In 2017, nearly 1 in 4 individuals in Korea suffered from a mental disorder, but only 1 in 10 received treatment.

When I myself started struggling with paranoia, intrusive thoughts, and compulsions, I had no idea what I was experiencing, because I'd never been told about mental illnesses.

And when I finally figured out something was wrong, the response was, "You're normal, not some crazy person."

For a year and a half, when I could've gotten treatment, I got confused and disbelieving reactions.

The leading cause of death in Korea of people aged 10 to 24 has been suicide for the past 12 years. Most of them don't even know that what they're experiencing is a mental illness. 

We need mental health education, and we need it now.

Yes, we technically have mental health resources. But the truth is, I went to a Korean school for 8 years, and I only heard one brief mention of PTSD and two short videos about depression. We need educational programs about mental health — deeper dives into the common disorders that might affect students.

And the screenings excluded important parts, like addiction, OCD, eating disorders, or panic attacks. We should add more questions, and have more diversity in the mental health screening.

We need proper mental health screening and educational programs about mental health in Korean schools.

Want me to phrase it otherwise? We need to save students' lives. Now.