Surge in Children Seeking Psychiatric Care in Seoul's Gangnam Three Districts Amid Academic Stress

The number of children and adolescents visiting hospitals for mental health issues exceeded 410,000 last year.

In particular, the number of children and adolescents who received treatment in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, increased by 17.5% in a single year, which is about 1.8 times the national average growth rate.

According to data submitted by Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Kang Kyung-sik from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, 411,643 children and adolescents aged 18 or younger received treatment for mental health-related disorders last year.

This represents an increase of 36,417 people, or 9.7%, from the previous year.

Among the 25 autonomous districts in Seoul, Gangnam-gu had the highest number of treated patients.

Last year, 16,805 children and adolescents received mental health treatment at medical institutions in Gangnam-gu, an increase of 2,506 people, or 17.5%, from the previous year.

This is 7.8 percentage points higher than the national average growth rate.

Following Gangnam-gu, Songpa-gu had 14,987 patients, followed by Seodaemun-gu with 11,103, Seocho-gu with 9,922, and Jongno-gu with 9,307.

Combining Gangnam, Seocho, and Songpa, the so-called Gangnam 3 districts, the number of treated patients reached 41,714, a 12.2% increase in a single year.

They accounted for 33.1% of the total number of treated patients across all autonomous districts in Seoul.

Looking at disorders by type, treatments related to depression also increased.

Last year, 74,652 children and adolescents nationwide received treatment for depressive episodes, an 8.7% increase from the previous year.

Other anxiety disorders increased by 6.2%, and reactions to severe stress and adjustment disorders increased by 5.6%.

Experts cited academic stress, entrance exam anxiety, and difficulties in relationships with parents or peers as reasons why adolescents visit the department of psychiatry.

However, it cannot be concluded that the mental health of students in the Gangnam region is worse simply because the number of patients is high.

This is because these statistics are based on the location of the medical institution rather than the place of residence, and factors such as hospital accessibility and family financial capacity can also affect the number of treated patients.

It is also analyzed that increased awareness of psychiatric treatment has led to a rise in the number of students receiving treatment.

Experts emphasized that institutional support at the school level is necessary alongside the expansion of treatment.

(Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Kim Ki-hyun | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.