Are South Koreans receiving enough medical attention for the suicide rates caused by mental health?
Introduction:
Being slammed yearly for being the country with the highest number of suicide amongst countries, South Korea’s appalling number of 14,500 suicidal deaths hits a new high in 2017. It emerges as no surprise that this urbanization country has witnessed the death of its citizens when it is so result-oriented and culture pressurizing for its people. However, following the suicide of the Hallyu (Korean wave) pop-star singer Kim Jong Hyun, more emphasis is enforced on the fact that depression can happen to anyone, even the famed and most successful youths.
As we look into the root of the country's significant suicide rate, we also seek to embark on exploring the possible ways to reduce the detriments as well as the methods the government has already put in place in hopes of rectifying the problem.
Body:
Mental health is known to be described as one’s emotional, psychological and socio-wellbeing which influences the way he or she thinks, feels and behave. Essentially, it affects how one decides in scenarios, empathize with others and reacts under stress. In recent studies, an article from the ‘voicesofyouth’ states that South Korea prides itself in its youths' outstanding academic achievements. 15-year-old South Koreans students attain the best reading scores among developed countries, coming in third for proficiency in Mathematics and Science, with a significant percentage of them entering college. With such suffocating pressure being placed on schoolwork, it has contributed to being a great factor as to why students resorted to what may seem like an instant problem resolver. Suicide is not a simple problem to tackle, especially when there is a multitude of factors ultimately responsible for its happening. Nevertheless, it is not hard to imagine that with the extreme academic demand imposed, it can inevitably result in enhanced anxiety and severe stress in students. With the lack of guidance in techniques to manage stress and adequate communal support, it is no doubt that depression and gradual destruction of one’s self-esteem can eventually cause the suicide rate nationwide to skyrocket. 335
Another factor that South Koreans may not be receiving medical treatment for their mental problem would be the misrepresentation of their mental illness as physical injuries. While, Korea's Health and Welfare Ministry gauge that among 90% of the people who committed suicide as a reason of mental health illness, a mere number of 15% seek medical treatment. Consequently, most of them take on self prescribed medication to solve their problems. According to another study from the Korea government, the results showed that a huge number of victims of suicide who seek medical attention for weak concentration, abdominal pains, migraines and fatigue issues instead. With the stigma that depression is a sign of weakness, medical treatment is seen as a disgrace to the Koreas. Affecting the elderly in South Korea, as up to 78 percent of them not wanting to admit that they are depressed, even the ones who do and seek treatment only adds up to a small percentage. With the indication that depression is a sign of weakness, it is certainly not an easy issue to tackle at the foundations of the people. 139
Long heritage and culture from the traditional wine brewing, South Korea’s proud success with their alcohols has also contributed as one detrimental factor to their suicide rate. Based on Euromonitor statistics, the consumptions of hard liquor from South Koreans on a weekly average sums up to the 14 shots. Whereas the Russians and Americans consume about 6 and 3 shots respectively. In relations to korea’s heavy drinking culture, a personnel from the Korea Public Health Association, Mr Chun Sung-soo talks about how the government lack to create awareness about the serious health consequences of heavy drinking. To summarise his words, he said that there are no efforts from the government to advice the citizens on the limit and health effects of heavy drinking. A journalist researcher, Al-Jazeera, interviewed Koreans who drinks and they told Al-Jazeera how drinking with their colleagues and superiors allowed them to open up when they were never intimate with at work. Similarly, students who are legal to drink also talks about how drinking regularly allowed them to relieve stress from South Korea’s extreme competitive society as mentioned earlier. It is established that alcoholism has been treated as a norm in Korea’s culture, and drinking is taken as the social bridge to build comradeship, acquiring business contracts and to be worthy of trust.
Inferring from korea’s culture of socialising , avoid being disgrace, earning respect and achievement. Earlier on, it was discussed about how mental health illnesses are perceived as a taboo, a sign of weakness and dishonour. The Koreans place a great deal of emphasis on the concept of honour, especially in regards to the family’s honour. Hence, when the subject of mental health illness occurs to one family member, it is taken as a stain on the one’s family. On top of that there are many stories that exemplifies how the actions of one family member debase other family member’s reputation. Therefore, it is clear that the honour of a family is significant to the society. An example of it would be that many wedded couples who want to be divorced would rather not be officially divorce by living together in the same apartment with contractual agreement to not be known as a couple or if they were financially manageable, live separately alone. Without the official declaration of divorcement, they are able to protect their children’s marital prospects. Hence, mental health issues and suicide is similarly considered as a stain on a family, no less. A professional from the korean-american mental health by the name of Jin-Hee, talks about her times growing up as a youth in a Korean Church. As she recalls, a member of the church congregation committed suicide. Instead of providing support and help to the family members of the deceased congregation member, the church members distanced themselves from the family. She said that the people of the congregation even talked about how the deceased was probably in ‘in hell’. Which eventually caused the family to be treated as social pariah from the church. Suicidal actions leave an irreparable impact on the living family members, and as a clear example for all to witness how a family’s reputation can be easily damaged by mental health issues. 533
Case for argument: argue a case for being an area of focus
To quote Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo for what he said before World Suicide Prevention Day, he said suicide is no longer a problem for an individual because it affects the whole nation and together the nation should be keen and play a part to solve the problem. This sheds light that the citizens actually have the capability to reduce the number of suicide rates caused by mental health problems. Hence, the Korea government has set aside an estimated budget of 10.5billion won for the set up of a specialised ministry department in 2018 to cope with suicides. The indication of the establishment of such dedicated department means that the government has already noticed the high numbers, effects of mental illnesses and the dire consequences. However, it might not be sufficient just to input financial aid, specialised teams to help the patients. What is right should be that the government place this initiative under constant monitoring and supervise the implementation and results.
The essence of this research paper recapitulates that there are many components beyond Korea’s high percentage of suicide rate, the outrageous stress from competition in terms of education and work, the weak social safety nets, heavy drinking culture and lack of awareness for pre-existing patients to seek medical attention. Therefore, it's not an issue that can be resolved with just one solution. In fact, the government should tackle the leading factors, as to how mental illness is develop and cure mental illness at its roots. 248 words