The number of children and adolescents receiving treatment for depression in South Korea has surged dramatically over the past four years, highlighting growing mental health concerns among young people.
In 2024, a total of 86,254 minors were treated for depression, a 72.6% increase from 49,983 in 2020, according to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Both boys and girls experienced significant increases: girls rose from 31,149 to 55,199, while boys grew from 18,834 to 31,055.
Most patients were teenagers aged 10 to 19, totaling 83,520, but treatment for younger children under 10 also doubled to 2,734 since 2020.
The surge in depression among minors outpaces the overall rise in depression across all age groups, which increased by 32.4% from 837,808 in 2020 to 1.1 million in 2024.
Childhood depression often manifests as loss of appetite, insomnia, anxiety, conduct disorder, and ADHD. Health professionals recommend medication for severe cases and use tools such as the Children’s Depression Rating Scale-Revised to evaluate symptom severity and guide treatment.
Experts stress the importance of early detection and intervention to support children’s mental health and reduce the long-term impact of depression.
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