‘I Want to Be Happy Too’ A Mental Health Platform Helping You Discover Your Inner Depression

Interview with Kim Sunhyun, Director of Digital Clinical Center at Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine
Severe 'Corona Blue', Sharp Increase in Depression and Insomnia Patients Last Year
Helping Relieve Depression through Mental Health Self-Diagnosis and Management
"Urgent Psychological Quarantine Needed in the With-Corona Era"

Kim Sun-hyun, director of the Digital Clinical Center at Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, who recently launched the mobile mental health treatment app 'Mana,' pointed out that "for people exhausted by prolonged remote work and staying at home due to COVID-19, it is urgent to check and manage their mental health on their own."

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant changes to industries and society as a whole. People caught unprepared by the pandemic experienced increased feelings of depression, helplessness, and emotional isolation due to reduced outdoor activities and severed relationships. According to the 2021 Health Lifestyle Statistical Information from the National Health Insurance Service, the number of depression patients last year was 831,721, a 4.1% increase compared to 798,787 in 2019. Kim Sunhyun, director of the Digital Clinical Center at Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine and a domestic art therapy expert who recently launched the mobile mental health treatment app ‘Mana,’ pointed out, “For people exhausted by prolonged remote work and staying at home due to COVID-19, it is urgent to check and manage their own mental health.”

As the term ‘Corona Blue,’ referring to depression caused by COVID-19, spreads, some voices have called for social measures for so-called ‘psychological quarantine’ even after the transition to With-Corona. This is because the number of people actually visiting neuropsychiatric clinics for counseling is not large compared to the total number of people experiencing depression, due to government quarantine intensification and social stigma.

Inspired by this, Professor Kim conceived and began developing a platform that allows users to self-assess their mental health just as they check their physical health, providing tailored solutions based on symptoms. He said, “With the transition to With-Corona and the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, it is time to consider social-wide solutions for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder caused by serious trauma such as accidents or violence). Along with mental health welfare services through policy, efforts to diagnose one’s own depression and psychological state in daily life and resolve them through counseling must accompany to prevent social depression.”

'Mana,' which means the tree inside my heart, provides a service that allows users to self-assess their mental health. In particular, Mana's self-diagnosis evaluation was developed with the participation of 13 experts from various fields, including psychiatry, psychology, art therapy, and IT, to enhance its professionalism and enable its use in connection with hospital treatment.

Depression Increases with Prolonged COVID-19... Psychological Quarantine as Important as Daily Quarantine

According to data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of patients treated for depression increased by 63.2% compared to 2019, before the COVID-19 outbreak. Psychological counseling related to COVID-19 reached 1,576,737 cases, with 135,407 cases recorded in August this year alone, a 920% increase compared to 13,265 cases in February last year. However, it is estimated that many more people have not been diagnosed due to lack of time and financial resources. Considering this demand, Mana’s self-diagnosis evaluation was developed with the participation of 13 experts from various fields including psychiatry, psychology, art therapy, and IT to enhance professionalism and enable linkage with hospital treatment.

Notably, the platform offers a questionnaire service for self-diagnosis across 12 mental health disorders that Koreans are most interested in, such as depression, stress, anger, and panic disorder, tailored by life cycle stages. After self-checking, users receive personalized solutions and self-therapy guidance based on their symptom results. If more professional counseling is desired, users can be connected to certified psychological counselors for affordable consultations, which is a noteworthy feature.

As stress among office workers due to Corona Blue shows signs of becoming normalized, companies are competing to care for their employees’ mental health. Professor Kim said, “Since COVID-19, the establishment of counseling systems in companies has been recognized as an element of social responsibility management beyond employee welfare, leading to an increase in corporate clients. Especially among younger generations, resistance to checking and monitoring their mental health has decreased, spreading life care for employees throughout companies.”

Having provided psychological therapy through counseling at domestic disaster sites such as the Sampoong Department Store collapse, Sewol ferry disaster, Goseong wildfire, and Pohang earthquake, Professor Kim emphasized the importance of psychological quarantine as much as daily quarantine against COVID-19. He stated, “Through Mana, which can be easily used in daily life, I will contribute to improving the mental health of the public and lead the development of various digital healthcare programs based on this.”