A 2021 survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare found that 32.7% of males and 22.9% of females in South Korea developed symptoms of mental illness at least one time in their lives.
A number of proposed explanations exist for this underutilization, including societal stigma due to Korean Confucianist concerns over losing face, lack of understanding about the symptoms of mental illness, and low awareness of what resources are available.
Western medicine was first introduced to South Korea by missionary doctors during the late Joseon and Korean Empire periods.
[1] In 2021, a survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare found that 32.7% of males and 22.9% of females in South Korea developed symptoms of mental illness at least one time in their lives.
[1] In 2001, between 3 and 4.2 percent of the South Korean population was estimated to have major depressive disorder as outlined in the DSM-IV, a number which has been increasing.
Women, smokers, shift workers, those with poor health, those who exercise in the evenings, those who perceive their lives to be stressful, and those that were underweight were more likely to have major depressive disorder.
[2] A potential reason that this statistic has risen within the last decade could be from the low access rate to health care services for depression.
[7] The 2009 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that less than 2% of those with alcohol use disorder had received any form of treatment or intervention by a professional.
[8] Kye-Song Lee found in a 2013 study that nearly 7% of South Koreans have alcohol use disorder, the highest rate of any country in the world.
[3] Between 17.8 and 27.9 percent of those aged 65 or older in South Korea are likely to suffer from depression, significantly higher than the rate in other countries.
[16] Factors associated with late life depression in Korea include living alone, smoking, financial hardships and intellectual disability.
[3] Among a sample of elderly Koreans living in the United States, 34% were found to have depression, less than a fifth of which had ever seen a mental health professional.
The majority of older Koreans living in the United States exhibited a negative perception of mental health services.
[19] Internet addiction is positively correlated with family factors including child abuse and a harsh parenting style.
[14] Some also question how well treatment methods in South Korean mental hospitals are working compared to that of other OECD countries.
The universal health coverage as provided by the state means that the majority of South Koreans can afford medicine and treatment for mental illness.
[10] It is also said by Korean doctors that Confucian culture emphasizes individual will and self-discipline which creates a social prejudice against mental health.
[32] Those who turn to therapy often pay out-of-pocket and in cash to avoid the stigma associated with mental health services on one's insurance record.