We will do our best for the healthy survival and happiness of the people.
Behind the spectacular economic growth, people's mental health is becoming more vulnerable. Accordingly, the role of the National Center for Mental Health in healing through cause and analysis is more important than ever. I met with manager So Min-ah, who is working hard for the mental health of the people and listened to the details.
B&H Korea CEO Park Bo-hyun (hereinafter referred to as Park Bo-hyun): The National Center for Mental Health is an institution that provides extensive support for mental health in Korea, including surveys and research, as well as mental health treatment, but it is actually somewhat unfamiliar to the public. Please introduce the institution.
National Center for Mental Health, So Min-ah (hereinafter referred to as So Min-ah): The National Center for Mental Health started as the first national mental hospital in Korea in 1962 and has been striving for mental illness treatment and rehabilitation. In March 2016, the national hospital was reborn as the National Center for Mental Health, a new institution that will be responsible for the mental health of the people in the 21st century, resulting in the reorganization of the medical department, the mental health department, and the mental health research institute. In 2019, the National Center for Disaster and Trauma Center which oversees disaster psychological support was opened. It was equipped with advanced medical equipment and modernized facilities for hospital users and community residents. The medical department, which has strengthened its treatment function due to the expansion of public treatment for patients with low income and those patients whom private hospitals have difficulty treating, has specialized wards for each mental illness and provides specialized treatment services and various treatment programs.
In addition, we provide immediate treatment services for patients with complex diseases (body + mental) and personal and social mental health emergencies through 24-hour operation of emergency beds and medical treatment. In order to improve mental health, the Mental Health Research Institute conducts research on solving mental health problems such as suicide, violence, and disaster shock, various practical clinical studies for mental health policies, and the development of early diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment programs suitable for domestic situations. In 2020, the negative pressure ward in a mental hospital was established for the first in Korea. It has played a role as a control tower for the treatment of mentally ill patients with infectious diseases and psychological support to the public.
Last year, to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the institution, an event commemorating the significance of its establishment was held and the "60th Anniversary of the National Center for Mental Health" was published. The National Center for Mental Health Center is doing its best to provide verification treatment and services by establishing a mental health system that links medical treatment and public works research.
Park Bo-hyun: As the economy develops, life becomes more abundant and life expectancy increases, but mental health seems to be becoming more vulnerable. How is the mental health of the Korean people compared to the OECD?
So Min-ah: Compared to the OECD, Korea has a 27.8 percent chance of developing mental illness in its lifetime, and 7.2 percent of people diagnosed with mental disorders visit related specialists for a year, compared with 46.5 percent in Canada, 43.1 percent in the United States, and 34.9 percent in Australia. But the highest suicide rate among OECD countries (26 per 100,000) is a social problem. While the OECD average suicide rate is 11.1 per 100,000, Korea is more than twice as high, and according to an analysis of domestic suicides, mental problems (39.8%) are the biggest cause of suicide. In fact, in a mental health awareness survey conducted by the National Center for Mental Health in 2017, more than 8 out of 10 people agreed (83.8%) to the question that "anyone can develop mental illness," but when asked that "people with mental illness are more dangerous than those who do not," 1 out of 10 people answered that they are not (11.2%) which shows very low of social acceptance of mental illness and this is the reason why people with mental problems are reluctant to go to the hospital. Ordinary people need to know and approach mental health immediately, and it is time to establish policies for this.
Park Bo-hyun: The risk signals of mental health risk signals such as COVID-19 aftereffects, stress and depression, drug addiction, sleep disorders, and suicide are easily encountered everywhere. Please explain the national policy and support program for national mental health.
So Min-ah: We operate various programs according to the national development stage. I would like to introduce representative programs among them. First, since January 2020, four national trauma centers of the National Center for Mental Health Center and 260 mental health welfare centers have participated in response to the spread of COVID-19 depression, providing the staff dealing with families of confirmed patients, quarantined people, and the general public with psychological support, information, counseling for high-risk groups and linkage.
