr. Yoon added, "(Medical interventions) are currently not being implemented at all when looking at the field, in my opinion," and most efforts are being carried out at the individual level.

Dr. Yoon said, "Since the Seo-i Elementary School incident, many teachers have expressed empathy and concern, and I believe teachers themselves have the strength to overcome these challenges. However, those who have already progressed to dangerous situations lack much of that strength," adding, "We should not just address the symptoms superficially but look deeper into the underlying issues and prepare appropriate countermeasures."

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