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Nowon-gu, Operation of 'Cosmos' Commemorating 2021 Mental Health Day

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will operate the ‘Cosmos’ event for the mental health of residents in celebration of World Mental Health Day on October 10.

Hosted by the Nowon-gu Mental Health Welfare Center, this event will be held over two weeks from October 4 to 17. ‘Co?S?Mo?S’ is an abbreviation for ‘Corona era Stress Management, Everyone Together, Healthy by Themselves,’ prepared to help recover residents’ mental health worsened by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and to return to daily life.

The programs for overcoming COVID depression and promoting mental health are operated in four main stages: ▲Stage 1: Checking My Mind ▲Stage 2: Saying It’s Hard ▲Stage 3: Visiting Experts ▲Stage 4: Overcoming Together.

To this end, the district will start the program in earnest through ‘Visiting Mental Health Counseling.’ On October 5 and 8, mental health counseling will be conducted for university students at Seoul National University of Science and Technology and Seoul Women’s University, respectively. This is to detect young people in their 20s who are experiencing psychological withdrawal, depression, anxiety, etc., early and prevent chronic progression through treatment, as the suicide rate among people in their 20s has recently increased.

The screening will be conducted non-face-to-face using a depression health questionnaire (PHQ-9 scale) linked with a QR code.

On October 12, mental health counseling will be provided at Nowon-gu Office for 200 medical staff and quarantine workers exhausted from COVID-19 response.

The ‘Mental Health Lectures’ will also be tailored according to age and target groups and held four times in total. The lectures are designed for children and adolescents, adults, and families of people with mental illnesses.

▲October 6: Our Children’s Peer Relationships and Mental Health in the COVID Era ▲October 7: Proper Understanding of Mental Illness ▲October 13: Understanding and Coping with COVID Blue ▲October 14: Stress Management for People with Mental Illness and Their Families.

The lecturers are four psychiatrists known to the public through appearances on shows such as You Quiz on the Block and Secrets of Life and Death. The lectures will be conducted online via Zoom, and participation is free of charge.

Residents wishing to participate can apply by using the QR code in the homepage notice or by contacting the Mental Health Welfare Center. Participants will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Mental Health Welfare Center suggests ‘Focusing on Myself’ as an easy-to-practice way to relieve depression. Specific practical measures include first, engaging in hobbies such as home training, reading, and watching online performances; second, maintaining a regular lifestyle by eating well, sleeping well, and resting well; and finally, consistently communicating through SNS, YouTube, KakaoTalk, etc.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “We have prepared programs that can practically help residents suffering from depression and stress caused by COVID-19,” and added, “I hope these practical tasks to fully understand and overcome one’s mental health will become a vaccine for the residents’ minds.”