Promoting Mental Health Literacy at Schools in South Korea

Author: Jeewook CHOI ¹
Author Information

1. Department of Psychiatry, Daejeon St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
Publication Type:SPECIAL ARTICLE
From:Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 2023;34(1):15-20
CountryRepublic of Korea
Language:English
Abstract: The onset of many lifelong mental illnesses is during childhood and adolescence. There has been an increase in these conditions among children and adolescents especially, during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is essential to promote mental health literacy (MHL) as a preventive and universal intervention for children and adolescents. Positive mental health status in adolescence is related to an increased level of MHL, and various MHL programs at schools have been reported to be effective for adolescent students worldwide. Recently, MHL programs have been developed in South Korea to be used by schoolteachers. There is a need for active dissemination and development of future programs. For continuous and effective education, it is desirable to include MHL education in regular school curricula.