Jung-gu, Proactive Suicide Prevention Project for Vulnerable Groups 추진

Proactive Suicide Prevention Program Conducted for 100 ‘Jahwal Geunroja’ in Suicide-Vulnerable Groups
Periodic Screening Tests, In-Depth Counseling, and Customized Services Provided through Collaboration with Psychiatry
Plans to Conduct Education on Stress, Depression, and Alcohol Use Also Announced

Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Kim Gil-seong) is implementing a ‘Suicide Prevention Project for Vulnerable Groups.’ The aim is to detect high-risk suicide groups early and intervene promptly before crisis situations arise, proactively preventing extreme choices among vulnerable populations.

The target group consists of 100 self-support workers using the local self-support center. The Jung-gu Mental Health Welfare Center (Director Jeon Myeong-uk), responsible for the mental health of Jung-gu residents, conducts regular screening tests for high-risk suicide groups and connects them to in-depth counseling by experts when necessary. The goal is to provide timely services to high-risk groups to prevent them from facing critical moments of extreme decisions.

First, the district will conduct self-assessments on mental health?including depression, anxiety, alcohol use, and stress?three times a year for self-support workers. Based on these results, changes and trends will be monitored, and if in-depth counseling is needed, ‘1:1 expert evaluation counseling’ will be provided. Through counseling, risks of suicide, treatment history, and difficulties in daily life will be identified and linked to psychiatric departments. Customized services necessary for the individuals will be provided through continuous case management and monitoring.

Additionally, education on stress, depression, and suicide prevention will be conducted. Regarding alcohol consumption, which increases the risk of extreme choices, a recovery support team (consisting of two recovery counselors and one staff member) will be formed to provide counseling and self-help groups for high-risk alcohol users.

A self-support center user who participated in the screening test held in January said, “There are times when life is so hard that I think about dying, but I felt lost because I didn’t know where to ask for help or how to express it. Recently, my mind has been troubled and I was constantly anxious, but after the screening, I understood my condition and feel much more at ease.”

Another participant shared, “When I drink, I feel a kind of confidence about suicide, like I’m not afraid of anything, and there are moments when I realize I could get into serious trouble. I know I shouldn’t drink, but it was hard to overcome alone. Counseling gave me confidence to quit drinking.”

Moreover, the Jung-gu Mental Health Welfare Center offers free services including ▲mental health counseling and case management for local residents ▲suicide crisis management and counseling for suicide survivors ▲mental health education.

Interested Jung-gu residents and local institutions can contact the center for guidance. Online self-assessments are also available on the website.

Various studies have shown that socioeconomically vulnerable groups, such as livelihood and medical benefit recipients or isolated single-person households, are more likely to make extreme choices. Previously, individuals had to visit mental health welfare centers or hospitals directly to check their mental health for depression or anxiety, but now the district is proactively reaching out to care for their mental health.

Kim Gil-seong, Mayor of Jung-gu, stated, “We will ensure that no precious life around us is lost through proactive and aggressive responses. We will continue to develop various mental health programs for socially marginalized individuals and do our best to reduce the suicide mortality rate.”

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