Written by Jaden Parker

(I have added translations of these sections at the bottom of the page for those who need it.)

While some may find the Japanese education system something to be admired, it is evident that it takes a major toll on children’s mental health. According to a report by UNICEF and OECD, Japanese children ranked first out of 39 countries for physical health but placed 37th for mental health. Suicides by those under 20 has been increasing rapidly in Japan since 2000, with most attributing the causes to school stress (i.e. bullying and academic pressure), family, and health. Culturally, Japanese people discourage seeking help for mental issues; it’s seen as a weakness rather than a condition. Thus, for quite some time, Japan had low reported rates of mental illness. In 2022, Japan reported that for every 100,000 people there were a little over 17 suicides. With a current population of 124,631,000, that is over 20,000 suicides in 2022 alone. 

Luckily, recent government funding toward mental health treatment has been implemented. PTSD, depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia are all being treated and acknowledged as illnesses at the social level. Also, they have developed an app called emol that is a self-help cognitive behavioral therapy utilizing artificial intelligence. If you or someone you know is suffering from mental illness in Japan, know that you aren’t alone. These hard feelings will soon pass. Reach out to the resources below for help.

Tokyo English Lifeline call center at 03-5774-0992 (open every day from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.)

Tokyo English Lifeline chat service at https://telljp.com/lifeline/ (open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m.)

Tokyo Counseling Services at 03-5431-3096

Japan Helpline for any type of emergency 24/7/365 at 050-6879-9956

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For people in South Korea, suicide is the leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 39. Over 104,000 people as of 2021 have registered as having mental disabilities. While the suicide rate has declined in comparison to a decade ago, South Korea takes spot number one as the country with the highest suicide rate of the OECD. Current doctors hope that the psychiatric treatment gap—the gap of people who need help but don’t receive it—will shrink as younger generations push to seek mental health assistance. While it will take a long time to move mental health care toward a positive direction, South Korea unveiled a plan to lower suicide rates at the end of last year.

Before now, Koreans get state-provided mental health checkups every ten years once they turn 20 until they’re 70. With the new state-wide plan, there will be government-implemented checkups every two years for people between the ages of 20 and 34. They plan to expand this to all age groups later on. The “target disease list” for these checkups was updated to include depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. President Yoon Suk Yeol addressed the strain the ailing birth rate is having on the growth of the country. “Now is the time for the country to take active measures to ensure the mental (health) of its people. Mental health issues are not something individuals can take care of. We must make it an important national agenda and seek solutions,” Yoon said.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental illness and is residing in South Korea, you can utilize one of the two hotlines below. Remember that no emotion can last forever. This too shall pass.

New Mental Health Crisis Hotline at 109

Ministry of Health and Welfare’s helpline at 1393

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Now, heading over to China, depression and anxiety are the two most prevalent mental illnesses. As with the aforementioned countries, there is a major stigma around needing mental illness treatment. Only 20% of general hospitals in China have a psychiatric department. In the early 2000s, the 686 Program was implemented to reform treatment accessibility, equitable mental health care, and intervention programs for continuity of care. With this, four types of psychoses were added to the program as a focus: schizophrenia, delusional disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder. On May 1, 2013, the Mental Health Law was released, protecting the rights and interests of people with mental disorders. However, like every country in the world in 2020, COVID-19 had a major effect on the mental health of many Chinese citizens. 

Just a year prior to the pandemic, over 160 million people were suffering from a mental illness in China. The World Health Organization says that the pandemic increased this amount by 25% due to educational disruption, lockdowns, and uncertainty in the economy. Luckily, in urban areas of China psychological counseling has become a major part of society. The young generations of those areas are seeking healing through psychotherapy now more than ever. If you or someone you know is struggling with a mental illness, please look at the resources below. Know that you are not alone and someone is always there to support you.

Lifeline, the confidential support line in China from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at 400-821-1215

Lifeline Shanghai at (021) 6279-8990

Lifeline Yanji at (0433) 273 9595

Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center’s 24-hour services at 0800-810-1117 / 010-8295-1332

Guangzhou Crisis Research and Intervention Center’s 24-hour services at 020-81899120 / 020-12320-5

Free professional counseling 24/7 from Shenzhen Mental Health Center at 0755-25629459

日本の教育制度を称賛に値するものと感じる人もいるかもしれないが、それが子どもたちの精神的健康に大きなダメージを与えていることは明らかである。ユニセフと経済協力開発機構（ＯＥＣＤ）の報告書によると、日本の子どもの身体的健康は３９カ国中１位だったが、精神的健康は３７位だった。日本では2000年以降、20歳未満の自殺が急速に増加しており、その原因のほとんどが学校でのストレス（いじめや学業のプレッシャーなど）、家族、健康にあるとされている。文化的に、日本人は精神的な問題について助けを求めることを躊躇します。それは状態ではなく弱点として見なされます。したがって、かなり長い間、日本では精神疾患の報告率が低かったのです。 2022 年、日本では人口 10 万人あたり 17 人強の自殺者がいると報告されました。現在の人口は1億2,463万1,000人で、2022年だけで2万人を超える自殺者がいることになります。

