The conversation around mental health has been taboo in many parts of the world. Despite the number of lives, poor mental health has claimed, it still fails to be de-stigmatised. To change perceptions around a topic as vast as mental health, it is more important for prominent faces to speak up about it. When people see them coming out with their experiences, they too think it is okay to come out with theirs.
In India, most leaders, singers or actors, choose to keep quiet on issues regarding mental health. Some celebrities have even faced backlash and were even mocked for their illness. That is how unaware most people in the country are about this issue.
However, India is not alone in this struggle to adapt to the realities of mental illness and work towards development.
Many countries in the world that provide a high quality of life are still crippled by poor mental health. Two of the most prominent examples of this statement are Japan and South Korea.
Also Read: Deaths by suicide in Japan more than COVID-19 deaths in October: Data
South Korea has an alarming rate of suicides in the country. According to World Health Organisation, the country has the 10th highest suicide rate in the world. The country also witnesses death by suicide among youths. In 2019, the country was left shocked when Sulli, the very famous K-pop star committed suicide. In 2017, another South Korean songwriter, Kim Jong-Hyun, left a note saying he was depressed, before committing suicide. The glamour of show business comes with lingering darkness. In 2021, another South Korean actor Song Yoo-Jung was found dead in her apartment. The alleged reason for her death has been attributed to suicide.
Thus, it was the need of the hour for celebrities like Eric Nam and Jae Hyung-Park to encourage conversations around mental health. They disclosed in different interviews their experience with panic attacks. Both the K-pop artists were based in the United States before coming to South Korea to make their careers. The pressure of the industry and cultural shifts were unsettling to them.
Eric Nam has also started a paid podcast series, MINDSET, that invites other celebrities to talk about mental health. Park had also featured as a celebrity guest in Nam’s show.
The more people talk about mental health, especially celebrities who have a lot of spotlight on them already, the conversation around this alarming problem also gets going.
It is not just about South Korea. Over the world, if people in important positions, take responsibility to initiate active conversations around this subject, it will encourage other people to seek the help that they need.