Second, we operate the "Mind Safety Bus", a psychological support service that experts visit directly large-scale disaster sites and psychologically vulnerable groups. Remodeling the bus, it is equipped with a mobile counseling room and a stress measurement machine for mental health experts to conduct psychological counseling and evaluation, and to request medical institutions if necessary.
Third, we have opened the “Information Portal National Center for Mental Health “and are promoting the 'Mental Disease Awareness Improvement Week' event. Based on the fact that reliable information related to mental health is not accessible and is exposed to inaccurate mental health information and prejudice, various mental health business-related content (webtoon, column, etc.) written and supervised by the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association such as disease-specific information (30 types), FAQs (50 pieces), and COVID Depression-related disease information videos.have been uploaded since it opened the portal on February 1, 2021. Recently, we have been working to update the contents to meet the needs of the people, such as information on mental health-related medical institutions in the community and the function of information search on institutions capable of treating drugs. We also have helped the public recognize mental illness and promoted the importance of mental health by designating two weeks before and after Mental Health Day (October 10th) for “Mental Disease Awareness Improvement Week”
Fourth, through the operation of the suicide prevention counseling phone (1393), we provide free counseling for those who are suffering from depression, suicide, and self-harm. In case negative thoughts are put into action, consent is also sought for location tracking to connect with specialized agencies close to the sender's location.
Fifth, through the project of treatment cost support, we work to prevent major mental diseases from progressing to severe chronic diseases that are caused by missing the treatment period due to prejudice and the cost burden of mental diseases. It is a system that supports intensive treatment of patients in the early and acute stages of the outbreak and supports hospitalization costs, outpatient treatment costs, and outpatient treatment costs for patients with mental emergencies at risk of self-harm.
Park Bo-hyun: In order to deal with mental health, I think that not only the support of the state and society but also personal efforts should be important. Please tell me about the most mental illnesses and ways to prevent them, as well as national and social support
So Min-ah: One of the most common diseases is depression, and it is known that 10 to 25% of women and 5 to 12% of men develop depression at least once during their lifetime. Methods to prevent depression include regular self-examination and smiling brightly with a positive mind, refraining from drinking too much and smoking, eating balanced meals, meeting with people, having regular sleeping habits, exercising regularly, getting to know about depression right away, and asking for help when necessary. Through the self-checking of depression (the Korean version of CES-D scale), you can see how often the following 20 questions about your condition have occurred over the past week. Please check the contents of questions. It is recommended that you give between 0 and 3 points on how often it occurs in the 20 items, add up the total points to be normal if it is less than 15, minor level of depression if it is between 16 and 20, and if it is more than 20 points, it is considered serious depression and consult with an expert.
Depression Checklist
0 points: Extremely rare (less than one day)
1point: Sometimes (1-2 days)
2 points: Frequently (3-4 days)
3 points: Mostly (5-7 days)
1. Things that were normally casual felt painful and troublesome.
2. I didn't want to eat and I didn't have an appetite.
3. No matter who helped me, I felt like I couldn't get rid of my gloomy mood.
4. No matter what I was doing, it was hard to concentrate my mind.
5. I've been doing relatively well.
6. It was quite depressing.
7. Everything felt hard.
8. The future felt bleak.
9. I thought my life so far was a failure.
10. I think I was at least as capable as the average person.
11. I couldn't sleep well.
12. I felt scared.
13. I was less talkative than usual.
14. I felt lonely as if I were alone in the world.
15. I lived without much discontent.
16. People seemed to be cold to me.
17. There was a sudden cry.
18. My heart was sad.
19. People seemed to hate me.
20. I didn't dare to do anything.
Park Bohyun: I think it is also important to change the public's interest and perception of mental health. I know that the National Center for Mental Health runs various campaigns and programs for public participation. Please introduce them.
