The number of patients with depression and bipolar disorder increased by 47% in 6 years\nThe number of children under the age of 10 doubled and quadrupled\nTotal medical expenses in the first half of the year\nA total of KRW 487.1 billion
The number of people suffering from depression or bipolar disorder has increased by almost 50% in six years. In particular, the deterioration in mental health of adolescents, especially children under the age of 10, is becoming more evident.
According to data submitted by Kim Mi-ae, a member of the National Health and Welfare Committee, from the National Health Insurance Corporation on the 30th, the number of depression patients in Korea last year was 1,106,744, an increase of 47.0% compared to 752,976 in 2018. During the same period, medical expenses for patients with depression nearly doubled from KRW 390.8 billion to KRW 761.5 billion. Depression refers to a disease in which depression leads to depression for no particular reason and reduces overall physical activity and mental function in daily life.
The number of patients with bipolar disorder is also rapidly increasing. Last year, the number of patients with bipolar disorder in Korea was 139,731, a 45.7% increase from 95,911 in 2018. During the same period, medical expenses for bipolar disorder patients also increased by 57.0% from 116.1 billion won to 182.3 billion won.
Bipolar disorder is a disease in which the mood is excessively excited and dominated by depression. Also called ‘bipolar disorder’, mania and depression occur alternately or simultaneously, leading to a decline in mental and physical functions.
The number of patients with depression and bipolar disorder is expected to increase further this year. As of the first half of this year, there were 843,671 patients with depression and 114,265 patients with bipolar disorder. The medical expenses for patients with depression are 393.2 billion won, and those with bipolar disorder are KRW 93.9 billion, raising the possibility that the total medical expenses for both diseases will exceed 1 trillion won for the first time this year.
In particular, the number of young patients under the age of 30 increased significantly, and this was especially noticeable in children under the age of 10. Last year, the number of patients with depression under the age of 10 was 2,162, more than double the number in 2018 (967). The number of bipolar disorder patients under the age of 10 also increased 4.3 times in 6 years, from 95 to 408 during the same period.
Looking at the increase rate of depression patients by age, △ those under 10 years old (967 → 2,162 people) were 123.6%, △ those in their 30s (91,156 → 191,123) were 112.0%, and △ those in their 20s (97,675 → 194,638), 99.3%. △ Appeared to be in the teens (37,250 → 73,075). It was 96.2%. The number of young depression patients has increased rapidly, with the proportion of depression patients in their 30s and younger reaching 41.7%.
By gender, women were more likely to be diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder than men. Last year, the proportion of women among patients with depression and bipolar disorder was 67.2% and 62.4%, respectively.
Representative Kim Mi-ae said, “Depression and bipolar disorder are not simply individual diseases, but pathologies of the social structure,” and added, “The government must intervene early and expand the budget to address mental health problems, which are increasing, especially among youth and women.”
