Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jajdude]

I believe there are a lot of sick people in this country who go about untreated and undiagnosed, and in need of medicine.

In Asia the stigma and embarrassment is high.

I see it so often.

Do you notice how many ill people there are?

There are a lot.
============================================================
(takes one to know one )

[peony]

what kind of crap thread is this?

[dulouz]

No actually, its not a crap thread. Asia doesn't believe in mental health. I was writing a paper and I came across an Time Asian edition and they said that was pretty much the case.

[jlb]

I do know that when I taught kindy, there was a kid in one my classes that I'm sure had ADD. I'm no expert, but I have taken some abnormal psych classes and this kid had every symptom. A text-book case, in my opinion. Anyway, I talked to his Korean (teacher...edit) and suggested that she talk to the parents about getting the kid tested, or whatever they do in Korea. Well, whatever they do in Korea is apparently nothing because the Korean teacher said that even if she talked to the parents, there was really nowhere they could take the kid.

Another incident, this time at a winter camp. I taught a kid that was moderately mentally retarded, like just not all there. He should not by any means have been in regular classes, but there he was. The other kids told me he just went to a regular school.

It's sad. These kids should get help but there doesn't appear to be many resources in Korea for them.

[Deconstructor]

[Real Reality]

from an article in the Korea Times:

"Koreans tend to think the problem is caused by someone else, that it does not lie within the Self," Professor Chey Jean-yung said. Just about every Korean suffers from soul-deadening mental, physical or emotional tiredness.

"But first of all we must do complete self-examination. Our history testifies that Korean people have lacked serious self-examination," Professor Rhee Dong-shick explained. Due to political hard times, dirty money and competition people feel that they are not being treated nicely.

For Koreans it is still easier to deal with the physical problem than the psychological problem. 'I am not crazy. Why do I have to see a psychiatrist?' is often the angry protest when a patient refuses help. Although Western psychiatry was introduced to Korea about 100 years ago, its practice has been somewhat less than successful. This is mainly because many patients still seek help from herbal medicines, health foods, faith healing, and shamanism.

Traditional medicine especially plays a strong role in Korean society where each visceral organ is believed to have a specific (symbolic) emotional or mental function. To acknowledge having a psychological or emotional problem would require exploring one's inner conflicts. Thus, 'I have a stomachache' instead of 'I am depressed.'

Professor Chey would like Koreans to "look inside" and explore their inner worlds. When she returned from the United States nine years ago, she noticed a lot of anger and stress in Seoul.
Do You Need Therapy?
By Lizette Potgieter, Korea Times (March 18, 2004)
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/culture/200403/kt2004031817153511680.htm

[Deconstructor]

[peony]

i wasnt going for grammatically correct- i happen to be a native new yorker/gyopo, dont assume things

[fidel]

[Deconstructor]

[Deconstructor]

[quote="fidel"]

[kermo]

I had a Korean student in Canada who was (and unfortunately is) suffering from severe mental problems. Her hands were chapped from obsessive washing, and she had debilitating and irrational fears, e.g., she wouldn't go for walks because she was afraid she would suddenly be too weak to get home.

I felt obligated to mention something to her mother. I can't remember what I said, but it didn't do any good.

As for kids with "special needs," there's good news and bad news. At my elementary school, there's a special needs program run by well-trained and earnest young women. The kids in it have Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other visible ailments. They are integrated into regular classrooms, and often they are treated with affection and understanding by their classmates.
As for the kids with behavioural issues, I'm afraid the news isn't so good. Drugs are definitely not available, and ADD or HDHD isn't considered anything but a discipline issue.

[uberscheisse]

every time i've discussed it with kids, they've approached the words "���� ����" (spelling?) as heinous swear words.

of course, if i look in the old dictionary, i find that ���� ���� means 'crazy person, lunatic, mentally ill person.

so i ask them the context - like if you are a doctor and say "um, mr. kim, you're ���� ����", it's not so bad.

but if you're in the mall and someone spills coffee on you and you say "���� ����!!!" you're going to get in a fight.

which suggests to me that being crazy is a source of shame and insult.

really a shame. in vancouver, we closed/downsized the biggest mental hospital in the province in favor of 'community living' which has both positive and negative effects - it destigmatizes the functional mentally ill person. however, it gives them the freedom to self-medicate...

which is a really good reason why vancouver's downtown eastside is full of 1. crazy people and 2. junkies/crackheads. it's not the root cause but a really nice wild card in an already volatile space.

i'm thankful that the only self-medication here is soju and that soju's cheap. it's at least predictable.

now do the bipolar princesses of gangnam count too?

[babydriver]

Having once been a licensed professional in the field, I feel qualified to comment. These people are nucking futs. That's a word us licensed professionals use.

I think the overall level of diagnosable mental illness in Korea is probably more or less the same as in other (over)developed nations.

I know they do have psychiatrists and psychologists, and yes, even clinical social workers, but I don't know what their system is or how it works.

I know it isn't like New York's or California's.

I'm trying to be clear about what I know so I don't get called bad names like racist or generalist or knowitall or whatever.

[Derrek]

Yes, there is a lot of it, but in some cases, classmates help to take care of the ones who have it (at least in an all-girls school).

I can think of two -- possibly 3 girls who have mental problems. Each of them has some close friends who hang around them and sort of keep them on track.

Those are girls, though. I don't think boys have classmates who watch out for them as much (although I don't teach boys, this is the impression I've gotten while here). The retarded boys end up more like Wangta -- or outcast.