By Vittorio Hernandez

Seoul, South Korea

Suicide rates in South Korea more than doubled in a decade, according to figures from the government.

In 2009, more than 40 Koreans took their lives daily in the country. The number is twice compared to 1999 and five times compared to 1989.

Among the reasons for the rise in number of suicides is imitation as celebrities take their lives. Prominent Koreans who have committed suicides in recent years include 39-year-old actor Choi Jin-young, his actress-sister Choi Jin-sil, and former President Roh Moo-hyun, who jumped off a cliff to his death.

After Choi Jin-sil's death, 1,700 other Koreans joined her in sympathetic suicides, which earned for the country the title "Suicide capital of the world." With a suicide rate of 26 people for every 100,000 inhabitants in 2008, South Korea's life-taking rate is 2.5 times higher than the United States and neighbor Japan, which has suicide as part of the Japanese culture.

Prior to South Korea's economic progress, suicide rates had been high in the country. However, a richer life also led to higher levels of stress, which triggered more suicides.

Despite the high rates of suicides, the topic remains a forbidden one caused by the shame of admitting being overtaken by stress. Because of the negative image of the word "psychiatry," hospitals had to create departments named "neuropsychiatry" to convince people with mental problems to seek professional help.

A growing number of the suicide incidents involve youth, which has even led to the formation of Internet sites for suicide groups.

The problem spurred the Parliament to pass new legislation that granted the government more responsibility for the prevention of suicides, including the installation of emergency phones on bridges and the establishment of suicide prevention centers nationwide.

 

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World - South Korea Suicide Rate Doubles in 10 Years | Global Viewpoint