The number of patients in their 20s and 30s who visit hospitals with depression has nearly doubled in the past 4 years. In particular, it was analyzed that the number of young people who could not adapt to the changed lifestyle due to COVID-19 that occurred in 2020 increased.
According to data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service on the 29th, between 2017 and 2021, the number of depressed patients increased by 34% from 680,000 to 910,000. Among them, the number of patients by 2030 nearly doubled from 159,000 to 310,000.
In particular, the number of depressed patients increased the most (72,977) between 2020 and 2021, which was the period of Corona 19. Male and female depression patients in their 30s also increased the most during the same period (5,563 , 14,384). Male depression patients in their 20s showed an increase of 6730 between 2020 and 2021, the second highest after 2017-2018 (7920). Depression patients in their 20s also increased by 20,038 during the same period, following the 2019-2020 (22,881).
Park Jin-gyeong, a professor of psychiatry at Kyunghee University Hospital in Gangdong, looked into the rapid increase in depression in the 2030s.
She-Is there an increase in clinic visits by young people, could it be the impact of COVID-19?
“According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s health and medical big data open portal, it can be seen that the diagnosis rate of depression in their 20s and 30s has significantly increased since COVID-19. It can be interpreted as not being able to adapt to the changes in the world and having a hard time.”
-How do you differentiate between depression and anxiety disorders?”
“Anxiety may be one of the main symptoms when diagnosing depression. In many cases, the two coexist, and if you suffer from an anxiety disorder for a long time, depressive disorder may come as a complication. However, there are also more specialized diagnostic criteria for diagnosing anxiety disorders. It is up to the doctor to differentiate between a depressive disorder and an anxiety disorder. It is not a part that can be diagnosed only by symptoms, but can be judged according to the patient’s condition or situation.” -What
kind of symptoms should I go to the hospital for?
“Depressive or anxiety disorders are composed of various factors. Depression is a normal emotion. However, along with this, you should be suspicious if you have symptoms that are annoying, nervous, and don’t know what to do. These feelings are among the mood symptoms of a depressive disorder. These mood symptoms account for about one-third of the diagnostic criteria for depressive disorders.”
“One of the other representative symptoms is the thinking symptom. It refers to thinking, ‘Why do I live?’ It belongs to this category. When this thought symptom gets serious, it expands to ‘It’s better to die’ or ‘I just need to disappear.’ Also, physical symptoms or behavioral symptoms such as difficulty sleeping, waking up frequently, or loss of appetite If it gets serious, there will also be lethargy symptoms that make it difficult to move because the body is too heavy. If you are depressed, anxious, and do not get out of negative thoughts, you need to see a hospital. If you are experiencing problems in your job, study area, or interpersonal relationships, I strongly recommend that you see a specialist.”
– What kind of treatment do you receive?스포츠토토
“The most practical and realistic treatment is drug treatment. Commonly, when talking about mental health medicine and treatment, we think of counseling treatment, or mental treatment in more accurate terms. It is because it is the fastest and most effective.Of course, medication alone cannot improve all symptoms, but considering that most of the symptoms of depression and anxiety disorders are physical symptoms, medication is a very appropriate treatment method. It can be seen as serving as a foundation for a complete cure.”
– Lastly, is there anything you would like to say?
“You should refrain from hasty words or advice such as ‘You’re not the only one struggling’ or ‘I know how hard it is’. Looking at the difficult situation of an acquaintance and just listening can be enough help. What is depression disorder? What is depression? It only has some symptoms, but in fact it is a complex collection of various symptoms. The same goes for anxiety disorders. It is not wrong to say that depression or anxiety disorders are ‘diseases of the mind’. However, mind and mood symptoms are diagnostic criteria Mental health diseases are not only ‘diseases of the mind’, but complex diseases of the nervous system, and a healthy body is essential to support them. That’s what it should be. To overcome depression, you have to be considerate of sleeping well, eating well, and resting well.”