Number of Claims for Depression and Anxiety Disorders Tripled in Five Years
Mental Health Issues Among Infants and Children Are Serious Nationwide
Students are moving in the academy district of Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu after finishing their school classes. This is unrelated to the specific content of the article.
It has been found that children aged 9 and under living in the so-called "private education mecca" of Seoul's three Gangnam districts (Gangnam, Seocho, and Songpa) are facing serious mental health issues.
According to data received by Jin Sunmi, a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) on April 25, the number of health insurance claims for depression and anxiety disorders among children aged 9 and under residing in the three Gangnam districts has more than tripled over the past five years.
The number of claims, which was 1,037 in 2020, increased to 1,612 in 2021, 2,188 in 2022, 2,797 in 2023, and 3,309 in 2024, showing a steep rise. The total number of claims over the five years amounts to 10,943.
Looking only at 2024, Songpa-gu recorded 1,442 cases, Gangnam-gu 1,045 cases, and Seocho-gu 822 cases. Last year, the average number of claims per district in the three Gangnam districts was 1,103, which is 3.8 times higher than the average for the 25 districts of Seoul (291 cases).
During the same period, the number of health insurance claims for depression and anxiety disorders among children aged 9 and under nationwide increased from 15,407 in 2020 to 32,601 in 2024, roughly doubling. This indicates that mental health issues among infants and children are serious not only in Gangnam, Seoul, but also across the country.
This HIRA data is based on health insurance statements that were reviewed and completed during the relevant period.
Depressive episode (F32, disease code) and recurrent depressive disorder (F33) are classified as depression. Phobic anxiety disorder (F40) and other anxiety disorders (F41) are classified as anxiety disorders.
It was also found that one out of every four "English academies for young children" (English kindergartens) in Seoul is located in the three Gangnam districts. According to the "Status of English Academies for Young Children" received by the lawmaker's office from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, the number of English academies for young children in the three Gangnam districts last year was 19.6 on average.
There are 59 English kindergartens in the three Gangnam districts, accounting for 25% of the total. Gangnam-gu has the most with 25, followed by Songpa-gu with 21, and Seocho-gu with 13. While the average number of English kindergartens in the 25 districts of Seoul is 9.6, the three Gangnam districts have 19.7 on average, more than twice as many.
Jin stated, "Children are suffering from excessive academic pressure and competition stress at a time when they should be developing physically and emotionally," and added, "The Ministry of Education must conduct a comprehensive survey on private education for infants and young children and prepare comprehensive countermeasures."
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