ID :
22845
Mon, 10/06/2008 - 13:07
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/22845
The shortlink copeid
Over half of depression patients go untreated in Korea: report
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- Less than half of South Koreans suffering from
depression get proper medical treatment, a local report showed Monday, amid
lingering shock over the suicide of one of the countrys most iconic actresses,
who reportedly suffered from the mental illness.
The recent string of celebrity suicides highlights a troubling social phenomenon
in Korea, where suicide ranked as the fourth leading cause of death last year
with about 36 people taking their own lives each day.
Although almost 80 percent of suicide cases are triggered by depression,
according to experts, South Koreans tend to make light of or neglect medical
treatment due to social prejudice against metal illnesses, leaving those
afflicted with the disease to deal with their suicidal tendencies alone.
Up to 2.5 percent of South Korea's population of 48 million reportedly suffered
from depression last year, while only 1.1 percent received medical treatment,
according to the state-run Health Insurance Review & Assessment Services report
to a ruling party lawmaker.
The number of people suffering from depression increased by 32.9 percent over the
last five years, the report also showed, reaching 525,466 in 2007 from 395,457 in
2003. Women were more vulnerable to the illness, with 364,713 reported cases last
year compared to 16,753 for men.
"According to police records, depression was the No. 2 cause of suicide cases
from 2004 to 2006,??? said Rep. Lim Doo-sung of the ruling Grand National
Party.???There is a need for the government to come up with active measures to
expand and improve medical treatments for depression to prevent more people from
making the extreme decision of taking their own lives.???
As recently as 1982, South Korea???s suicide rate stood at only 6.8 persons per
100,000, one of the lowest levels in the 30-nation Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD). The country's suicide rate began to increase
steeply beginning in the 1980s, however, ranking the highest among OECD members
since 2005.
In the latest celebrity suicide case, actress Choi Jin-sil, 40, took her own life
after hanging herself in a shower stall, sending ripples of shock across the
nation. Choi, a divorcee, was a mother of two children.
SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- Less than half of South Koreans suffering from
depression get proper medical treatment, a local report showed Monday, amid
lingering shock over the suicide of one of the countrys most iconic actresses,
who reportedly suffered from the mental illness.
The recent string of celebrity suicides highlights a troubling social phenomenon
in Korea, where suicide ranked as the fourth leading cause of death last year
with about 36 people taking their own lives each day.
Although almost 80 percent of suicide cases are triggered by depression,
according to experts, South Koreans tend to make light of or neglect medical
treatment due to social prejudice against metal illnesses, leaving those
afflicted with the disease to deal with their suicidal tendencies alone.
Up to 2.5 percent of South Korea's population of 48 million reportedly suffered
from depression last year, while only 1.1 percent received medical treatment,
according to the state-run Health Insurance Review & Assessment Services report
to a ruling party lawmaker.
The number of people suffering from depression increased by 32.9 percent over the
last five years, the report also showed, reaching 525,466 in 2007 from 395,457 in
2003. Women were more vulnerable to the illness, with 364,713 reported cases last
year compared to 16,753 for men.
"According to police records, depression was the No. 2 cause of suicide cases
from 2004 to 2006,??? said Rep. Lim Doo-sung of the ruling Grand National
Party.???There is a need for the government to come up with active measures to
expand and improve medical treatments for depression to prevent more people from
making the extreme decision of taking their own lives.???
As recently as 1982, South Korea???s suicide rate stood at only 6.8 persons per
100,000, one of the lowest levels in the 30-nation Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD). The country's suicide rate began to increase
steeply beginning in the 1980s, however, ranking the highest among OECD members
since 2005.
In the latest celebrity suicide case, actress Choi Jin-sil, 40, took her own life
after hanging herself in a shower stall, sending ripples of shock across the
nation. Choi, a divorcee, was a mother of two children.
