The suicide rate of teenagers in Korea has increased "again". The cause of youth death has also been ranked first for years by "death by extreme choice." This means that there are more teenagers who end their lives every year than teenagers who die due to accidents or diseases. It is time to look back on why many teenagers had to make sad choices and why the number is increasing every year.
(Picture from Unsplash)
According to the "Quality of Life 2022 for Children and Youth" report released by the National Statistical Office at the end of last month, the suicide rate of children and adolescents aged 0 to 17 in Korea reached 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021. It is the highest figure in the 2000s, and it has decreased for several years after hitting 2.6 in 2009, but has been on the rise again since 2018. By age, the suicide rate between the ages of 15 and 17 was 9.5 per 100,000, approaching 10, and the age between 12 and 14 also increased steeply to 1.3 in 2016, 3.1 in 2018 and 5.0 in 2021. Although it was not included in the actual suicide rate, the rate of extreme choices (suicide thought rate) and the rate of attempts (suicide attempt rate) over the past year were 12.7% and 2.2%, respectively, up from the previous year (10.9% and 2.0% in 2020). By cause of death, "intentional self-harm (suicide)" accounted for the largest proportion (43.7% of the causes of death by the National Statistical Office).
Like adults, it is difficult for adolescents to explain only one or two reasons for extreme choices. Most of them have a combination of "chronic risk factors" that have been around for a long time and "acute risk factors" that have directly caused extreme choices. In the case of adolescents, environmental factors such as abuse, neglect, and discord, as well as trauma, depression, anxiety, and sensitive and nervous personality, are chronic risk factors. These problems may not have a direct impact, but they can cause mental vulnerability.
Academic stress in adolescence and interpersonal problems experienced in relationships with parents and peers can be seen as acute risk factors. In recent years, problems arising online along with excessive burden on studies are also acting as acute risk factors that trigger extreme choices. In fact, there are often cases on social media where people try to make extreme choices after being bullied, verbally abused, or threatened by their peers. Kwon Yong-sil, a professor of mental health medicine at Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital at Catholic University, said, "Many online problems such as cyberbullying are the reason for thinking about extreme choices. If you have a strong impulsive tendency, there is a higher risk of putting your thoughts into practice."
The bigger problem is that the suicide rate of teenagers in Korea is increasing every year. Experts point out that while factors that worsen youth mental health such as excessive academic stress and online interpersonal problems continue to increase, there is a lack of ways to solve them normally. Professor Kwon said, "The risk factors of extreme choice have increased, but there was a relatively lack of support system to protect teenagers," adding, "Even if we tried to establish a support system, it is difficult to say that it was effective enough to solve emotional difficulties."
The last three years have also been greatly influenced by COVID-19. Over the past three years, teenagers have had as anxious a day as adults. I repeatedly went to school and closed school, and I had to spend a lot of time alone at home without meeting my friends. Until now, most of the youth mental health management programs have been conducted in connection with schools, and many teenagers have not received proper management as COVID-19 has made it impossible to operate the program normally.
In order to reduce the extreme choice of teenagers, not only the parties and people around them, but also the overall interest and cooperation of society such as schools and the country are required. First of all, teenagers who are involved are required to actively express their difficulties and ask for help. Rather than blindly putting up with it or dismissing it as not a problem, you should recognize and acknowledge that there is a problem and seek help. People around them should pay attention to the danger signals sent by teenagers and actively hold hands when they ask for help.
It is up to the schools to help them become aware of this. Along with education to promote mental health awareness of teenagers, "gatekeeper" education should be strengthened so that people around them can detect and help dangerous signals early, and the process of treating teenagers in need should also be carried out smoothly. Experts advise that as early treatment is very important for teenagers and the treatment method is different from that of adults, the government needs to expand support by expanding protective wards for youth hospitalization and treatment along with support for initial treatment costs. Professor Kwon Yong-sil said, "Even though adolescents need professional and intensive treatment, there are not many specialized treatment institutions compared to adults, and they are mainly managed at schools and homes," adding, "There are not many protected rooms for adolescents to be treated because of their low profitability." He then said, "Treatment is as important as education for prevention."
Writer: Yeyoung Jeon
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