Suicide in South Korea

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South Korea's suicide rate per 100,000 people compared to other countries, World Health Organization, 2016. Scholar Peeter Varnik claims that a simple majority of total suicides occur in just six countries, South Korea one of them. Suicide rates map.png
South Korea's suicide rate per 100,000 people compared to other countries, World Health Organization, 2016. Scholar Peeter Värnik claims that a simple majority of total suicides occur in just six countries, South Korea one of them.
The most recent available data on OECD countries' suicide rates per 100 000 persons (November 2, 2022). South Korea has the highest rate in the OECD. OECD-2022-suicide.jpg
The most recent available data on OECD countries' suicide rates per 100 000 persons (November 2, 2022). South Korea has the highest rate in the OECD.

Suicide in South Korea occurs at the 12th highest rate in the world. South Korea has the highest recorded suicide rate in the OECD. [3] [4] [5] In South Korea, it is estimated to affect 0.02 percent of the population by the WHO. In 2012, suicide was the fourth-highest cause of death. [6] The suicide rate has consistently declined between 2012 and 2019, the year when the latest data are available.

Contents

The high recorded suicide rates compared to other countries in the developed world are exacerbated by the prevalence of suicide among the elderly. One factor of suicide among elderly South Koreans is due to the amount of relative poverty among senior citizens in South Korea, even though it has been consistently declining since 2011. Combined with a poorly-funded social safety net for the elderly, this can result in them dying by suicide to not be a financial burden on their families, since the traditional social structure in which children looked after their parents in their old age has largely disappeared in the 21st Century. [7] [8]

As a result, people living in rural areas tend to have higher suicide rates. This is due to self-reported high rates of elderly discrimination, especially when applying for jobs, with 85.7% of those in their 50s self-reporting discrimination. [9] Age discrimination also directly correlates to suicide, on top of influencing poverty rates. [10] Suicide is the number one cause of death among South Koreans aged 10 to 39. [11] [12] This is in line with most OECD countries.

Proactive government efforts to decrease the rate have shown effectiveness in 2014, when there were 27.3 suicides per 100,000 people, a 4.1% decline from the previous year (28.5 people) and the lowest in six years since 2008's 26.0 people. [13] [14]

Statistics

Suicide is the biggest cause of death to those in their 10s, 20s and 30s. 2015 Cause of death by age in South Korea.svg
Suicide is the biggest cause of death to those in their 10s, 20s and 30s.
Suicide rate by gender and age in South Korea 2012, per 100,000 people Suicide rate in South Korea 2012.svg
Suicide rate by gender and age in South Korea 2012, per 100,000 people
The poverty rate of elderly people in South Korea is the highest among the OECD countries. 2011 Poverty rate by age group in South Korea.svg
The poverty rate of elderly people in South Korea is the highest among the OECD countries.

Age

An extremely high suicide rate among the elderly is a major contributing factor to South Korea's overall suicide rate. As people age, certain sociopsychological factors such as income decline due to retirement, increased medical costs, physical deterioration or disabilities, loss of spouse or friends and no sense of purpose increases the risk of suicide [15] Many impoverished elderly people choose to die by suicide as to not be a burden on their families, since the South Korean welfare system is poorly funded [7] and the tradition of children caring for their parents in old age has largely disappeared in the 21st century. [8] As a result, people living in rural areas have higher suicide rates.

Although lower than the rate for the elderly, grade school and college students in Korea have a higher than average suicide rate. [16]

Over the past 5 years, the number of suicide or self-inflicted injuries has increased from 4,947 in 2015 to 9,828 in 2019, and most cases involved people aged between 9 and 24. Kang Byung-won, a Parliament member from the Democratic party announced that "26.9 young South Koreans either attempt suicide or suffer self-inflicted injuries per day." [17]