So Min-ah: In order to improve the negative image of mental hospitals and diseases, small concerts are held every Wednesday for hospital users and residents to enjoy comfortably. To reduce social prejudice against mentally ill people, "Gallery M" the National Center for Mental Health displays works drawn by mentally disabled people, from people with developmental disabilities to adults with mental disabilities, and allows visitors to watch for free without prior reservations. It also promotes proper mental health and awareness improvement through external platforms and provides information by making card news or videos on mental illness topics that are commonly experienced or popular among the general public and posting them on the online SNS channel of the National Center for Mental Health.
The National Center for Mental Health publishes the mental health newsletter "Mind Login" in the form of a book-in-book in SRT and KTX magazines to share fun and useful information with the public twice a year on mental health-related topics. Every year, in commemoration of World Mental Health Day, World Autistic Day, and Trauma Week, programs and events to improve mental health awareness such as mind-invested healing talk concerts for the public to participate together are also held.
Park Bohyun: What direction should we move forward for a healthy Korea? I also wonder what the success stories of the rich countries are.
So Min-ah: Mental health is an area that requires collaboration among several and "continuous" attention more than any other area of health. So far, Korea has chosen a 'choice and concentration' strategy. It was an important strategy and valid for us to achieve the miracle of the Han River by jumping onto the world stage with limited social capital as a latecomer after the war. The capacity of the country moved from infectious disease and hygiene management project that was the most urgent among the various areas of health in the period of devastation after the war to "live control" during the explosive population growth and it worked effectively. Of course, even in the recent COVID-19 response, this strategy worked properly and was considered an international best practice, especially in the early response period. But times have changed. Public health issues such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, and tuberculosis continue to change, but the importance of mental health, which did not enter the major health agenda in the past, begins to emerge from the public, starting with the suicide problem, which has risen sharply since the IMF. The national response to the major events that shook society since then, such as the Ferry Sewol, Pohang earthquake, COVID-19, and the most recent Itaewon disaster, now include mental health issues for the government's response. I would like to borrow the slogan "No health without mental health" from the UK, although it has been a little long. This means that mental health should be the basis of all health and should receive continuous attention instead of being considered on a specific period in the age of choice and concentration. I hope that ordinary citizens and various opinion leaders, not just health care professionals, will work together for healthy survival and happiness in our society and walk together for mental health. Among them, I hope that the National Center for Mental Health will present direction and will work actively as a platform for professional collaboration.
National Center for Mental Health, So Min-ah (hereinafter referred to as So Min-ah): The National Center for Mental Health started as the first national mental hospital in Korea in 1962 and has been striving for mental illness treatment and rehabilitation. In March 2016, the national hospital was reborn as the National Center for Mental Health, a new institution that will be responsible for the mental health of the people in the 21st century, resulting in the reorganization of the medical department, the mental health department, and the mental health research institute. In 2019, the National Center for Disaster and Trauma Center which oversees disaster psychological support was opened. It was equipped with advanced medical equipment and modernized facilities for hospital users and community residents. The medical department, which has strengthened its treatment function due to the expansion of public treatment for patients with low income and those patients whom private hospitals have difficulty treating, has specialized wards for each mental illness and provides specialized treatment services and various treatment programs.
In addition, we provide immediate treatment services for patients with complex diseases (body + mental) and personal and social mental health emergencies through 24-hour operation of emergency beds and medical treatment. In order to improve mental health, the Mental Health Research Institute conducts research on solving mental health problems such as suicide, violence, and disaster shock, various practical clinical studies for mental health policies, and the development of early diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment programs suitable for domestic situations. In 2020, the negative pressure ward in a mental hospital was established for the first in Korea. It has played a role as a control tower for the treatment of mentally ill patients with infectious diseases and psychological support to the public.
Last year, to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the institution, an event commemorating the significance of its establishment was held and the "60th Anniversary of the National Center for Mental Health" was published. The National Center for Mental Health Center is doing its best to provide verification treatment and services by establishing a mental health system that links medical treatment and public works research.
