Operate the national mental health information portal and prepare 13 safe buses
Strengthening support for patients with mental illness…Designated 14 mental emergency medical centers by region
“The number of suicide deaths will be lowered to the level of 21.5 per 100,000”
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The government will invest a total of 2 trillion won in mental health budget from this year to 2025. This is to respond to the mental health problem that is becoming more serious due to the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19).
The government announced on the 14th that it has confirmed the 2nd Basic Mental Health Welfare Plan (Comprehensive Measures for Mind Health for the Whole People) at the National Pending Review and Coordination Meeting. The government plans to allocate 270 billion won to the mental health field next year and increase the budget to 340 billion won in 2022, 410 billion won in 2023, 460 billion won in 2024, and 520 billion won in 2025.
The budget is allocated to reinforce public functions such as emergency and drug addiction treatment of the National Mental Hospital and to secure specialists in mental health welfare centers. It is also invested in research and development (R&D) specialized in mental health such as’smart ward’ to protect patient human rights, non-face-to-face intervention technology, and digital therapy. In addition, the government decided to expand and reorganize the Suicide Prevention Policy Committee into the Mental Health Welfare Policy Deliberation Committee to strengthen cooperation among ministries in the field of mental health.
◇’Corona Blue’ recovery support… Expanded to 7 trauma centers by region
Support for curing’Corona Blue’, a feeling of depression caused by Corona 19, will also be expanded. It operates the’National Mental Health Information Portal’, which provides information related to mental health, and will also hold the’National Mental Health Forum’ from next year. The number of’reliable buses’ targeting vulnerable groups such as corona 19 responders, the disabled and the elderly will increase from 1 last year to 13 this year. The government plans to provide consulting services in the way of visiting schools starting this year to support students living in vulnerable areas. The psychological recovery and mental health programs for faculty and school managers are scheduled to be operated 30 times this year.
The foundation for psychological support for disasters such as Corona 19 will also be established. The government plans to operate the’Disaster Psychology Recovery Support Group’ to support the recovery of the victims’ psychology in the event of a disaster, and increase the number of trauma centers in each region from two locations last year to seven in 2023 for professional consultation. A self-management method based on information and communication technology that can check mental health-related information and conduct self-examination is also developed and distributed from next year. As the use of digital devices such as smartphones increases due to the prolonged COVID-19 outbreak, cooperation with disability prevention projects and treatments will also be strengthened.
◇Strengthening support for mentally ill patients… Includes job security measures
Support for high-risk mental disorders and patients will also be strengthened. For emergency treatment of mentally ill patients, it plans to designate 14 mental emergency medical centers by region by 2025, and secure emergency teams and beds waiting for 24 hours. When the pilot project that adds hospitalization fees and psychiatric first aid fees during emergency hospitalization is completed in 2022, it is decided to consider a plan to system them from 2023. It lowers the density of closed wards that have raised issues due to the COVID-19 outbreak. It was decided to improve the standard of facilities for psychiatric institutions by 2023 by reducing the maximum number of beds from 10 to 6 and stipulating the separation distance per bed. In 2022, standards for allocation of wards and medical personnel by severity will be established. A total survey will be conducted to determine the status of hospitalization rooms in closed wards of psychiatric medical institutions, and the’Environmental Improvement Council’ will also be operated in which experts participate.
Plans to ensure stable housing and jobs for mentally ill people are also included in the plan. It plans to increase the number of rehabilitation facilities such as independent experience houses from 348 to 548 in 2025, and create 500’colleague-supported family-type jobs’ by 2025 that share treatment and recovery experiences at national mental hospitals and mental rehabilitation facilities. The current state of discrimination against mentally ill patients will be investigated, and improvement plans will be prepared, and next year the Mental Health Welfare Act will be revised.
In addition, alcoholism treatment and rehabilitation programs will be distributed from this year, and self-help groups for recoverers will be supported from next year. The addiction management integrated support center, which has 50, will be expanded to 85 by 2025, and 4 addiction rehabilitation facilities will be increased to 17 by 2025. An addiction-specialized hospital system will be established, and by 2025, one each will be installed in 17 cities and provinces.
◇“The number of suicide deaths will be reduced to the level of 21.5 per 100,000”
In order to preemptively identify high-risk suicide groups, the police and firefighting life-respecting cooperation officers will be regularly trained and a professional life guard system will be introduced in 2023. The plan is to create a case management system centered on emergency medical institutions to prevent suicide attempters from falling into suicide risk again. In addition, the support service for survivors of suicide will be gradually expanded so that it can be implemented nationwide in 2025. The number of dedicated local government officials will be increased to 5 per basic center in 2025, and the number of people in charge of suicide prevention counseling lines will increase from 26 last year to 57 this year. Through this, it also proposed a goal to reduce the number of suicide deaths per 100,000 people from 26.9 in 2019 to 21.5 in 2025.
/ Reporter Seongtae Kim [email protected]
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