Gender

On average, men have a suicide rate that is twice as high as women. [14] However, the suicide attempt rate is higher for women than men. [16] According to a study, because men use more severe and lethal suicide methods, men have higher suicidal completion rate than women. The Risk-Rescue Rating Scale (RRRS), which measures the lethality of the suicidal method by gauging the ratio between five risk and five rescue factors, averaged out to be 37.18 for men and 34.00 for women. [18] One study has translated this to the fact that women attempt to die by suicide more as a demonstration, while men die by suicide with a determined purpose. [19]

Compared to other OECD countries, South Korea's female suicide rate is the highest, with 15.0 deaths by suicide per 100,000 deaths, while the South Korean male suicide rate is the third highest in the OECD, with 32.5 per every 100,000 deaths. [20] Women also had a higher increase of proportional suicide rate over men between 1986 and 2005. Men increased by 244%, while women increased by 282%. [20]

Marital status

Studies suggest that suicide rates are different between marital statuses. Individuals who were never married or had a change in their marital status due to divorce, death or separation are at a higher risk of suicide than married individuals. [15] Divorced individuals are the most at-risk group, followed by individuals who have never married and widowed individuals were the lowest at-risk group. [15] Family relationships also contributed to the mental health of men and women. The study of divorce, separated or widowed statuses showed that individuals dissatisfied with family relationships were at a higher risk of depression, thoughts of suicide and low self-esteem. [21]

Roy Baumeister's escape theory is used to further explain the differences in suicide rates between marital statuses. According to Baumeister, the escape theory has six steps, increasing the chance of dying by suicide if the criteria for all six steps are met. [15] Baumeister states that depression alone does not lead to suicide because most depressed individuals do not attempt suicide and not all who have attempted suicide are clinically depressed. [22] According to Baumeister, [22] the model can be viewed as a decision tree: First, the individual has a severe failure or setback that falls below theirs or society's high expectations and standards. Second, the individual starts to make unfavorable self-attributions about themselves causing them to mentally spiral downwards. [22]

Third, the individual will fuel their suicidal ideation by believing the failure or setback is because they are inadequate, unlikable, and guilty and a bad person. Fourth, the individual's negative emotions lead them to believe they fall short of perceived expectations. Fifth, the individual will start to experience cognitive deconstruction by shifting to low levels of thinking and becoming emotionless. Sixth, cognitive deconstruction remove inhibitions making it difficult to recognize the consequences of suicide. [22] Losing a spouse to death, divorce or separation might increase an individual's attempt at suicide.

Socioeconomic status

Socioeconomic status is measured by a population's level of education, degree of urbanity and deprivation of the residence. [23] Low socioeconomic status, high stress, inadequate sleep, alcohol use, and smoking are associated with suicidal tendencies among adolescents. [24] The economic hardship factor is noted as the most frequently referred cause for elderly suicides. As 71.4% of the elderly population is uneducated and 37.1% of them live in rural areas, they are more likely to face economic hardship, which can lead to health problems and family conflicts. [23] All these factors together lead to an increase in suicidal ideation and completion. [23]

Regions

Gangwon has a 37.84% higher suicide rate than the rate for all of South Korea. [25] Following Gangwon, Chungnam rates second and Jeonbuk rates third. [25] Ulsan, Gangwon, and Incheon have the highest suicide rate for people above age 65. [25] Daegu has the highest suicide rate for those ages 40 to 59. [25] Gangwon, Jeonnam, and Chungnam have the highest suicide rates for those ages 20 to 39. [25]

Methods

Yeontan burning has been used as a suicide method in South Korea. Japanese Rentan.JPG
Yeontan burning has been used as a suicide method in South Korea.
The Mapo Bridge in Seoul is locally known as "Suicide Bridge" and "The Bridge of Death" due to its frequent usage as a suicide site. Seoul-Han.River-01.jpg
The Mapo Bridge in Seoul is locally known as "Suicide Bridge" and "The Bridge of Death" due to its frequent usage as a suicide site.

