'My Precious Child' psychologist Oh Eun-young raised concerns that adolescent depression is becoming a social problem.
On the 19th episode of Channel A's My Modern Parenting - My Precious Child, a story titled "My second-year middle school son says extreme things — could this be adolescent depression?" was aired, and Oh Eun-young spoke about adolescent depression.
That day, the second-year middle schooler nicknamed Geumjjok not only led a reclusive life but sent texts to his father saying, "Please don't look for me," and "Running away is better than being stressed," and shocked viewers by saying extreme things like "I want to die."
Oh Eun-young began by saying, "This is not someone else's problem. There are many people around us who seemed fine but are experiencing these difficulties once they enter adolescence."
She added, "The leading cause of death among Korean adolescents is 'intentional self-harm.' It is overwhelmingly higher than traffic accidents, cancer or other illnesses. It breaks my heart. It is so sad," conveying the seriousness.
Meanwhile, after a long silence, Geumjjok told the production staff, "I have thoughts of wanting to die," but also asked for help, saying, "Please help me." At the counseling center, Geumjjok had counseling but showed a severe condition, answering "I don't remember" at times and drawing pictures of standing alone in the rain.
The test results placed him in a high-risk group. Oh Eun-young analyzed, "When I look at our Geumjjok, his face looks sad. Tears seem like they could burst out any moment. His voice is very quiet. He is in a state of very low confidence," calling it "adolescent depression."
Above all, Geumjjok, arguing with his father over a report card, said, "I'd rather die than take exams." He even retorted to his angry father, "Then let's die together now."
At that moment, Geumjjok suddenly headed to the kitchen and made a potentially explosive move that shocked the studio. The footage was ultimately withheld from broadcast, and Oh Eun-young explained, "This has become a social problem these days. Children are self-harming and visiting self-harm websites to share with each other. This is called non-suicidal self-injury, self-harm without suicidal intent."
She continued, "In particular, adolescence is a period when impulsivity increases more than at any other time in a person's life. Thoughts can turn into actions immediately, and if luck is against you, something serious can happen. So he is currently in a very difficult state," she said with concern.
[Photo] Screen capture from My Modern Parenting - My Precious Child
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