By Christopher Conway
Mental illness can be defined as ``various conditions characterized by impairment of an individual's normal cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning.'' As a foreigner living in Korea, it is interesting to note how mental illness is addressed from a cultural perspective. It is vital to talk openly about these issues because they have significant implications for the individual and wider society.
Why should the Korean government formulate a more humane approach to mental illness? It has been said that the quality of a society can be measured by how it treats its weakest members. Our quality of life is better when we feel that society will help us during hard times. From a business perspective, mental illness contributes to enormous losses in productivity. In other words, happy workers are productive workers. These are important points when the prevalence of mental illness is considered.
Reports have found that one in four adults in England and America experience a mental health problem in any one year. In England, one in six adults will have some form of mental illness at any given time. From a global perspective, it is estimated that approximately 450 million people suffer from mental illness. From these statistics we can be sure that even allowing for cultural differences, mental illness is something that affects a lot of Koreans in a direct or indirect manner. Most people will experience mental illness at some stage in their life. Therefore, it clearly benefits Koreans to transcend the stigma of mental illness.
The U.S. Surgeon General in 1999 said, ``Powerful and pervasive, stigma prevents people from acknowledging their own mental health problems, much less disclosing them to others.'' In Korea, most people with a mental illness are reluctant to talk about it due to the stigma associated with it. The afflicted person feels a sense of isolation as they maintain a facade of happiness in their daily interactions.
Link and Phelan (2001) identify several aspects of stigmatization that demonstrate how people with mental illness can be persecuted. There is a tendency to label the mentally ill in a simplistic way. Consequently, an ``us'' and ``them'' mentality develops that seeks to separate the mentally ill from the ``sane.'' Adam Phillips, a British psychotherapist, notes that such distinctions serve to deny similarities between ``us'' and ``them.'' This disassociation creates the conditions for ``discrimination'' against people with mental illness. In Korea, this translates to the state outsourcing care for these people to their family. ``Stereotypes'' are the final aspect of stigmatization to be explored.
Stereotypes of mental illness in Korea and elsewhere propagate false information and deny complexity. Let's briefly look at some common misconceptions. The individual is to blame. In reality, mental problems are the result of biology and environment. Should the individual take full responsibility for a genetic predisposition to depression? Shouldn't a sane society create conditions conducive to mental health? Then there is the belief that the mentally ill are violent. In reality, findings consistently indicate that those diagnosed with a serious mental illness are much more likely to be the victim of violence than the perpetrator.
What can remedy these faulty assumptions? Koreans must acknowledge mental illness and deal with it in a mature fashion. Like most Asian countries, Korea does not have a developed concept of mental illness as a treatable disease. Through open dialogue about mental illness, the afflicted have the means to construct a narrative about their suffering and how they deal with it. The opposite is an Orwellian society that refuses to provide the means for their voices to be heard.
When such people are ignored, the results can be tragic. South Korea has the highest suicide rate among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2005. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 90 percent of suicide victims have some kind of mental illness such as depression. The word ``victim'' is particularly applicable in Korea as these people could have been treated through therapy and/or medication. Social factors are involved with the remaining 10%. In Korea, these would include excessive study for students, ostracizing gay people and those hurt by the economic crisis, to name but a few. Again, these are social problems that can be resolved through positive action.
This brief analysis of mental illness in Korea is only intended to stimulate discussion on the issue. While these problems exist elsewhere, they seem more intense here. Mental illness can affect anyone, regardless of sex, social status and wealth. Thinking that there is a clear dividing line between the mentally well and ill is a convenient illusion. As Ralph Waldo Emerson observed, ``Sanity is very rare: every man almost, and every woman, has a dash of madness.'' Therefore, understanding can only come from accepting the essential humanity we share.
The writer works at Ulsan Institute of Foreign Language Education. He can be reached at chrisconway007@yahoo.co.uk