Because South Korean law heavily restricts firearms possession, only one-third of South Korean women use violent methods to die by suicide. Poisoning is the most commonly used method for South Korean women, with pesticides accounting for half of suicide deaths amongst women. [26] 58.3% of suicides from 1996 to 2005 used pesticide poisoning. [27] Another prevalent method by which South Koreans die by suicide is hanging. [28] A study by Jeon et al. has shown a difference between the methods used by suicide attempters who did plan and did not plan their attempts. Unplanned suicide attempters tend to use chemical agents or falling three times as often as planned suicide attempters. [29]

A study by Subin Park et al. states that a major reason for the general upward trend in the South Korean suicide rate from 2000 to 2011 was the increase in suicides by hanging. Throughout that time period, hanging grew to be perceived as more painless, socially acceptable, and accessible, and became a much more common method throughout the first decade of the 21st century. [30]

Carbon monoxide poisoning

In recent years amid the rise of suicide rates, yeontan burning has been used as a method of suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. [31]

Bridge jumping

Bridge jumping has also been used as a method of suicide. The Mapo Bridge in Seoul, is considered a suicide bridge, [32] [33] locally known as "Suicide Bridge" and "The Bridge of Death". [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] South Korean authorities have tried to counter this by calling the bridge "The Bridge of Life" and posting reassuring messages on the ledges. [39]

Notable cases

Actress Lee Eun-ju died by suicide at age 24. Lee Eun-ju in 2004.JPG
Actress Lee Eun-ju died by suicide at age 24.
President Roh Moo-hyun died by suicide on 23 May 2009 in his home village of Bongha Maeul. RohMoo-hyun.jpg
President Roh Moo-hyun died by suicide on 23 May 2009 in his home village of Bongha Maeul.
Goo Hara, a former member of the group KARA, died from an apparent suicide after being cyberbullied by malicious commenters online. 170807 guhara (cropped).jpg
Goo Hara, a former member of the group KARA, died from an apparent suicide after being cyberbullied by malicious commenters online.

Causes

Media

According to the Werther effect, some people attempt suicide as a reaction to another suicide. This applies also for South Korea. [53] According to a study, South Korea experiences a surge in suicides after the deaths of celebrities. [54] The study has found three out of eleven cases of celebrity suicide resulted in a higher suicide rate of the population. [54] The study controlled for the potential effects of confounding factors, such as seasonality and unemployment rates, and yet celebrity suicides still had a strong correlation to increased rate of suicide rates for nine weeks. [54]

The degree of media coverage of celebrity suicides impacts the degree of increase of suicide rates. In the study, the three celebrity suicides that received wide media coverage led to a surge in suicide rates, and the other celebrity suicides with low media coverage did not lead to an increase in the suicide rate. [54] In addition to the increased suicidal ideation, celebrity suicides lead people to use the same methods to attempt suicide. [55] Following actress Lee Eun-ju's death in 2005, more people used the same method of hanging. [55]

An ongoing study has suggested that high use of the internet in South Korea is associated with suicides. [56] Among 1,573 high school students, 1.6% of the population suffered from Internet addiction and 38.0% had a risk of Internet addiction. [56] The students with, or at risk of, Internet addiction had a higher rate of suicidal ideation compared to those without Internet addiction. [56] However, the correlational nature of the study makes it difficult to determine the causal direction of this relationship.

Education

In South Korea, every student is obligated to take the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). On this day, underclassmen gather and cheer on their seniors as they enter the school to take their exams. The government has mandated forbidding planes from flying during this time to make sure there are no distractions to these students. [57]

Education in South Korea is extremely competitive, making it difficult to get into an esteemed university. A South Korean student's school year lasts from March to February. The year divides into two semesters: one from March until July, and another from August to February. The average South Korean high school student also spends roughly 16 hours a day on school and school-related activities. They attend after school programs called hagwons and there are over 100,000 of them throughout South Korea, making them a 20 billion dollar industry. [58]

Again, this is because of the competitiveness of acceptance into a good university. Most South Korean test scores are graded on a curve, leading to more competition. Since 2012, students in South Korea go to school from Monday to Friday. Before 2005, South Korean students went to school every day from Monday to Saturday.

