2023-11-12 11:44:37
Just before breakfast, Lee Mirae swallows a small white tablet, the first of the day. Like a million other South Koreans, this 23-year-old student is undergoing treatment for depression. According to a recent health insurance report published in October, the number of patients undergoing such treatment has increased by 32% since 2018. An increase which mainly affects 20-30 year olds, particularly women.
“Covid obviously had an impactspecifies the Minister of Health, Kwon Deok-cheol. But this only accentuated the effects of pre-existing problems such as academic pressure, economic difficulties and even unemployment.»
In this society of the race for excellence, the national university entrance exam, the Suneung, is a crucial step. Its result determines the status and social prestige of the candidate. Renowned for its extreme difficulty, it places enormous pressure on the shoulders of young high school students.
Lee Mirae’s depressive disorders date back to this period. “I didn’t get accepted into the university I wanted because I failed the entrance examshe says. My anxiety became so bad that I was afraid to leave my room, to be compared to others for the rest of my life. »
Overqualified young people
Paralyzed, Lee Mirae could no longer study peacefully. The student decided to consult a psychiatrist. With her treatment, she was able to retake the exam and get into a prestigious university. “I was a naive child who believed what society and parents tell us, that this exam would determine everything for the rest of my life,” she said looking back.
But young graduates suffer from similar problems, as the job search is so difficult. In South Korea, it is called the « ticket d’or » : always in search of prestige and social success, young South Koreans are primarily looking for a job in a large company such as Samsung or Hyundai. But places are expensive.
Kang Minji, 26, does a series of internships and odd jobs to hope to find a stable job: “It’s like an endless tunnel. I keep getting rejected and it stresses me out a lot. » To get a job, you often have to pass a battery of written and oral exams in order to get an interview.
Despite a youth unemployment rate of 6%, many consider themselves very dissatisfied with their situation. After the difficult entry into prestigious universities, the available jobs are well below their qualification level. The race for excellence has ended up having perverse effects. “I lost self-confidence, I developed depressive disorders and this ended up blocking me in my search for work,” confirm Kang Minji.
Less than 1 psychiatrist per 10,000 inhabitants
To add to her distress, the young woman had difficulty finding an available doctor. As patient numbers rise, South Korea has fewer than 1 psychiatrist per 10,000 people, one of the worst ratios in the OECD. Mental health remains a taboo in South Korea. “When I first saw a doctor, my parents were shocked and angryrecognizes Lee Mirae. Other students treated me like I was crazy. »
The Ministry of Health takes the problem seriously. “We are working to facilitate access to psychiatric services, unfortunately our resources are limited, we have to rely a lot on associations,” admits the minister. If an increase in the budget is envisaged, it is above all, according to the ministry, about prevention and encouraging consultation. South Korea is the 12th country with the highest suicide rate in the world.
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