幸いなことに、最近ではメンタルヘルス治療に対する政府の資金援助が実施されています。 PTSD、うつ病、ADHD、双極性障害、統合失調症はすべて社会レベルで病気として扱われ、認識されています。また、人工知能を活用した自助型認知行動療法であるemolというアプリも開発している。もしあなたやあなたの知人が日本で精神疾患に苦しんでいるなら、あなたは一人ではないことを知ってください。この辛い気持ちもすぐに過ぎ去ります。サポートが必要な場合は、以下のリソースにお問い合わせください。

東京イングリッシュライフライン コールセンター 03-5774-0992（年中無休 午前9時から午後11時まで）

Tokyo English Lifeline チャットサービス https://telljp.com/lifeline/ (金・土・日 午後 10 時 30 分から午前 2 時まで)

東京カウンセリングサービス 03-5431-3096

あらゆる種類の緊急事態に対応するジャパン ヘルプライン 24 時間 365 日、050-6879-9956

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대한민국에서 자살은 10세~39세의 주요 사망 원인입니다. 2021년 기준으로 104,000명이 넘는 사람들이 정신 장애가 있는 것으로 등록되었습니다. 자살률은 10년 전에 비해 감소했지만, 한국은 OECD에서 자살률이 가장 높은 국가로 1위를 차지했습니다. 현직 의사들은 젊은 세대가 정신 건강 지원을 추구함에 따라 정신과 치료 격차, 즉 도움이 필요하지만 받지 못하는 사람들의 격차가 줄어들기를 바라고 있습니다. 정신보건의료가 긍정적인 방향으로 나아가기까지는 오랜 시간이 걸리겠지만, 한국은 지난해 말 자살률을 낮추겠다는 계획을 발표했다.

기존 우리나라 국민은 20세부터 70세까지 10년마다 정부가 실시하는 정신건강검진을 받았으나, 새로운 국가계획에 따르면 20~34세까지 정부가 실시하는 정신건강검진을 받게 된다. 2년마다. 앞으로는 전 연령층으로 확대할 계획이다. 이 검사 대상 질병 목록은 우울증, 정신분열증, 양극성 장애를 포함하도록 업데이트되었습니다. 윤석열 총장은 출산율 악화가 국가 성장에 미치는 부담을 언급했다. “이제 국가는 국민의 정신(건강)을 보장하기 위한 적극적인 조치를 취해야 할 때입니다. 정신건강 문제는 개인이 해결할 수 있는 문제가 아닙니다. 그는 “이를 중요한 국가 의제로 삼아 해결책을 찾아야 한다”고 말했다.

귀하 또는 귀하가 아는 사람이 정신 질환으로 어려움을 겪고 있으며 한국에 거주하고 있다면 아래 두 개의 핫라인 중 하나를 이용할 수 있습니다. 어떤 감정도 영원히 지속될 수 없다는 것을 기억하세요. 이 또한 지나가 리라.

새로운 정신 건강 위기 핫라인 109번

보건복지부 상담전화 1393

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现在，回到中国，抑郁和焦虑是两种最普遍的精神疾病。与上述国家一样，需要精神疾病治疗存在很大的耻辱。中国只有20%的综合医院设有精神科。 2000 年代初期，实施了 686 计划，以改革治疗可及性、公平的精神卫生保健以及护理连续性的干预计划。这样，四种类型的精神病被添加到该计划中作为重点：精神分裂症、妄想症、分裂情感性障碍和双相情感障碍。 2013年5月1日，《精神卫生法》发布，保护精神障碍患者权益。然而，与 2020 年世界上每个国家一样，COVID-19 对许多中国公民的心理健康产生了重大影响。

就在疫情爆发前一年，中国有超过 1.6 亿人患有精神疾病。世界卫生组织表示，由于教育中断、封锁和经济的不确定性，疫情使这一数字增加了 25%。幸运的是，在中国的城市地区，心理咨询已经成为社会的一个重要组成部分。这些地区的年轻一代现在比以往任何时候都更愿意通过心理治疗寻求治疗。如果您或您认识的人正在与精神疾病作斗争，请查看以下资源。要知道你并不孤单，有人总是在支持你。

Lifeline，中国的保密支持热线，工作时间为上午 10 点至晚上 10 点。 400-821-1215

上海生命线 (021) 6279-8990

延吉生命线 (0433) 273 9595

北京自杀研究与预防中心24小时服务电话0800-810-1117 / 010-8295-1332

广州危机研究与干预中心24小时服务电话020-81899120 / 020-12320-5

深圳市精神卫生中心24/7免费专业咨询电话0755-25629459