Although South Korean education consistently ranks near the top in international academic assessments such as PISA, [24] the enormous stress and pressure [59] on its students is considered by many to constitute child abuse. [60] [61] It has been blamed for high suicide rates in South Korea among those aged 10–19. [62] Studies have shown that 46% of high school students in Seoul, South Korea are depressed due to academic stress, which leads to suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. [63] South Korea's competitive educational system and the stressful academic environment, plus the social expectations requiring students to excel in academics have negatively affected the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of the students. [63]

Family

Many people have been left orphaned or have lost a parent due to the Korean War. Within a random group of 12,532 adults, 18.6% of the respondents have lost their biological parent(s), with maternal death having a bigger impact on the rate of suicide attempts than paternal death. [64] A study has shown that men have the highest rate of suicide attempts when they experience maternal death from the ages of 0–4 and 5–9. Women have the highest suicide attempt rate when they experience maternal death from the ages of 5–9. [64]

Economy

In 1997 and 1998, the 1997 Asian financial crisis hit South Korea. [65] During and after the economic recession of 1998, South Korea experienced a sharp economic recession of −6.9% and a surge of unemployment rate of 7.0%. [65] A study has shown that this economic downfall had a strong correlation with an increase in suicide rates. [65] Increase in unemployment and higher divorce rate during the economic downturn lead to clinical depression, which is a common factor that leads to suicide. [65] Moreover, according to Durkheim, economic downfall disturbs the social standing of an individual, meaning that the individual's demands and expectations can no longer be met. A person who cannot readjust to the deprived social order caused by economic downfall is more likely to die by suicide. [65]

Analyzing the suicides up to 2003, Park and Lester [66] note that unemployment is a major factor of high suicide rate. In South Korea, it has been the traditional duty of children to take care of their parents. [66] However, as "cultural tradition of filial obligation is not congruent with the increasingly competitive, specialized labor market of the modern era", the elderly may seek to die by suicide so as to lessen the burden on their children. [66]  

Bullying of LGBT youth

In a 2017 study, 80% of South Korean LGBT youth reported being the subjects of homophobic slurs from their peers, and approximately 80% reported hearing slurs from teachers. [67] The harassment suffered by LGBT youth extends beyond merely verbal abuse. Studies show that there is a strong link between experience of violence for youth who have same-sex attraction, specifically in women who sleep with both men and women. [63] Some studies suggest the main reason for suicidal ideation in youth is their exposure to violence in school. [68]

Studies have found that in gay and lesbian South Korean youth, feelings of isolation and perceived burdensomeness are present at higher rates than in their heterosexual counterparts. Isolation is in reference to the continuous exposure to anti-LGBT rhetoric which creates a hostile atmosphere to navigate. [69] The hostility decreases the likelihood of other LGBT people being available for connection, which increases the feelings of alienation. Perceived burdensomeness is in reference to feeling like an individual is a burden to their friends and/or family. These factors combined create feelings of hopelessness which then lead to suicide ideation. [69]

Mental illness

In South Korea, mental illness is taboo, even within a family. Over 90% of suicide victims could be diagnosed with a mental disorder, but only 15% of them received proper treatment. Over two million people suffer from depression annually in South Korea, but only 15,000 choose to receive regular treatment. Because mental illnesses are looked down upon in Korean society, families often discourage those with mental illnesses from seeking treatment. [70] Since there is such a strong negative stigma on the treatment of mental illnesses, many symptoms go unnoticed and can lead to many irrational decisions including suicide. Alcohol is often used to self-medicate, and a significant percentage of attempted suicides occur while drunk. [71]

COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea continued, many men in their 50s and women in their 20s struggled, which led some to die by suicide. [72]

Responses

South Korea's reported suicide rate has consistently been declining since 2012. South Korea has implemented the Strategies to Prevent Suicide (STOPS), a project whose "initiatives aimed at increasing public awareness, improving media reporting of suicide, screening for persons at high risk of suicide, restricting access to means, and improving treatment of suicidally depressed patients". All of these methods strive to increase public awareness and governmental support for suicide prevention. Currently, South Korea and other countries that have implemented this initiative are in the process of evaluating how much influence this initiative has on the suicide rate. [73] The education ministry created a smartphone app to check students' social media posts, messages and web searches for words related to suicide. [74]

