More young Korean males depressed
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By Lee Jin-a
A growing number of Korean men in their 20s are suffering from depression, according to the National Health Insurance Corporation.
The corporation said the number of male patients in their 20s who visited hospitals for depression last year was 22,200, up 40 percent from 2010. The number is the second highest after men in their 80s or older.
“Young male patients are increasing because they do not hesitate to visit hospitals amid the stress from social issues, including unemployment and marriage,” Na Hae-ran, a neuropsychiatry professor at the Seoul St. Mary Hospital, told Yonhap news agency.
“Unlike in the past, men are now open to express and take care of their feelings. Society no longer places a taboo on men seeing a psychiatrist.”
On the other hand, the number of women in their 20s who received treatment for depression fell slightly from 30,000 in 2010 to 29,500 last year.
However, the total number of Korean females suffering depression (400,000) is still more than twice the number of males (190,000).