Korea faces mental health crisis as children’s psychiatric care visits soar

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As South Korea celebrates Children’s Day, new data shows a worrying surge in the number of children seeking psychiatric care, with visits more than doubling over the past four years due to conditions such as depression and anxiety.

According to data submitted by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service to Rep. Jin Sun-mi of the National Assembly Education Committee, 270,625 patients under the age of 18 visited psychiatric clinics between January and November last year. That figure is more than double the 133,235 cases in 2020.

The number of child psychiatric patients has risen sharply year by year: 172,441 in 2021, 212,451 in 2022, and 244,884 in 2023, with an annual average growth rate of 19.4 percent.

The steepest increase occurred among children aged 7 to 12, the typical age group for elementary school students. Among boys in this age range, the number of psychiatric patients grew from 33,800 in 2020 to 76,159 in 2024 — an increase of 2.3 times. The number of girls more than doubled as well, from 12,260 to 29,165.

Similar trends were observed in other age groups. Among children aged 0 to 6, male patients rose from 12,707 to 19,505, and female patients increased from 5,231 to 7,763 — both growing 1.5 times. Among adolescents aged 13 to 18, the number of male patients nearly doubled from 35,193 to 66,459, while female patients increased from 34,044 to 71,574 — 2.1 times more.

The most common diagnoses among children included depressive episodes, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and anxiety and mood disorders.

While pediatric depression was once considered rare, experts say the number of cases has grown due to increasing academic stress, entrance exam pressure, and difficulties with family or peer relationships. Similar to adult depression, childhood depression may involve symptoms including reduced appetite, insomnia and poor concentration, all of which can disrupt daily life and require clinical treatment.

According to the pediatric psychiatry department at Seoul National University Hospital, children often fail to recognize their own depressive states and instead exhibit irritability or hypersensitivity. In many cases, depressive symptoms may be mistaken for typical adolescent defiance. Experts advise seeking professional help if a child shows drastic behavioral changes such as persistent fatigue or significant difficulty concentrating.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.