Just over half of the respondents said they attempted suicide while under the influence. (image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Sept. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Three in ten people sent to emergency rooms after a failed suicide attempt were in their 20’s, while 36 percent of all those who attempted suicide said that it was not their first attempt.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare conducted a survey of 1,500 adults who had visited the emergency room following a failed suicide attempt, 28.1 percent of whom were in their 20s. Another 18.1 percent were in their 50s, and 18 percent were in their 40s.
Among them, the proportion of those who lived alone, in contrast to those living with their family, rose from 15.3 percent in 2013 to 26.8 percent this year.
At 36.5 percent, more than one third said they had attempted suicide in the past.
Just over half of the respondents said they attempted suicide while under the influence. Among them, 58 percent were men, and 48.7 percent were women.
Three quarters of the respondents had prior medical records at psychiatric clinics, up by 24.9 percent since 2013 (49.6 percent).
Among ordinary citizens, 18.5 percent said they had considered committing suicide, a drop of 4.3 percentage points since 2013 (22.8 percent).
The reasons behind the suicide attempts involved economic difficulties (34.9 percent), family issues (26.5 percent), and problems related to school grades, tests, and career options (11.2 percent).
Among them, however, only 4.8 percent said they had consulted a doctor.
As for the reasons for not consulting a doctor, 40.3 percent said that “it will go away in time,” while 30.3 percent said that “consultation won’t solve the problem.”
“While public awareness on suicide has increased in our society, the level of acceptance and perception towards prevention has gotten worse,” said Jang Young-jin, an official at the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
