Comedian Cho Sae-ho opened up about receiving psychiatric care.

On the Nov. 26 episode of tvN's "You Quiz on the Block," psychiatrist Lee Kyung-joon joined as a guest.

Running a practice in Pangyo, a major business hub, Lee said he sees about 50-60 patients a day, many of them office workers. In achievement-driven workplaces, he added, the most common struggle he sees is “a sense of anxiety that feels out of control.”

Lee explained that even when a situation isn’t objectively threatening, small personal stressors can pile up until anxiety reaches a clinical level. “You start getting racing, uncontrollable thoughts and physical symptoms. By that point, it’s hard to even pinpoint why you’re anxious or how to find your way forward,” he said.

He also noted that many mid-career managers tend to downplay or deny depression. “They often hold back. They might actually be in pain, but there’s a conflict between ‘I’m hurting’ and ‘I’m not allowed to be hurt,’” Lee said. “When panic or sudden anxiety brings them in, many are experiencing moderate or worse depression―but if you ask, they insist they’re not depressed. What I hear is, ‘I’m someone who must not be depressed.’ Admitting it can feel like admitting their life is a failure, so they minimize the pain they’re actually going through.”

Host Yoo Jae-suk chimed in that depression is something anyone can experience―“like catching a cold.”

“I say it openly,” Cho said. “I go to therapy, and I take medication.”

He added that he was scared to go at first but chose to seek help anyway. “I thought if I went to it, I might feel better―and that I could spend my time in a healthier way,” he shared.

[Photo: tvN Broadcast] 

(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)