"Academic Pressure and SNS Comparisons"... Teenage Anxiety Disorders Rise 65% in Four Years

Symptoms May Include School Refusal and Avoidance Behaviors

The number of teenagers who received medical treatment for anxiety disorders last year increased by more than 60% compared to four years ago.

A banner related to medical school entrance exams is displayed on the exterior wall of an academy in the academy district of Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service on August 15, the number of patients aged 10 to 19 who were treated for anxiety disorders from January to December last year (including insurance claims processed as of April this year) was 41,611, up 8.7% from the previous year. Compared to four years ago, in 2020 (25,192 patients), this represents a 65.2% increase. Furthermore, the number of teenage anxiety disorder patients has shown a steady rise each year: 32,800 in 2021, 37,401 in 2022, and 38,283 in 2023.

The number of patients under the age of 10 also surged by 87.6%, from 2,311 in 2020 to 4,336 in 2024. Considering that the total number of patients treated for anxiety disorders during the same period increased by 20.2%, from 757,251 to 910,385, it is evident that the rate of increase among those under 20 is particularly steep.

Several factors may have contributed to the significant rise in the number of adolescent patients receiving treatment for anxiety disorders. These include excessive academic pressure or competition, and comparisons made through social networking services (SNS). The same causes were cited in a recent survey showing that one out of three children and adolescents in Korea report a lack of sleep. Additionally, increased accessibility to psychiatric care is also believed to have played a role. As stigma and fear surrounding visits to psychiatric clinics have decreased, the number of patients diagnosed with anxiety disorders has increased.

Anxiety disorders refer to conditions in which abnormal or pathological anxiety and fear interfere with daily life. Among teenagers, symptoms may include complaints of headaches or abdominal pain, or avoidance behaviors such as saying, "I don't want to meet friends" or "I don't want to go to school." Anxiety disorders include panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, and selective mutism.

Meanwhile, among other age groups, the increase in anxiety disorder patients between 2020 and 2024 was as follows: 24.7% for those in their 20s, 30.0% for those in their 30s, 25.3% for those in their 40s, 12.4% for those in their 50s, 14.7% for those in their 60s, 4.2% for those in their 70s, 16.7% for those in their 80s, and 50.3% for those in their 90s.

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