# 25% of Koreans Suffer From Anxiety



## David Baxter PhD (May 15, 2006)

25% of Koreans Suffer From Anxiety
May 14, 2006 
By Chung Ah-young, _Korean Times_

One out of four, or 25 percent of Koreans suffer from anxiety mainly due to heath concerns and financial problems, according to survey results released last Friday.

The Anxiety Disorder Association of Korea (ADAK) surveyed 1,000 women and men aged 20-69 by phone in March, using 21 questions to help measure anxiety levels and people??s methods to meet it. The association presented the results during a seminar last Friday. 

Twenty-five percent of respondents said they generally live with anxiety, while six percent said it is serious enough for it to cause troubles in their daily lives. 

According to the survey, 39 percent of respondents said health is the main culprit for their anxiety, followed by financial difficulties (36 percent) and conflicts in human relations (32 percent).

About 49 percent suffered digestion disorders resulting from unrest, 44 percent suffer dizziness or vertigo while 41 percent said they have a fast, throbbing heart.

Thirty-nine percent said they just endure anxiety, while 36 percent said they rely on unhealthy habits such as drinking alcohol or coffee, and/or smoking to relieve their anxiety.

Some 32 percent indicated they seek counseling from people close to them.

"In this rapidly changing modern society, there are many factors triggering social anxieties due to a growing number of social accidents. Under this situation, anxiety or uneasiness might be prevalent among people," Jung Sang-keun, a psychology professor at Chonbuk National University Hospital, said. And he explained that Asians tend to seek help from others related to their anger or anxiety.

According to Jung, it is desirable for those who suffer anxiety to have positive ways of thinking, regular exercise and seek consultation from close friends or family, instead of relying on drinking or smoking.

Of the respondents suffering severe anxiety, only 19 percent said they are getting treatment while about 27 percent said they are considering clinical treatment.


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## David Baxter PhD (May 15, 2006)

I found and posted this because I think it's an interesting reminder that there are sociocultural differences in how people express and deal with stress and life events. Sometimes, it's important to remember that.


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## Nerdy (Jun 4, 2006)

Hi Dr. Baxter,

This is my first time posting anything here. I just really appreciate that you posted this article and also initiated the awareness of multicultural aspect of mental health field. I am originally from Thailand and a graduate student in clinical psychology in the U.S. I can attest to your comment that "there are sociocultural differences in how people express and deal with stress and life events." Some people somatize their stress a great deal to the point where they truly can't recognize it as a psychologically-related symptom. I believe that it is professionals' responsibility to be sensitive to and aware of these possible variations of manifestations. I just would like emphasize your last comment by saying, it is ALWAYS (not sometimes) important to remember that.  
Thank you,


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## David Baxter PhD (Jun 4, 2006)

Welcome to Psychlinks Forum, Nerdy. Thank you for your comments.


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## Holly (Jun 4, 2006)

Welcome the Psychlinks forum, Nerdy. I totally agree with you Doc, it is a great post to remind us all about the multicultural aspects of mental health. How people express themselves, dealing with stress, and life events! Thank you for the post!


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## Halo (Jun 5, 2006)

Welcome to the Forum Nerdy, I hope to see you around more often.

Nancy


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## ^^Phoenix^^ (Jun 19, 2006)

David, your post reminded me of something I saw a couple of years ago on the t.v. about stress-related death in Japan;

KAROSHI: DEATH FROM OVERWORK
Takashi Haratani



> What Is Karoshi?
> Karoshi is a Japanese word which means death from overwork. The phenomenon was first identified in Japan, and the word is being adopted internationally (Drinkwater 1992). Uehata (1978) reported 17 karoshi cases at the 51st annual meeting of the Japan Association of Industrial Health. Among them seven cases were compensated as occupational diseases, but ten cases were not. In 1988 a group of lawyers established the National Defense Counsel for Victims of Karoshi (1990) and started telephone consultation to handle inquiries about karoshi-related workers' compensation insurance. Uehata (1989) described karoshi as a sociomedical term that refers to fatalities or associated work disability due to cardiovascular attacks (such as strokes, myocardial infarction or acute cardiac failure) which could occur when hypertensive arteriosclerotic diseases are aggravated by a heavy workload. Karoshi is not a pure medical term. The media have frequently used the word because it emphasizes that sudden deaths (or disabilities) were caused by overwork and should be compensated. Karoshi has become an important social problem in Japan.



For the rest of this article, visit: ILO Encyclopaedia


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