Kim Hyun-bin began his journalism career at Arirang TV from 2012 to 2017, specializing in defense, foreign affairs and the economy. In 2018, he joined The Korea Times, covering society and business, and is currently responsible for embassy affairs.
Korea sees surge in bipolar disorder patients
By Kim Hyun-bin
By Kim Hyun-bin
Bipolar disorder has become the center of attention in the medical world here as it has led to scores of deadly incidents including murder and suicide in recent years.
According to a 2017 report from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, more than 86,000 people suffer from bipolar disorder in Korea.
The number of patients increased 21 percent from 71,600 in 2013 to 86,300 in 2017, according to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service.
Most were in their 40s, followed by those in their 30s, 50s, 20s and 60s.
Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic depression, is a psychiatric condition that causes extreme mood swings from emotional highs to extreme lows. Patients show symptoms of mania or hypomania and depression in turn, and these cause unpredictable changes in mood and behavior, resulting in significant distress and difficulty in life.
When a bipolar patient becomes depressed, they may feel sad or hopeless and lose interest or pleasure in most activities. It can cause noticeable difficulty in daily activities, such as work, school, social activities or relationships, as well as insomnia, too much sleep, fatigue, loss of energy and even suicide attempts in serious cases.
On the other hand, when the mood shifts to mania or hypomania, the person may feel full of energy or unusually irritable, often quarreling with people around them or showing aggressive and violent behavior.
These mood swings can affect sleep, energy, activity, judgment, behavior and the ability to think clearly.
When these drastic mood changes frequently occur for several weeks and months, people should seek professional help.
According to experts, bipolar disorder is a lifelong condition, and the patients can manage their mood swings and other symptoms by receiving treatment. In most cases, it is treated with medication and psychotherapy.
According to Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), around 1 percent of Koreans have experienced “some form” of bipolar disorder in their lifetime.
Most cases come in adolescence in the form of depression. However, the symptoms can also come during childhood and later on in life.
Women tend to be more vulnerable than men with, the number of female patients being around 1.5 times higher than that of males. Most men show symptoms of mania, while females experience depression.
The medical world believes there are many more people suffering from bipolar disorder who have not been included in government statistics, as most people have a negative perception of psychological disorders and avoid getting professional help.
The increase in the number of bipolar patients is leading to social problems. Last month, a patient killed his psychiatrist during a consultation at a Seoul hospital.
However, medical experts say people should not treat bipolar patients as potential criminals.
“Instead of having a prejudice against such patients, it is important that we create an environment where they can get continuous treatment,” said Park Jong-huk, a spokesman for the Korean Medical Association.
The illness can be temporarily improved but it needs continuous attention and treatment, Park said. The cause of the disorder has not been clearly found.
According to experts, the treatment process needs to include not only diagnostic evaluation of the current symptoms and medication but also plans on how to reduce the cause of the patient's stress, which can cause a recurrence of the symptoms.