Park Bo-hyun: As the economy develops, life becomes more abundant and life expectancy increases, but mental health seems to be becoming more vulnerable. How is the mental health of the Korean people compared to the OECD?
So Min-ah: Compared to the OECD, Korea has a 27.8 percent chance of developing mental illness in its lifetime, and 7.2 percent of people diagnosed with mental disorders visit related specialists for a year, compared with 46.5 percent in Canada, 43.1 percent in the United States, and 34.9 percent in Australia. But the highest suicide rate among OECD countries (26 per 100,000) is a social problem. While the OECD average suicide rate is 11.1 per 100,000, Korea is more than twice as high, and according to an analysis of domestic suicides, mental problems (39.8%) are the biggest cause of suicide. In fact, in a mental health awareness survey conducted by the National Center for Mental Health in 2017, more than 8 out of 10 people agreed (83.8%) to the question that "anyone can develop mental illness," but when asked that "people with mental illness are more dangerous than those who do not," 1 out of 10 people answered that they are not (11.2%) which shows very low of social acceptance of mental illness and this is the reason why people with mental problems are reluctant to go to the hospital. Ordinary people need to know and approach mental health immediately, and it is time to establish policies for this.
Park Bo-hyun: The risk signals of mental health risk signals such as COVID-19 aftereffects, stress and depression, drug addiction, sleep disorders, and suicide are easily encountered everywhere. Please explain the national policy and support program for national mental health.
So Min-ah: We operate various programs according to the national development stage. I would like to introduce representative programs among them. First, since January 2020, four national trauma centers of the National Center for Mental Health Center and 260 mental health welfare centers have participated in response to the spread of COVID-19 depression, providing the staff dealing with families of confirmed patients, quarantined people, and the general public with psychological support, information, counseling for high-risk groups and linkage.
Second, we operate the "Mind Safety Bus", a psychological support service that experts visit directly large-scale disaster sites and psychologically vulnerable groups. Remodeling the bus, it is equipped with a mobile counseling room and a stress measurement machine for mental health experts to conduct psychological counseling and evaluation, and to request medical institutions if necessary.
Third, we have opened the “Information Portal National Center for Mental Health “and are promoting the 'Mental Disease Awareness Improvement Week' event. Based on the fact that reliable information related to mental health is not accessible and is exposed to inaccurate mental health information and prejudice, various mental health business-related content (webtoon, column, etc.) written and supervised by the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association such as disease-specific information (30 types), FAQs (50 pieces), and COVID Depression-related disease information videos.have been uploaded since it opened the portal on February 1, 2021. Recently, we have been working to update the contents to meet the needs of the people, such as information on mental health-related medical institutions in the community and the function of information search on institutions capable of treating drugs. We also have helped the public recognize mental illness and promoted the importance of mental health by designating two weeks before and after Mental Health Day (October 10th) for “Mental Disease Awareness Improvement Week”
Fourth, through the operation of the suicide prevention counseling phone (1393), we provide free counseling for those who are suffering from depression, suicide, and self-harm. In case negative thoughts are put into action, consent is also sought for location tracking to connect with specialized agencies close to the sender's location.
Fifth, through the project of treatment cost support, we work to prevent major mental diseases from progressing to severe chronic diseases that are caused by missing the treatment period due to prejudice and the cost burden of mental diseases. It is a system that supports intensive treatment of patients in the early and acute stages of the outbreak and supports hospitalization costs, outpatient treatment costs, and outpatient treatment costs for patients with mental emergencies at risk of self-harm.
