Suicide Deaths Decline for Ninth Consecutive Month... Importance of Early Detection Before a Crisis Grows

[Financial News] As the number of suicide deaths in South Korea continues to decline, the importance of a preventive approach is growing. Such an approach involves detecting and managing warning signs early, rather than responding only after a crisis occurs. Ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day on the 10th, calls are also growing to strengthen systems that assess individuals’ psychological conditions and connect them with professional support when necessary.
 According to data released by the Office for Government Policy Coordination on the 1st, citing statistics from the Ministry of Data and Statistics, the number of suicide deaths in South Korea fell year-on-year for nine consecutive months, from October last year through June this year.
 On the 8th, Dain, an employee assistance program (EAP) specialist affiliated with Nudge Healthcare, analyzed 4,465 participants in its stress response level test (DSI) during the first half of this year. The results showed that 36.3% were classified as belonging to the stress caution- or high-risk group. In other words, more than one in three participants showed stress responses requiring management.
 Among the counseling cases involving people in the caution- or high-risk group who proceeded to professional psychological counseling, conflicts in workplace relationships accounted for the largest share at 33.3%. Among all users of professional psychological counseling, emotional changes were the most common concern at 16.8%, followed by self-understanding (14.7%), job demands (14.6%), marital relationships (14.5%), and parenting counseling (8.9%).
 This indicates that employees’ mental-health problems are linked not only to work-related stress but also to various areas, including personal emotions and family relationships. As a result, companies are increasingly turning to preventive employee assistance programs (EAPs) that assess employees’ usual condition and connect them with necessary counseling and support, rather than responding only after mental-health problems arise.
 The World Health Organization (WHO) also emphasizes systems for suicide prevention and mental-health management that include the early identification, assessment, management, and follow-up of people at risk. According to the WHO’s 2024 report, “Mental health at work,” approximately 15% of working-age adults worldwide were estimated to have experienced a mental disorder in 2019. The WHO recommends creating safe and healthy workplaces and establishing organization-wide support systems to protect employees’ mental health.
 Na Seung-gyun, CEO of Dain, said, "Employees’ mental well-being is not an issue that can be left to individuals alone; it is an organizational responsibility that companies must address together. We will strengthen our prevention- and early-intervention-focused EAP system so that employees can be naturally connected to professional help when warning signs emerge."
 Dain operates services that assess employees’ mental-health conditions through self-assessments, psychological tests, and professional psychological counseling, connecting them with professional support such as counseling when necessary. It has also recently been operating Nudge Care, a subscription-based service that combines everyday self-care with professional counseling.
If you are experiencing depression or other concerns that are difficult to discuss, or if you have a family member or acquaintance facing such difficulties, you can receive professional counseling 24 hours a day through Suicide Prevention Hotline 109.
[email protected] Jeong Sang-hee Reporter