Over 800 Elementary, Middle, and High School Students Committed 'Extreme Suicide' in the Past 5 Years... Rapid Increase in Childhood Depression

3,541 Children Aged 6-11 Diagnosed with Depression Last Year
Presumed to Be Influenced by COVID-19 Pandemic

It has been found that more than 800 elementary, middle, and high school students have taken their own lives over the past five years. Additionally, the number of children and adolescents receiving treatment for depression has significantly increased over the same period.

According to data received on the 7th by Kim Won-i, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, from the Ministry of Education and the National Health Insurance Service, the number of elementary, middle, and high school students who made extreme choices between 2018 and 2022 reached 822. Breaking it down by year, there were 144 in 2018, 140 in 2019, and 148 in 2020, which then surged to 197 in 2021 and 193 in 2022. The number of students making extreme choices sharply increased after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Comparing 2018 and 2022, the number of high school students increased from 89 to 118, a 32.6% rise; middle school students increased from 52 to 64, a 23.1% rise; and elementary school students more than tripled from 3 to 11.

Examining the causes of these extreme choices, excluding unknown causes (246 cases), 'academic and career-related issues' (167 cases) were the most common. This was followed by psychiatric problems (161 cases) and interpersonal relationship issues (134 cases). Additionally, there were 19 cases suspected to be caused by school violence.

The number of children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 receiving treatment for depression increased by 60.1% over five years.

In particular, the number of 6 to 11-year-olds receiving depression treatment rose from 1,849 in 2018 to 3,541 in 2022, an increase of 91.5%. During the same period, those aged 15 to 17 increased from 15,605 to 24,588, a 57.6% rise, and those aged 12 to 14 increased from 5,893 to 9,257, a 57.1% rise.

Representative Kim stated, "During the COVID-19 pandemic, after remote learning and the full resumption of in-person classes, the number of children and adolescents experiencing depression or anxiety due to maladjustment to school life has greatly increased. Schools and local communities need to expand personnel and infrastructure to manage mental health and strengthen measures such as creating programs that link counseling, treatment, and management."

※ If you have difficult feelings such as depression or know family or acquaintances experiencing such difficulties, you can receive 24-hour professional counseling through the Suicide Prevention Hotline ☎1393, Mental Health Counseling Hotline ☎1577-0199, Lifeline ☎1588-9191, Youth Hotline ☎1388, the youth mobile counseling app 'Da Deureojul Gae,' KakaoTalk, and other platforms.

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