Korean Mental Health: Stranger Things

Courtesy of amenclinicsphotos

By David A. Tizzard

Stranger Things season 4 doesn’t stop at content. Despite being set in America in the mid-1980s, the drama depicts marijuana use, ketamine, lesbian relationships, eating disorders, alcoholism, and mental trauma. It’s a bit of an anachronistic take on the past because the actual movies and dramas of the 1980s were generally not that open to such issues. But, as has been observed since Heraclitus, things change.

Discussions about mental health in Korea have long been considered taboo. Admitting to any form of psychological struggle was simply not part of the culture. Some considered it a problem to be overcome with effort and perseverance.

Others wanted sufferers to ignore their personal problems and instead ensure that group harmony was maintained. For a different section of society, expressing personal mental suffering would point to something wrong with the family in general, particularly the parents. More generally, it was believed that any attempt to seek advice, therapy, or prescriptions would result in a mark on the public personal record and thus make it more difficult to obtain a job or insurance in the future.

These attitudes, right or wrong, were all true at the time. They formed the prevailing narrative in South Korean society about mental health. Various statistics, surveys and countless press headlines also point to this reality. You will notice, however, that the above is largely written in the past tense.

While the old attitudes are still valid for much of society, for many young people ideas about mental health are being deconstructed and reinvented. They are abandoning traditional beliefs and seeking compromise, confession and communication. They are season 4 of the continuing Korean narrative. It’s the “strange things”.

This has become evident recently by looking at how many Korean young adults at universities have begun to speak openly or privately about their problems. With in-person lectures and the human interaction that follows, in recent months I have seen students talk about their eating disorders, ADHD, anxiety, stress levels, drug use, and struggles with sexuality.

Furthermore, these conversations arise spontaneously. It is certainly not my wish to encourage “confession” sessions because I am not qualified to know how best to react nor am I sure that such things are advisable. But while this remains mere anecdotal evidence, it points to a broader shift in the culture.

The Youth Cyber ​​Advice Center and its 1388 support service have seen a steady increase in people between the ages of 9 and 24 seeking help. From just over 600,000 counseling sessions in 2011 to nearly 900,000 in 2019. This has been helped by the development of e-counseling sessions that now account for more than a quarter of all registered instances. Such technological developments mean that people no longer have to cross a physical barrier and enter a building or office when they need help. Instead, they do it privately and anonymously from their own home.

Universities now also offer free psychological consultations and mental health counseling for their students. These sessions are in high demand and are usually full. Every Friday at 1 pm, students compete to log in for professional assistance, often describing the process as similar to trying to get tickets to K-pop concerts. On May 20, Hanyang University offered 170 different 50-minute individual counseling sessions, which operated in 17 different rooms and ran from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. All were taken.

In addition to the Youth Cyber ​​Guidance Center and the universities, there is a notable growth in the use of private practices. Famed psychiatrist Oh Eun Young has cemented a place in the public consciousness through her many media appearances and her approach to mental health, particularly relationships between children and her parents. Dramas, celebrities, books, and musicians have also fueled the conversation in various ways.

Beyond therapy and counselling, the use of pills and medications also appears to be becoming more prevalent. Not just in usage, but in the way these things are publicly discussed. In a talk for the Royal Asiatic Society Korea this week, two young Korean women openly shared their experiences with mental health, counseling and suicide.

For over an hour, they described to the audience what they saw in the changing world around them. No longer were these young adults told to just deal with their own problems and fight back. Numerous medicinal cures are thrown at them, from Adderall, Ritalin and a host of stimulants, tranquilizers and round and round.

Some of these are being used by parents in Daechi-dong and other parts of the country to help their children overcome the boredom and struggle of hagwon and suneung life. But whatever the reason, the reality is a more pill-friendly approach than the country has seen in its history.

While the talk at the Royal Asiatic Society provided important insights into the real nature of the stress, pressures and fears felt by young Korean adults, it also showed that these were people willing to have such conversations in public. They were happy to share the reality they experienced with their peers and pass it on to those who, whether by age or social status, would have little idea how conversations about mental health are changing here.

Of course, there are still many problems and obstacles to overcome. Suicide, alienation, and stress among the nation’s youth figure prominently in some of the most troubling statistics. But if you take the time to talk to a few young Korean adults about mental health, you’ll find a generation of people who, perhaps for the first time, are more open than ever.

Whether all these changes are positive or negative, or point to a broader cultural malaise, is a topic for another time. But for now, the reality is changing here in Korea. Young adults are now publicly facing the other way around. And everything seems to move at a certain speed, beyond the headlines.


Dr. David A. Tizzard ([email protected]) has a Ph.D. in Korean Studies and lectures at Seoul Women’s University and Hanyang University. He is a social/cultural commentator and musician who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. He is also the host of the Korea Deconstructed podcast, which can be found online. The views expressed in the article are those of the author and do not reflect the editorial direction of The Korea Times.