Students suffering from anxiety and depression in South Korea face a lack of affordable mental health support. Their solution? Therapy sessions over popular video-calling app Skype.
The service is particularly valued by international students, who may struggle to transition to life in the south-east Asian country but find a lack of mental health support available to them, especially in the English language. The counselling services that do exist cost $75 per session on average – compared to just $40 online.
Not just international students that are struggling
South Korea has second-highest suicide rate of any sovereign nation, and suicide is the primary cause of death for South Koreans aged between 9 and 24 – but the country still has a major stigma attached to mental health.
Some universities are implementing free counselling services in Korean and English, but provision and awareness of these services often remains poor.
