Ahn Yong-min, Chairman of the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association
Recently, the National Statistical Office announced that 13,978 people in Korea committed suicide last year. The number of suicides increased by 1,072 compared to the previous year and is the highest since 2013. However, it does not seem to be a big issue, perhaps because there have been many criticisms that the suicide rate is high.
But the suicide rate is more than just statistics. Looking at society’s attitude toward suicide, you can see how much it respects life and human dignity. The high suicide rate is also a result of social policy indifference.
Finland, Denmark, and Japan are cited as countries that have taken suicide and mental health issues seriously and improved the situation through policy efforts and financial investments. Korea is not far behind these countries in terms of mental health-related laws and systems.
The problem is establishing the systems and manpower to implement laws and systems in reality and securing financial resources. In Korea’s case, the mental health budget is around 2% of the health budget, but unless it is raised to more than 5%, which is the average level of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), no matter what solution is proposed, the effect will inevitably be extremely limited. Still, there are little signs of change. Last December, the government announced a plan to innovate mental health policy, and the Mental Health Policy Innovation Committee was launched in June this year.
Going forward, we must continue to make bold investments in mental health infrastructure, improve social awareness of mental health, and establish institutional governance to resolve mental health issues. A system must be established where various ministries and agencies can cooperate and take an integrated approach, and a structure must be created where mental health experts can actively participate in the policy-making process.
Mental health problems cannot be solved solely through a medical approach. This can lead to results when accompanied by comprehensive policies that complement weak social safety nets such as poverty, unemployment, inequality, and social isolation. In that respect, the entire society must cooperate and the people’s social and cultural awareness must be improved. Medical experts will hold a Mental Health Day event at the Jeongdong 1928 Art Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 27th. The purpose is to actively communicate and build solidarity with mental health service consumers outside of the clinic.
The song titled ‘4210301’ released by the group O15B in 1991 played a role in arousing interest in environmental issues in society at the time. The 7-digit number that seemed complicated at first glance was the main phone number of the Ministry of Environment at the time. Environmental problems and suicide problems seem different yet similar in that they are caused by complex factors, including social indifference. In order to make our society take seriously the number of suicides last year, ‘13978’, we can try various approaches like this. The more I think about it, the more heavy and lonely fall feels.
specialist column >
subscribe
![[전문의 칼럼]National mental health policy requires bold investment to increase effectiveness](https://dimg.donga.com/a/180/101/95/2/wps/NEWS/IMAGE/2024/10/24/130282580.1.jpg "[전문의 칼럼]National mental health policy requires bold investment to increase effectiveness")
today and tomorrow
Restart Job Fair
Market Team’s Market Watch
Ahn Yong-min, Chairman of the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association