Despite Proven Healing Effects... 'One-Stop Service' Trapped by Budget and Stigma [Left Behind] ①

Nationwide Expansion Delayed Until After July Next Year
Average Depression Score Drops by 52.3%
Rapid Initial Intervention Is Key

The 'one-stop service' introduced by the government to support suicide survivors has made little progress, despite its proven effectiveness in psychological recovery. This stagnation is due to budget shortages and the barrier of social stigma, which prevent the service from functioning as intended. While the number of bereaved families in urgent need of help continues to grow, the nationwide expansion of the service is scheduled for after July next year due to difficulties in securing funding.

According to the Korea Suicide Prevention Center and the Life Insurance Social Contribution Foundation on December 27, the average depression score (PHQ-9) among bereaved families who received treatment support last year decreased by 52.3%, from 17.2 points before treatment to 8.2 points after treatment. Notably, among those who were in a state of 'severe depression' with a very high risk of suicide, 51.8% improved to the 'mild depression' or 'not depressed' stage after treatment. Survivor A said, "After losing my loved one, I went through a difficult time, but I realized I was not alone in the world." Survivor B shared, "Thanks to the financial support for treatment, I was able to receive medication and overcome the suicidal crisis."

The grief of suicide survivors tends to be prolonged, making easier access to treatment and continuous support crucial. According to the '2015-2023 Suicide Psychological Autopsy Interview Analysis,' 98.9% of participating survivors experienced changes after bereavement in areas such as psychological and behavioral health (97.6%), interpersonal relationships (62.9%), physical health (56.5%), and family relationships (52.2%). Additionally, 56.3% experienced 'suicidal ideation,' while 20.0% suffered from severe depression and 33.1% from severe insomnia, among other mental health issues.

The core of the one-stop service for suicide survivors is rapid initial intervention. When a request for dispatch is received from the police or fire department, dedicated staff are dispatched to the scene 24 hours a day to meet the survivors and guide them to necessary services. Initial counseling is mainly provided at police stations, and after obtaining the survivor's consent, they are registered with a basic center for ongoing support. The support offered focuses not only on grief counseling for psychological stability but also on addressing urgent practical problems. Key support areas include: ▲specialized cleaning costs ▲temporary housing (accommodation) expenses ▲post-mortem administrative processing (examination, transportation, etc.) ▲legal and administrative processing (renunciation of inheritance, debt issues, etc.) ▲and educational support. Currently, the service is implemented in 12 cities and provinces-Seoul, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon, Sejong, Gangwon, Chungbuk, Chungnam, Gyeongbuk, Gyeongnam, and Jeju-and 145 cities, counties, and districts.

The main reason for the delay in nationwide implementation is budget constraints. The project requires a 50-50 matching of national and local government funds, but securing the national budget has been delayed. This year, the budget for treatment support for suicide survivors, combining national funds and the Life Insurance Social Contribution Foundation's fund, amounted to 300 million won, which was only enough to support 1,030 people as of last month. Given that there were 14,588 suicide deaths last year and that each deceased person affects at least 5 to 10 survivors, this is far from sufficient.

Social stigma is also a major obstacle to service utilization. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the consent rate for using the one-stop service last year was only 63.6%. This is a decline from 69.2% in 2020 and 72.6% in 2023. Many survivors refuse to be connected to the service out of fear that the fact they lost a family member to suicide will be revealed. The social gaze toward those who died by suicide and their families is blocking access to the system itself. A Ministry of Health and Welfare official said, "If the one-stop team contacts the survivors and they refuse to use the service, we do not contact them again."

Bang Sooyoung, Professor of Psychiatry at Eulji University Hospital, emphasized, "Suicide survivors often try to hide their situation, which deepens their depression and increases their suicide risk compared to the general population. If we expand the budget for 'peer support activists' who can deeply empathize with and help heal these individuals, and discover more activists, it will greatly help break the prejudice that suicide must be hidden."

If you have concerns that are difficult to talk about, such as depression, or if you have family members or acquaintances experiencing such difficulties, you can receive 24-hour expert counseling via the suicide prevention hotline at ☎ 109 or through the suicide prevention SNS counseling service 'Madeulrae'.