[Living Backwards] "Friendships Are So Hard"... Broken Hearts, Teens in Crisis

①Leading Cause of Youth Death... Annual Increase in Rate
Main Causes: Interpersonal Relationships and Academic Pressure
Concerns Over Stigma Effects... Delays in Counseling and Treatment

Editor's NoteThe leading cause of death among South Korean adolescents is suicide. Although it accounts for about 3% of the total suicide population, the rate of increase is quite alarming. Over the past five years, self-harm and suicide attempts among teenagers per 100,000 population have surged by 68.9%. However, both students and parents often hesitate to seek timely counseling and testing due to concerns about social stigma. This is why it is necessary to revisit youth suicide prevention measures at the national level. Asia Economy diagnoses the causes and solutions of teenage suicide in a five-part series.

"My relationships with friends are so frustrating. That hurts so much that I feel suffocated when I'm at school."

Although the total number of suicide deaths has recently decreased, the suicide rate among teenagers continues to rise steadily. Major causes of suicide include interpersonal relationships, academic performance, and mental health issues related to entrance exams. Since the government has set a goal to reduce the suicide rate by 50% within ten years, there are calls for urgent tailored countermeasures.

[Living Backwards] "Friendships Are So Hard"... Broken Hearts, Teens in Crisis

Students are taking a mock exam at a high school in Songpa-gu, Seoul. The photo is not directly related to the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Ministry of Health and Welfare Survey, Medical Institution Analysis Results

According to the Statistics Korea's 'Cause of Death Statistics Results' released on the 22nd, suicide is the leading cause of death among teenagers, accounting for 42.3% of all causes as of last year. Over the past five years, the number of suicides per 100,000 population was 5.8 in 2018, 5.9 in 2019, 6.5 in 2020, 7.1 in 2021, and 7.2 in 2022, showing a continuous increase.

In fact, one out of ten suicide attempters is a youth. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's '2023 Suicide Survey,' in 2022, 4,280 suicide attempters were aged 18 or younger, accounting for 14%. The most common motive for suicide attempts was mental health problems (38.8%). This was followed by interpersonal relationship issues (21.8%), academic performance and entrance exams (12.1%), and quarrels or scoldings (7.9%). This data was analyzed from suicide attempters who visited 85 medical institutions participating in the emergency room-based suicide attempter follow-up management project.

Among them, 56.3% were undergoing treatment in the field of mental health, and 8% had no prior treatment but appeared to have mental health issues. Physically, 54.3% were in a healthy state, and unlike other age groups, the majority were sober at the time of the suicide attempt (65.1%). The rate of alcohol consumption was 7%, and 27.9% did not respond. The timing of suicide attempts was recorded as 10.5% in May, 10.1% in June, 9.5% in October, and 9.1% in November, among others.

The reason adolescents attempted suicide was found to be that the coping methods they had relied on until now were no longer effective, and they experienced a loss of their sense of self-worth. A qualitative study titled 'A Qualitative Study on Adolescents' Self-Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, and Suicide Attempts,' published last year in the Korean Journal of Psychology, conducted interviews with 20 adolescents who had experienced self-harm and suicidal thoughts or attempts (7 middle school students, 11 high school students, and 11 dropouts).

The results showed that most had feelings of exhaustion and collapse, and they expressed that the unbearable pain left suicide as the only option. The surveyed adolescents shared their experiences, saying things like, "I had nowhere to relieve my stress, so I ended up self-harming," "My current friendships are bad. When I come home, there is no one to care for me or contact," and "Sometimes I think about suddenly getting hit by a car while walking."

Sensitive Parental Reactions... Difficulties in Counseling and Testing

Since last month, the Ministry of Education has introduced the 'Mind Emotional and Behavioral Screening' in elementary, middle, and high schools. If a teacher deems it necessary to observe and test a student, they can proceed with parental consent at any time. This newly developed screening tool was created amid controversy over the effectiveness of the 'Emotional and Behavioral Characteristics Screening' conducted for 1st and 4th graders in elementary school, 1st graders in middle school, and 1st graders in high school.

It consists of 35 questions related to emotional anxiety, interpersonal relationships, social skills, and school adaptation, and can be answered online or on paper. Teachers can use the screening results as counseling materials for students and parents or as basic data for linking with specialized institutions. However, as with previous screenings, there are criticisms that the number of questions is small and it is difficult to identify students actually at risk.

In actual school settings, teachers face difficulties conducting mental health screenings for students. A teacher who requested anonymity said, "When a child has problems and counseling or testing is needed, parents sometimes react sensitively and refuse. There have even been difficult situations where parents filed complaints for emotional child abuse," adding, "If parents do not consent, nothing can be done. This is not a new situation but has existed for a long time. Testing should be mandatory because it can negatively affect other children as well."

Professor Eunjin Lee of Suwon University Graduate School of Social Welfare (Chair of External Cooperation for the Korea Suicide Prevention Association) advised, "Through school screenings, a significant number of students with mental health problems can be detected early. The problem is children left unattended due to parental refusal. Parents need to be educated to recognize the seriousness of student suicide and to ensure counseling or treatment when necessary." She emphasized, "It is important to conduct ongoing suicide prevention education that helps high-risk students. Also, peer friends should be trained effectively to identify and intervene when a friend is in a suicide crisis."

※If you have difficult-to-talk-about concerns such as depression or know family or acquaintances experiencing such difficulties, you can receive expert counseling 24 hours a day by calling the suicide prevention hotline ☎109.