Korean Job Discussion Forums

[in_seoul_2003]

*Sigh* Where to begin?

http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2008/03/137_21243.html

Excellence of Korean Psychiatrists, Nurses

By Lee Min-hwan

I am writing to talk about the excellence of Korea's psychiatrists and their nurses. In my opinion, the quality of medical treatment afforded by these professionals is extremely high and probably better than the psychiatric treatment offered in other countries.

First of all, their levels of knowledge and know-how of psychiatry are very high. As a matter of course, they are very intelligent and it is my surmise that they have studied psychiatry enthusiastically. Not only that, they work extremely hard.

Secondly, their success in providing medical treatment to people who need clinical treatment has been superb. As far as I know, people who need psychiatric treatment have been receiving effective therapy with a lot of care on the part of Korean psychiatrists and nurses.

It has been said from a long time ago that people who receive psychiatric treatment are much more mentally healthy and sound than people who do not seek psychiatric treatment, which might sound ironical. Therefore, Korean people should know that it is not an embarrassing thing at all to ask for psychiatric treatment and, rather, if one feels one is suffering psychological problems, one should go to a psychiatrist without further ado and without feeling embarrassed.

It is a great problem, indeed, that Korean society looks askance at people receiving mental treatment. A long time ago, depression was considered something very serious. But, nowadays, this is far less the case. Yet these days, people suffering from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are considered by the Korean society, at large, as having significant issues. I am sure however, that as time passes, modern medicine will very quickly make advancements with regard to psychiatric treatment and the mental disorders of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder will be considered slight and minor disorders that are not at all embarrassing or serious.

Thirdly, Korean psychiatrists and their nurses are so splendid that they cure mental illnesses very quickly, probably quicker than psychiatrists and nurses overseas. I am aware of the fact that Korean psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses are extremely good at applications of modern psychiatric theories, knowledge, and know-how. Although they are perhaps a little behind their researcher counterparts in the United States, especially because they are very busy with their psychiatric practice, they are very capable in their application of theory and knowledge.

The number of the people who commit suicide because of mental problems and other reasons seems to be rather high here in Korea. However, as Korean psychiatrists and nurses are more than capable in treating patients with minor and major mental disorders, I really feel that people should never commit suicide and, instead, should visit a hospital with a department of psychiatry or neuropsychiatry or a psychiatric clinic. I have heard that quite a few entrepreneurs and entertainers have committed suicide, but feel that their precious lives could have been saved quite easily if they went to a psychiatrist. In addition, again to the best of my knowledge, curing mental illnesses seems to be simpler and easier than people think: All that people suffering from psychological problems have to do are to visit a psychiatrist, get counseling from the psychiatrist, meticulously follow the instructions of the psychiatrist, and, when necessary and prescribed by the doctor, take the medicine. This is especially so because Korean psychiatrists are extremely accurate with their diagnoses and pharmaceutical treatment.

Fourthly, I am aware of the fact that Korean psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses really care about their patients. I have never seen a psychiatrist who is not deeply committed to curing his or her patients. Although Korean psychiatrists are extremely busy, they do their best to provide excellent counseling and therapy, in particular. Especially, it seems that with the Korean economy currently being in a prolonged recession and with Korean society being somewhat unstable these days, psychiatrists and nurses working in psychiatry are tremendously busy. Nevertheless, it is apparent that they have been doing their utmost to provide excellent medical care.

Fifthly and lastly, the coordination and cooperation between Korean psychiatrists and nurses in psychiatric departments of hospitals or psychiatric clinics is really superb. Their extremely good collaboration really contributes to the quick medical treatment of their patients.

In conclusion, Korean psychiatrists and nurses working in psychiatry deserve a lot of admiration and respect, especially because they work hard, do their utmost to cure their patients, and engage in highly intellectual psychiatric research.

The writer is president of a translation firm, ``Maum Communications." He can be reached at [email protected].

[poet13]

president of a translation company.... what a joke.
Other than that, it's just more of "Korea, more than full of itself."

[ceesgetdegrees]

God damn being so well adjusted, if only i was a raving wack job like the author of this article i'd be able to reville in the glory that is korean psychiatric care.

[spliff]

From what I've witnessed in my years I'd have to say that the opposite is true. There are three guys at my gym that have out loud conversations with themselves. One of my neighbors comes home every night and screams in some barbaric language in his room all alone. Also, he gets VERY angry when he sees adverts on doors and runs around the building and taking each one off and then throws them out the top floor window. When he starts his car in the morning, no matter the weather, he floors the pedal for 5 mins straight. I've heard that he is a surgeon. The author is talking out of his hat. The real focus is...hey look at my English ability (although it was probably a paid edit) and doesn't even come close to relating an accurate picture of mental health in Korea, a country which has one of the highest rates of suicide in the world.

[nicholas_chiasson]

I say let the surgeon blow off his steam anywya he can provided it isn't on the job...

[mateomiguel]

how about some facts? figures? examples? Hell, a secondhand anecdote would add tons of value to this piece. But right now its just saying that Korean psychiatrists are great because Korean psychiatrists are great, so you should go see one today. It sucks as an essay, and it sucks as an advertisement. Its an entirely useless block of text.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Her writing teacher did quite a good job of teaching her signal words.

[flakfizer]

That was painful. I might need psychiatric help after reading that garbage. Everything in there was qualified with, "as far as I know" or "I've heard" or "seems to me." Even when he talked about the suicides of entertainers, he couldn't be bothered with digging up an example or two. He'd just "heard" that some committed suicide.

[rsmm0224]

[Fishead soup]

Instead of an ice cream truck I suggest a small van offering mobile phyciatric services

[PeterDragon]

That read like a B- middle school English term paper. Which isn't half bad for a non-native English speaker raised to speak an altaic language....

But probably shouldn't be presented as journalism.

[jetrash]

...its satire,right?


very, very, clever.very evolved.i like it
...now lets have more essays on how korean architects are the best in the world...or korean police.. or korean male astronauts.....the possibilities are endless.


isnt the suicide rate here in the hub of hell one of the worlds highest?

[JongnoGuru]

(oh man, I LIVE for this sort of shit from the locals!! The readers griping about the author in the Korea Times comments section and here are clearly a bunch of humourless n00bs to K-land. )

[jetrash]

in exacting tests,executed to the latest american standards,korean nutters have been CURED twice as fast by world-class expert clean korean doctors.

its true.


cos i said so.


wheres the soju?

[billybrobby]

I think it's a laudable effort to get Koreans to give psychiatry a try. Laudable in its intent, that is. In its execution, it's excerable. Unconvincing and without supporting evidence. Why did they bother to translate this into English? And if it was originally in English, why bother writing it? Americans are all too familiar with better living through chemistry.

I say they should let Tom Cruise talk to this guy and see if he doesn't bore holes into his flesh with his psycho eyes.