Because the media coverage and portrayal of suicide influence the suicide rate, the government has "promulgated national guidelines for reporting on suicide in print media". The national guideline helps the media coverage to focus more on warning signs and possibilities of treatment, rather than factors that lead to suicide. [73]

Another method that South Korea has implemented is educating gatekeepers. [73] The gatekeeper education primarily consists of knowledge of suicide and dealing with suicidal individuals, and this education is provided to teachers, social workers, volunteers and youth leaders. [73] The South Korean government educates gatekeepers within at-risk communities, such as female elders or low-income families. To maximize the effect of gatekeepers, the government has also implemented evaluation programs to report the results. [73]

Physical measures are also taken to prevent suicide. The government has reduced "access to lethal means of self-harm". As mentioned above in the methods, the government has restricted access to poisoning agents, monoxide from charcoal, and finally train platforms. This helps to decrease impulsive suicidal behavior. [73]

See also

General:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copycat suicide</span> Emulation of another suicide

A copycat suicide is defined as an emulation of another suicide that the person attempting suicide knows about either from local knowledge or due to accounts or depictions of the original suicide on television and in other media. The publicized suicide serves as a trigger, in the absence of protective factors, for the next suicide by a susceptible or suggestible person. This is referred to as suicide contagion.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people in the United States from the ages of 9 to 56.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide prevention</span> Collective efforts to reduce the incidence of suicide

Suicide prevention is a collection of efforts to reduce the risk of suicide. Suicide is often preventable, and the efforts to prevent it may occur at the individual, relationship, community, and society level. Suicide is a serious public health problem that can have long-lasting effects on individuals, families, and communities. Preventing suicide requires strategies at all levels of society. This includes prevention and protective strategies for individuals, families, and communities. Suicide can be prevented by learning the warning signs, promoting prevention and resilience, and committing to social change.

There are more than 700,000 estimated suicide deaths every year. Suicide affects every demographic, yet there are some populations that are more impacted than others. For example, among 15–29 year olds, suicide is much more prominent; this being the fourth leading cause of death within this age group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicidal ideation</span> Thoughts, ideas, or ruminations about the possibility of ending ones life

Suicidal ideation, or suicidal thoughts, is the thought process of having ideas, or ruminations about the possibility of committing suicide. It is not a diagnosis but is a symptom of some mental disorders, use of certain psychoactive drugs, and can also occur in response to adverse life events without the presence of a mental disorder.

Suicide risk assessment is a process of estimating the likelihood for a person to attempt or die by suicide. The goal of a thorough risk assessment is to learn about the circumstances of an individual person with regard to suicide, including warning signs, risk factors, and protective factors. Risk for suicide is re-evaluated throughout the course of care to assess the patient's response to personal situational changes and clinical interventions. Accurate and defensible risk assessment requires a clinician to integrate a clinical judgment with the latest evidence-based practice, although accurate prediction of low base rate events, such as suicide, is inherently difficult and prone to false positives.

Youth suicide is when a young person, generally categorized as someone below the legal age of majority, deliberately ends their own life. Rates of youth suicide and attempted youth suicide in Western societies and other countries are high. Youth suicide attempts are more common among girls, but adolescent males are the ones who usually carry out suicide. Suicide rates in youths have nearly tripled between the 1960s and 1980s. For example, in Australia suicide is second only to motor vehicle accidents as its leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 25.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide in the United States</span> Statistics and causes of suicide in the U.S.

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A suicide attempt is an act in which an individual tries to kill themselves but survives. Mental health professionals discourage describing suicide attempts as "failed" or "unsuccessful", as doing so may imply that a suicide resulting in death is a successful or desirable outcome.

Researchers study Social media and suicide to find if a correlation exists between the two. Some research has shown that there may be a correlation.

