President's Direct 'Mental Health Policy Innovation Committee' Launched
"A Nation Cannot Fulfill Its Role If Its People Are Not Happy"
President Yoon Suk-yeol is making closing remarks at the "1st Meeting of the Mental Health Policy Innovation Committee" held on the 26th at the National Center for Mental Health, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the 26th, President Yoon Suk-yeol announced the launch of the presidential Mental Health Policy Innovation Committee, stating, "Starting in July, we will begin the ‘National Mind Investment Project,’ which allows citizens suffering from depression and anxiety to receive psychological counseling from experts. During my term, we will provide psychological counseling service packages to a total of 1 million people." He also emphasized, "The government will spare no support to achieve a major transformation in mental health policy."
The purpose is for the nation to directly establish and manage mental health policies in three directions: ‘prevention, treatment, and recovery,’ so that South Korea can shed the stigma of having the highest suicide rate among OECD member countries and enable all citizens to feel happiness in their daily lives.
On the morning of the same day, President Yoon presided over the first meeting of the Mental Health Policy Innovation Committee at the National Mental Health Center in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, saying, "It is important to detect and prevent early so that everyday depression and anxiety do not develop into mental illnesses."
The Mental Health Policy Innovation Committee was promised by President Yoon at the ‘Mental Health Policy Vision Proclamation Conference’ in December last year. This is the first time in history that a presidential-level committee has been launched in the field of mental health.
In his opening remarks, President Yoon pointed out, "Despite living in the most prosperous era in human history on the Korean Peninsula, many citizens feel unhappy with their lives," adding, "If the people are not happy, the nation cannot fulfill its role." He explained that the government has gathered opinions from policy stakeholders and experts in various fields such as medical care, psychology, counseling, and welfare to establish mental health policies in the three directions of ‘prevention, treatment, and recovery.’
President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the '1st Meeting of the Mental Health Policy Innovation Committee' held on the 26th at the National Center for Mental Health, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
President Yoon announced, "We will improve the mental health checkups for young people, which are currently conducted every 10 years, to be done every 2 years starting from January next year." He also shared that since the integration of various suicide prevention counseling phone numbers into ‘109’ in January this year, usage has increased by 70%, and said, "We will strengthen counseling personnel and establish a second center next year to develop 109 as the representative counseling window."
He also presented measures to ensure smooth mental emergency response and treatment. First, the crisis intervention team personnel will be expanded by more than 50% this year, the number of regional mental emergency medical centers will be increased to 32 by 2028, about three times the current number, and emergency beds will also be expanded. In particular, to prevent treatment interruptions, an outpatient treatment support system will be activated, registering patients with mental health welfare centers from the time of discharge for continuous management.
President Yoon mentioned, "To fully recover mental health, rehabilitation, employment, and welfare services must be provided as a package beyond treatment," and added, "During my term, we will establish rehabilitation facilities of a certain standard in each region and develop employment models specialized for people with mental disabilities." Starting next year, housing support will be provided to at least 50 households annually, with plans to double this by the end of his term.
President Yoon emphasized, "While it is important to make a major shift in mental health policy focusing on prevention, treatment, and recovery, even more important is to improve society’s perception of mental health," adding, "The understanding that mental illnesses can be treated like general illnesses and that treatment makes them not dangerous must take root in our society." He instructed the committee to collaborate with relevant ministries to establish and implement awareness improvement strategies.
About 60 people attended the meeting, including 21 private members of the Mental Health Policy Innovation Committee appointed considering expertise and field experience, such as mental illness patients and their families, psychiatrists, nurses, experts in psychology, counseling, and welfare, as well as police officers and firefighters. From the government, Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, and Cho Kyu-hong, Minister of Health and Welfare, participated. From the National Assembly, Jeong Jeom-sik, Policy Committee Chair of the People Power Party, and from the Presidential Office, Jang Sang-yoon, Senior Secretary for Social Affairs, were also present.
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