(HWANG)
Q1. President Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed an overhaul of the nation’s mental health policy promising to create a new presidential committee dedicated to overseeing mental health issues among Korean citizens. Does this indicate that the mental health of South Koreans has deteriorated to a level where it demands national attention?
(BERNSTEIN)
Q2. I understand that the UK has a government minister to lead suicide prevention efforts, while Japan has a ‘minister of loneliness’ to help alleviate the social isolation of certain groups of people. Are most advanced economies addressing mental health issues through national policies?
(HWANG)
Q3. A recent survey by South Korea’s health ministry showed that the majority of Koreans think that the government’s suicide prevention efforts actually help. From your perspective, are national-level policies and efforts effective in suicide prevention?
(BERNSTEIN)
Q4. It’s known that one in five U.S. adults lives with a mental illness. Give us a bird’s eye view of the framework of mental health policies in the U.S.
(HWANG)
Q5. President Yoon has vowed to provide psychological counseling services to one million people during this term. But due to Korea’s strong social stigma surrounding mental illnesses, many are hesitant to seek professional help even when experiencing mental health issues. How does the number of people undergoing psychological counseling in Korea compare to that in other advanced countries like the U.S. or the UK?
+What efforts are needed to break the stigma and make a society where people can freely reach out for professional help?
(BERNSTEIN)
Q6. The U.S. has been expanding measures to provide community-based services to help people with mental illnesses. Could you tell us a bit about this, and also about the ‘Healthy People 2030’ initiative? Have they been effective?
(HWANG)
Q7. The Yoon administration has rolled out ambitious tasks for the new presidential committee. It aims to increase the number of mental health emergency medical centers threefold, while building more mental rehabilitation facilities across the country, and it also plans to provide new homes for those with mental illnesses each year. But all these measures will need cooperation from communities. What are some lessons we can learn from the U.S.?
(BOTH)
Q8. What direction should South Korea’s mental health policy reform take, and what are your prospects?
Source : Arirang TV, https://www.arirang.com/news/view?id=272714
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