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In colleges and universities in the United States, suicide is one of the most common causes of death among students. Each year, approximately 24,000 college students attempt suicide while 1,100 students succeed in their attempt, making suicide the second-leading cause of death among U.S. college students. Roughly 12% of college students report the occurrence of suicide ideation during their first four years in college, with 2.6% percent reporting persistent suicide ideation. 65% of college students reported that they knew someone who has either attempted or died by suicide, showing that the majority of students on college campuses are exposed to suicide or suicidal attempts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mental health in South Korea</span>

Mental health issues are prevalent in South Korea, with the highest suicide rate in the OECD and the highest rate of hospitalizations for mental illness among OECD countries. South Korea has state-funded mental health services, the majority of which are inpatient hospital facilities, but they are largely underfunded and underutilized. Despite the prevalence of mental illness, social stigma remains prevalent throughout the South Korean population, which discourages sufferers from seeking treatment. Mental illness, while present across all demographic groups, is most common among the elderly and adolescents in South Korea.

Suicide among Native Americans in the United States, both attempted and completed, is more prevalent than in any other racial or ethnic group in the United States. Among American youths specifically, Native American youths also show higher rates of suicide than American youths of other races. Despite making up only 0.9% of the total United States population, American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs) are a significantly heterogeneous group, with 560 federally recognized tribes, more than 200 non-federally recognized tribes, more than 300 languages spoken, and one half or more of them living in urban areas. Suicide rates are likewise variable within AIAN communities. Reported rates range from 0 to 150 per 100,000 members of the population for different groups. Native American men are more likely to commit suicide than Native American women, but Native American women show a higher prevalence of suicidal behaviors. Interpersonal relationships, community environment, spirituality, mental healthcare, and alcohol abuse interventions are among subjects of studies about the effectiveness of suicide prevention efforts. David Lester calls attention to the existence and importance of theories of suicide developed by indigenous peoples themselves, and notes that they "can challenge traditional Western theories of suicide." Studies by Olson and Wahab as well as Doll and Brady report that the Indian Health Service has lacked the resources needed to sufficiently address mental health problems in Native American communities. The most complete records of suicide among Native Americans in the United States are reported by the Indian Health Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT health in South Korea</span>

The health access and health vulnerabilities experienced by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA) community in South Korea are influenced by the state's continuous failure to pass anti-discrimination laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The construction and reinforcement of the South Korean national subject, "kungmin," and the basis of Confucianism and Christian churches perpetuates heteronormativity, homophobia, discrimination, and harassment towards the LGBTQI community. The minority stress model can be used to explain the consequences of daily social stressors, like prejudice and discrimination, that sexual minorities face that result in a hostile social environment. Exposure to a hostile environment can lead to health disparities within the LGBTQI community, like higher rates of depression, suicide, suicide ideation, and health risk behavior. Korean public opinion and acceptance of the LGBTQI community have improved over the past two decades, but change has been slow, considering the increased opposition from Christian activist groups. In South Korea, obstacles to LGBTQI healthcare are characterized by discrimination, a lack of medical professionals and medical facilities trained to care for LGBTQI individuals, a lack of legal protection and regulation from governmental entities, and the lack of medical care coverage to provide for the health care needs of LGBTQI individuals. The presence of Korean LGBTQI organizations is a response to the lack of access to healthcare and human rights protection in South Korea. It is also important to note that research that focuses on Korean LGBTQI health access and vulnerabilities is limited in quantity and quality as pushback from the public and government continues.

"Suicidal ideation" or suicidal thoughts are the precursors of suicide, which is the leading cause of death among youth. Ideation or suicidal thoughts are categorized as: considering, seriously considering, planning, or attempting suicide and youth is typically categorized as individuals below the age of 25. Various research studies show an increased likelihood of suicide ideation in youth in the LGBT community.

Youth suicide in India is when young Indian people deliberately end their own life. People aged 15 to 24 years have the highest suicide rate in India, which is consistent with international trends in youth suicide. 35% of recorded suicides in India occur in this age group. Risk factors and methods of youth suicide differ from those in other age groups.

References

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