Human Rights Commission: "Ministry of Health and Welfare Must Expand Youth Mental Health Services"

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) has pointed out that the government should expand related services to address the mental health issues of youth.

On the 17th, the NHRCK recommended Minister Cho Kyu-hong of the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 11th to improve the system for expanding youth mental health services and enhancing accessibility.

The NHRCK urged the Ministry of Health and Welfare to legislate the 'Youth Mind Health Voucher Project' targeting young people who experience psychological difficulties on a daily basis. Furthermore, it emphasized expanding the scale of support to ensure no youth is left out from receiving the service, and to establish grounds for economically disadvantaged youth to receive additional support exceptionally even after the maximum support period of one year ends.

It also proposed measures to stably operate the 'Youth Mental Health Early Intervention Centers,' which provide care and access environments for youth at high risk of mental health issues or with mental illnesses. First, it recommended adding provisions in the "Act on the Promotion of Mental Health and Welfare Services for Mental Patients" to establish and operate early intervention centers, and to increase the number of centers considering the youth population by region and geographical distance. Additionally, to improve psychological accessibility to the centers, it explained the need to prepare operational guidelines for independent or annexed types of centers that are spatially separated from mental health welfare centers.

The NHRCK stated, "Behind youth mental health problems lie an education system and sociocultural environment characterized by meritocracy, competitiveness, and uniformity," and added, "We must stop blaming the youth who are suffering mentally and the state and society should work together to solve youth mental health issues." According to Statistics Korea, among 2,259 deaths of people in their 20s in 2020, 1,471 died by suicide, accounting for 65.1% of the total. For those in their 30s, 1,864 out of 3,873 deaths (48.4%) were due to suicide.

Moreover, the NHRCK expressed hope that "this recommendation will be implemented promptly so that young people can easily access mental health services and receive quality care without worries about prejudice and stigma."