Park Bo-hyun: In order to deal with mental health, I think that not only the support of the state and society but also personal efforts should be important. Please tell me about the most mental illnesses and ways to prevent them, as well as national and social support
So Min-ah: One of the most common diseases is depression, and it is known that 10 to 25% of women and 5 to 12% of men develop depression at least once during their lifetime. Methods to prevent depression include regular self-examination and smiling brightly with a positive mind, refraining from drinking too much and smoking, eating balanced meals, meeting with people, having regular sleeping habits, exercising regularly, getting to know about depression right away, and asking for help when necessary. Through the self-checking of depression (the Korean version of CES-D scale), you can see how often the following 20 questions about your condition have occurred over the past week. Please check the contents of
Depression Checklist
0 points: Extremely rare (less than one day)
1point: Sometimes (1-2 days)
2 points: Frequently (3-4 days)
3 points: Mostly (5-7 days)
1. Things that were normally casual felt painful and troublesome.
2. I didn't want to eat and I didn't have an appetite.
3. No matter who helped me, I felt like I couldn't get rid of my gloomy mood.
4. No matter what I was doing, it was hard to concentrate my mind.
5. I've been doing relatively well.
6. It was quite depressing.
7. Everything felt hard.
8. The future felt bleak.
9. I thought my life so far was a failure.
10. I think I was at least as capable as the average person.
11. I couldn't sleep well.
12. I felt scared.
13. I was less talkative than usual.
14. I felt lonely as if I were alone in the world.
15. I lived without much discontent.
16. People seemed to be cold to me.
17. There was a sudden cry.
18. My heart was sad.
19. People seemed to hate me.
20. I didn't dare to do anything.
Park Bohyun: I think it is also important to change the public's interest and perception of mental health. I know that the National Center for Mental Health runs various campaigns and programs for public participation. Please introduce them.
So Min-ah: In order to improve the negative image of mental hospitals and diseases, small concerts are held every Wednesday for hospital users and residents to enjoy comfortably. To reduce social prejudice against mentally ill people, "Gallery M" the National Center for Mental Health displays works drawn by mentally disabled people, from people with developmental disabilities to adults with mental disabilities, and allows visitors to watch for free without prior reservations. It also promotes proper mental health and awareness improvement through external platforms and provides information by making card news or videos on mental illness topics that are commonly experienced or popular among the general public and posting them on the online SNS channel of the National Center for Mental Health.
The National Center for Mental Health publishes the mental health newsletter "Mind Login" in the form of a book-in-book in SRT and KTX magazines to share fun and useful information with the public twice a year on mental health-related topics. Every year, in commemoration of World Mental Health Day, World Autistic Day, and Trauma Week, programs and events to improve mental health awareness such as mind-invested healing talk concerts for the public to participate together are also held.
Park Bohyun: What direction should we move forward for a healthy Korea? I also wonder what the success stories of the rich countries are.
So Min-ah: Mental health is an area that requires collaboration among several and "continuous" attention more than any other area of health. So far, Korea has chosen a 'choice and concentration' strategy. It was an important strategy and valid for us to achieve the miracle of the Han River by jumping onto the world stage with limited social capital as a latecomer after the war. The capacity of the country moved from infectious disease and hygiene management project that was the most urgent among the various areas of health in the period of devastation after the war to "live control" during the explosive population growth and it worked effectively. Of course, even in the recent COVID-19 response, this strategy worked properly and was considered an international best practice, especially in the early response period. But times have changed. Public health issues such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, and tuberculosis continue to change, but the importance of mental health, which did not enter the major health agenda in the past, begins to emerge from the public, starting with the suicide problem, which has risen sharply since the IMF. The national response to the major events that shook society since then, such as the Ferry Sewol, Pohang earthquake, COVID-19, and the most recent Itaewon disaster, now include mental health issues for the government's response. I would like to borrow the slogan "No health without mental health" from the UK, although it has been a little long. This means that mental health should be the basis of all health and should receive continuous attention instead of being considered on a specific period in the age of choice and concentration. I hope that ordinary citizens and various opinion leaders, not just health care professionals, will work together for healthy survival and happiness in our society and walk together for mental health. Among them, I hope that the National Center for Mental Health will present direction and will work actively as a platform for professional collaboration.
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메디컬 커머셜 플랫폼, 메디우스 (주)비앤에이치코리아 대표이사
국내최고 디지털마케팅 전문가
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