SEOUL (UCAN): Father Cha Bauna, director of the One Body One Spirit [OBOS] Suicide Prevention Centre, sponsored pro-life organisation in Seoul, South Korea, has called on the government and civil society groups to reach out to family members of suicide victims as the nation continues to grapple with a rising number of cases.
“Family members of suicide victims and suicide survivors are six to seven times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population. Studies show the risk is often nine times higher. Therefore, taking good care of them is very important in suicide prevention,” Father Cha said in an interview with Catholic Peace Broadcasting Corporation on August 5.
“Suicides are socially taboo and thus their families are marginalised. If such people were pushed out of the Church and society, there would be nowhere else in the world for them to go. As neighbours, we must find ways to prevent such things from happening in the future. That is what the Church community should do,” the priest noted.
Father Cha’s appeal follows a report from the Ministry of Health and Welfare which said that in 2020 South Korea recorded 25.7 suicides per 100,000 of the population, up from 24.6 in 2019.
Family members of suicide victims and suicide survivors are six to seven times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population. Studies show the risk is often nine times higher. Therefore, taking good care of them is very important in suicide prevention
The figure is the highest among 37 developed nations listed by Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD]. South Korea’s suicide figure is more than double the average of 11 cases per 100,000 of the population among OECD-listed nations.
The government also analysed factors behind suicides based on data from 801 suicide victims and their families over the past seven years.
Among the most common causes were a breakdown in family relationships, economic downturns, loss of jobs, poverty, and social isolation. About nine in 10 victims had psychological disorders.
In over 83 per cent of cases, bereaved relatives experienced a deterioration in their psychological state including depression. About six out of 10 respondents said they would choose death after a family member or friend committed suicide.
In 2004, the Korean government implemented a five-yearly Mental Health Programme, aimed particularly at preventing suicides by combing state and non-state efforts.
Founded in 2004, the Korean Association for Suicide Prevention, is a leading non-government organisation, that promotes mental health and suicide prevention through education, awareness, and support for research and policy development.
This came after media reported that the province recorded the highest suicide rate in the country with 35 cases per 100,000 deaths, eight per cent higher than the national average. Lonely deaths shot up to over 1,000 in 2019 from around 60 in 2011, according to South Korea’s Health and Welfare Ministry
The group, however, says that support for mental health is still inadequate, adding that mental health and suicides are still stigmatised topics, which need to be “treated carefully.”
In 2021, authorities in Chungnam province signed a deal with the country’s largest telecommunications firm, KT Corporation, to pilot artificial intelligence-based care robots that will help communicate with residents living alone and dealing with mental health problems, Healthcare News reported.
This came after media reported that the province recorded the highest suicide rate in the country with 35 cases per 100,000 deaths, eight per cent higher than the national average. Lonely deaths shot up to over 1,000 in 2019 from around 60 in 2011, according to South Korea’s Health and Welfare Ministry.
Father Cha said the Catholic Church in Korea spares no effort in pastoral consideration for vulnerable families of suicide victims.
For example, the OBOS Suicide Prevention Centre provides a place for self-help through gatherings for bereaved families, monthly masses, and retreats for two days and one night.
In June, it launched a campaign of prayer and rosary distribution as part of efforts to tackle rising rates of depression and suicide.
Another Church-based group, Myeongrangchon [Myeongrang Village], has been running Life Safety Net programmes and activities that convey the hope of life by caring for residents and neighbours, since 2012.
The group has trained over 540 volunteers to offer services that include free hugs, love life advice, family visit programmes, suicide prevention and life-loving campaigns through public-private partnerships and networking.
