The number of South Korean teenagers receiving treatment for anxiety disorders has soared by more than 60% over the past four years. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of South Korean teenagers receiving treatment for anxiety disorders has soared by more than 60% over the past four years, reflecting mounting mental health concerns among the nation’s youth.
According to data released Friday by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA), 41,611 individuals aged 10 to 19 were treated for anxiety disorders in 2024 — an 8.7% increase from the previous year and a 65.2% jump from 2020, when the figure stood at 25,192.
The upward trend has been steady: 32,008 cases were recorded in 2021, rising to 37,401 in 2022, and 38,283 in 2023.
The increase was even sharper among children under 10, whose anxiety-related treatments nearly doubled from 2,311 in 2020 to 4,336 last year — an 87.6% surge.
By comparison, the total number of anxiety disorder patients across all age groups rose by 20.2% during the same period, from 757,251 in 2020 to 910,385 in 2024. Yet youth under 20 exhibited the most dramatic growth in cases.
Other age groups also saw notable increases: patients in their 20s rose 24.7%, 30s by 30.0%, and 40s by 25.3%. Smaller gains were reported among those in their 50s (12.4%), 60s (14.7%), 70s (4.2%), 80s (16.7%), and even 90s (50.3%).
Anxiety disorders — including panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety, and selective mutism — can cause debilitating fear and distress that interfere with daily life.
Experts point to a mix of contributing factors behind the surge among adolescents: mounting academic pressures, relentless social comparison driven by social media, and improved access to mental health care.
“More teens may be experiencing anxiety and depression as they compare themselves with idealized lives on social media,” said Dr. Hong Soon-beom, a child psychiatrist at Seoul National University Hospital.
Hong also noted a cultural shift. “The stigma around seeing a psychiatrist is weakening, lowering the threshold for seeking help,” he said. “Parents are increasingly turning to mental health professionals after encountering child psychiatry content on TV and YouTube.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
