South Korea’s Struggle With Suicide BUSAN, South Korea — As the author of the novel “I Have the Right to Destroy Myself,” I’m often asked why I think South Korea’s suicide rate is so high. The protagonist in my story is a professional “suicide counselor” who is hired to help clients plan and execute their own deaths. I started writing the novel in 1995, a time when South Korea’s annual rate of suicide was much lower than the average of the other industrialized nations. But it soared in the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis — and it has been getting worse ever since. When the novel was published in 1996 no one, including me, would have thought that suicide could become such a scourge. South Korea has had the highest suicide rate in the industrialized world for eight consecutive years; 14,160 people committed suicide in 2012, an average of 39 people per day and a 219 percent increase from the 6,444 suicides in 2000. It’s the No.1 cause of death for people between the ages of 10 and 30. For people in their 40s, suicide is the second most common cause of death, after cancer. Among the older generations, the numbers are even more bleak. Suicide is everywhere. I was having a drink with a friend at a bar in Seoul recently and the young bartender asked us if we thought the weather would permit boats trips the next day. Her brother had killed himself a year ago, she said, and her family was planning to take a boat into the harbor, where they had scattered his ashes, for the anniversary. Then my old friend told me that our college classmate, who we had all thought died of a heart attack, had actually committed suicide. Now, whenever I hear news that a young person has passed away, suicide is the first possibility that comes to mind. The “Bridge of Life” campaign is a typical example of the authorities’ misguided approach to the epidemic. Mapo Bridge, which cuts across the Han River in Seoul, had so many people throwing themselves over the side to their deaths that it became known as the “Suicide Bridge.” In 2012, the Seoul government and Samsung Life Insurance initiated a joint project to transform the “Suicide Bridge” into the “Bridge of Life.” An advertising firm invited the public to suggest greetings that were put on illuminated panels above the guardrails of the bridge. The panels would light up as people approached the railings, greeting pedestrians with phrases like, “I know it’s been hard for you” and “How are you today?” A year later, the suicide rate off the Mapo Bridge was six times higher. Instead of deterring suicide, the “Bridge of Life” campaign attracted suicides. Just a few days ago, the security team for a big-budget Hollywood production found the body of a 21-year-old man in the water underneath the Mapo Bridge during filming; he had been dead for two weeks. According to research by the department of Family Medicine at Hallym University, some 60 percent of people who attempt suicide are suffering from depression. Yet too many people in South Korea have outdated views of psychological illness. Many think that when someone is suicidal he simply lacks a strong will to live; he’s weak. There’s little sympathy or interest in probing below the surface. Now, whenever I hear news that a young person has passed away, suicide is the first possibility that comes to mind. The “Bridge of Life” campaign is a typical example of the authorities’ misguided approach to the epidemic. Mapo Bridge, which cuts across the Han River in Seoul, had so many people throwing themselves over the side to their deaths that it became known as the “Suicide Bridge.” In 2012, the Seoul government and Samsung Life Insurance initiated a joint project to transform the “Suicide Bridge” into the “Bridge of Life.” An advertising firm invited the public to suggest greetings that were put on illuminated panels above the guardrails of the bridge. The panels would light up as people approached the railings, greeting pedestrians with phrases like, “I know it’s been hard for you” and “How are you today?” A year later, the suicide rate off the Mapo Bridge was six times higher. Instead of deterring suicide, the “Bridge of Life” campaign attracted suicides. Just a few days ago, the security team for a big-budget Hollywood production found the body of a 21-year-old man in the water underneath the Mapo Bridge during filming; he had been dead for two weeks. According to research by the department of Family Medicine at Hallym University, some 60 percent of people who attempt suicide are suffering from depression. Yet too many people in South Korea have outdated views of psychological illness. Many think that when someone is suicidal he simply lacks a strong will to live; he’s weak. There’s little sympathy or interest in probing below the surface. And it’s not easy to get therapy for depression in South Korea, where there is still strong societal resistance to psychological treatment. Kim Eo-su, a professor of psychiatry at Yonsei Severance Hospital, told me: “One out of three depression patients stops mid-treatment. One of the biggest issues is that many patients think they can overcome depression on their own through a religious life or through exercise.” Many people who seek psychiatric treatment are afraid of doctors keeping records. There was a rumor going around recently among married women that having a record of treatment or medication for depression could mean losing custody of your children if your husband were ever to sue for divorce. Continue reading the main story RECENT COMMENTS Alexia 4 hours ago Where there is liquor there is depression, and suicide, of course. For a time I discovered the strong and incredibly relaxing Korean liquor... CG 4 hours ago It seems there is more in common with Korea and Finland than their PISA scores. Interesting. Henry 4 hours ago It can be very hard to discover why people are depressed, but I can assume the recent, rapid development of human society, urbanization, the... SEE ALL COMMENTS WRITE A COMMENT Satisfactory explanations for the root causes of the epidemic are hard to come by. For the elderly, many analysts cite the breakdown of the traditional family unit, and the poor economy. Among the youth, the pressure over college entrance examinations is often blamed. And for the middle-aged, it’s uncertainty about the economy. But no matter what the age, too many South Koreans see suicide as a viable escape from the stresses of modern life. That attitude has to change. The good thing is that a shift is underway at the local level. In 2013, Busan became the first city in the country to begin monitoring people at high risk for suicide. And psychiatric specialists started studying the mental environment of people who committed suicide by conducting in-depth interviews with their survivors. Busan officials cited the example of Finland, where the authorities implemented a similar system in 1992, when that nation’s suicide rate was among the highest in the world. Using this kind of program, they managed to reduce suicides by 40 percent. Following Busan’s lead, Incheon set up a comprehensive project for suicide prevention with the goal of reducing the suicide rate by 20 percent. CONTINUE READING THE MAIN STORY 19 COMMENTS On the national level, the government is starting to address the problem. But the effort is still too weak: The total national budget for suicide services is close to $7 million. By comparison, Japan spends more than $130 million on suicide programs, and they have seen strong results for their efforts. Today, I could never write a suicide-filled novel like “I Have the Right to Destroy Myself.” I would be too afraid of inspiring others to kill themselves. I look forward to the day when a writer like me can once again comfortably use suicide as the stuff of fiction. Young-ha Kim is a novelist and short-story writer. This article was translated by Jenny Wang Medina from the Korean. nytimes/2014/04/03/opinion/south-koreas-struggle-with-suicide.html?ref=opinion
Posted on: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 02:01:24 +0000
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