Screening for Depression and Suicidality in Adolescents: The Korean Annual Nationwide Survey

Depression is a major health problem among Korean youth. In Korean adolescents, depression often results in problems related to suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. The suicide rate is 4.7 per 100,000 in Korean youth ages 10 to 19 years and suicide is the leading cause of death in Korean adolescents ages 13 to 18 years.1 Notably, the suicide rate in Korea seems to be one of the highest among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Academic achievement is considered a key to overall success and is viewed as a survival response in highly competitive societies such as Korea.2 Therefore, considerable research attention has been paid towards the link between depression and Korean adolescents’ subjection to academic pressure and stress by both themselves and their parents.3 An adolescent’s depression tends to increase as a they advance in grade level, and one fifth of Korean adolescents has thought about committing suicide, mainly due to academic stress.3 This article aims to describe the systematic implementation of a depression screening and treatment program within secondary schools in Korea.