Gender differences in factors associated with perceived need and use of Korean adolescents mental health services.

This study investigated the socio-demographic characteristics and emotional and behavioral factors associated with the perceived need and actual use of adolescent mental health services according to genders in Korea. We assessed 1,857 middle school students aged 14-16 years. We administered a self-reported questionnaire including questions on their socio-demographic data, Korean Youth Self Report, and self perceived need and actual use of mental health services. Overall, 11.6 % of the adolescents demonstrated a self perceived need for mental health services regarding their emotional or behavioral problems, while 2.1 % had sought mental health services. There were discrepancies between the perceived need and actual use. Most adolescents (81.6 %) used mental health services without self-perceived need, and only 3.3 % of adolescents with self-perceived need utilized mental health services. The perceived need of mental health services is positively influenced by the adolescent's anxious/depressed problems in both genders. The use of them is negatively influenced by the withdrawn problem in adolescent boys, while positively influenced by the aggressive behavior in adolescent girls. To increase the actual use of mental health services more attention needs to be focused on their internalizing problems, such as anxious/depressed and withdrawn problems, in addition to externalizing problems in both genders.

Suicide among the elderly and associated factors in South Korea.

With the population of the elderly increasing, suicides among elderly people present a serious problem for global societies. However, there are few studies on suicide among elderly subjects, especially in Asia. The study aimed to determine the relationship between physical health, mental health, social environmental condition, and the suicide behavior among elderly subjects in the city of Suwon, located southeast of Seoul. We analyzed 1548 Korean aged over 60 years from baseline data of a larger prospective study called the Suwon Project. The study protocol included sociodemographic variables, mental health factors, and physical health factors. In the interview, the subjects were asked about suicide ideation and history of suicide attempt. Of the total subjects, 7.42% reported suicide ideation and 1.42% reported a history of suicide attempt. A logistic regression analysis showed that physical illness, five stroke warning signs, anxiety and depression associated with suicide ideation, and depression strongly corresponded to the suicide ideation. Anxiety, depression, and stroke warning signs were associated with history of suicide attempt among the elderly. Additionally, stroke warning signs and depression are independently associated with history of suicide attempt. This study revealed that stroke warning signs have a high correlation with history of suicide attempt in the elderly, independent from the depression factors. This study suggests that there is an independent relationship between physical health status and suicide behavior in the case of elders.