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Eight out of every 100 South Korean adults or 2.64 million people suffer from one or more mental disorders, according to a recent survey by the Health and Welfare Ministry. The survey shows a steady increase in the number of people suffering from depression, a serious medical condition that, left untreated, can lead to suicide or criminal behavior.
In the nationwide survey of a sample of 12,849 people aged 18 to 64, some 8.3 percent of respondents had suffered from one or more mental illnesses for the past year. When nicotine and alcohol addictions are included, the number jumped to 17.5 percent.
There are several types of mental disorders. Besides addictions, the most common types include schizophrenia (i.e. schizofreniform disorder, delusional disorder); mood disorders (i.e. depressive disorder, bipolar disorder); anxiety disorder (i.e. obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder); eating disorder (i.e. anorexia nervosa); and somatoform disorder (i.e. conversion disorder, hypochondriasis).
Compared with the 2001 survey, while the overall mental health of South Koreans has improved, cases of depression have risen, from 1.8 percent in the population in 2001 to 2.5 percent in 2006. The lifetime prevalence also grew from 4 percent to 5.6 percent during the same period.
The survey showed depression to be affected by income levels and other environment factors. For example, the prevalence of depression was 1.7 times higher in female than male patients; 3.6 times higher in divorced, separated, or widowed people than married ones; 2.7 times higher in the unemployed than the employed; and 2.3 times higher in those who earn less than W2 million (US$1=W945) a month than those who earn more than W3 million a month. Similar foreign studies found that people are most vulnerable to depression at the age of 44.
Professor Namkoong Kee, a psychiatrist at Yonsei University¡¯s Severance Hospital, said, ¡°Depression occurs when the parts of the brain that control emotions are damaged. Depressed people cannot control their emotions, and the symptoms last for a long time. So, if left untreated, depression can lead to serious incidents and fatalities.¡±
According to the survey, South Korea's lifetime prevalence rate of mental disorders was 25.7 percent, similar to the 25 percent found in European countries. It was lower than the 46.4 percent of the United States and 39.5 percent of New Zealand, but higher than China¡¯s 13.2 percent and Nigeria¡¯s 12.1 percent . South Korea's rate of alcoholism was 16.2 percent, slightly lower than the 18.6 percent of the U.S. but still one of the highest in the world.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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