Depression Becoming Everyday Life Amid COVID-19 and the Monsoon...

Complaints of Lethargy from Prolonged 'Jipkok' Stay
Anxiety over Epidemics and Flood Damage
Experts Urge Attention to Psychologically Vulnerable Groups

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] "With the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and the rainy season overlapping, staying cooped up at home makes each day feel lethargic and dragging."

Office worker Lee Hae-gyeong (34), who has been working from home since the COVID-19 outbreak, confessed that her feelings of depression have intensified amid the 49 consecutive days of monsoon rains. The advantages of working from home?no fear of infection and physical comfort?and the leisurely enjoyment of summer rain sounds have long turned into suffering. Last week, she took a rare vacation to Daecheon Beach in Chungnam, but said it was a vacation in name only. She said, "It rained from the first day, so I stayed only in the accommodation, and instead of recharging, I think my lethargy only increased."

Jeon Deok-in, a professor of psychiatry at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, said, "Research shows that reduced sunlight during the rainy season increases the likelihood of depression, and one treatment method for depression is exposure to sunlight. It is natural that the number of patients showing depressive symptoms is increasing as COVID-19 and the rainy season continue."

Office worker Kang Mo (32) expressed similar feelings. He said, "With reduced activity due to COVID-19 and rain falling, I don't want to do anything. They say it's vacation season, but I haven't even made any plans yet." Lee Mo (28) also said, "My summer vacation is scheduled for next week, but since I don't know how long the rain will continue, I'm watching the situation. This is the first year that vacation feels more depressing than relaxing."

Due to the monsoon rains, major roads in Seoul have been closed, increasing the use of public transportation, which leads to anxiety. The risk of COVID-19 infection rises because of the higher chance of contact with unspecified many people. Citizen Kim Mo (35) said, "I always wear a mask, but the closer I get to people around me, the more anxious I become." Some feel ironic about the government's and local governments' advice to "use buses or subways as much as possible" during the rainy season commute, after reducing public transportation operations due to decreased ridership from COVID-19.

Experts say special efforts are needed to overcome the overlapping situation of COVID-19 and the rainy season. Professor Kim Woo-joo, an infectious disease specialist at Korea University Guro Hospital, said, "It is important to strengthen communication with the outside world through watching TV, using social networking services (SNS), or find ways to overcome reality through indoor exercise. The government should also strengthen policies to care for psychologically vulnerable groups." Regarding anxiety about using public transportation, he advised, "It is necessary to continue efforts to follow personal quarantine rules such as wearing masks and regular hand washing."