Government ministries will begin "psychological autopsies" next year to scientifically analyze the causes of youth suicides. A psychological autopsy examines various factors that influenced the death by reviewing interviews with bereaved families and related records such as suicide notes. The aim is to infer and verify the causes of suicide and establish evidence-based prevention policies.
The Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and the Korean National Police Agency signed a "youth psychological autopsy project memorandum of understanding" on the afternoon of the 20th at the President Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. Psychological autopsies are currently conducted only for adults, but starting next year they will be expanded to youth.
The ministries plan to jointly prepare a youth psychological autopsy manual and build a cooperative system for case identification, data sharing, and publicity. This year they will focus on record analysis and development of interview tools, and from next year they will conduct full-scale psychological autopsies. Taking into account the developmental characteristics of adolescents, they plan to comprehensively analyze various factors such as temperament, peer relationships, school life, and internet and game use.
Specifically, the Ministry of Health and Welfare will oversee the project, develop interview tools and guidelines, and carry out psychological autopsies. The Ministry of Education will collect and provide data related to student suicides and support interviews with bereaved families, teachers, and counselors. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will secure data on out-of-school youth to identify cases, and the Korean National Police Agency will provide investigative data.
Minister Jung Eun-kyeong of the Ministry of Health and Welfare said, "Youth suicide is not an individual problem but a structural issue that society must address together," and added, "We will detect hidden warning signs early and prepare prevention policies based on scientific evidence."