Annual Depression Patient Count Hits One Million as Treatment Costs Exceed $380 Million.

The number of patients receiving treatment for depression has exceeded one million annually. The related medical costs have surpassed KRW 500 billion ($418 million).

According to the ‘Disease and Medical Practice Statistics in Life’ recently published by the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, the number of patients treated for depression in 2022 was recorded as 1,000,032.

Looking at the trend of the number of patients over the past five years, it increased from 753,011 in 2018 to over 910,000 in 2021, and surpassed one million for the first time in 2022. The average annual growth rate during this period was 7.4%.

As the number of patients increased, so did the medical costs. The cost of depression treatment was KRW 335.8 billion ($281 million) in 2018, KRW 381.8 billion ($319 million) in 2019, KRW 410.7 billion ($343 million) in 2020, KRW 480.6 billion ($402 million) in 2021, and KRW 537.8 billion ($450 million) in 2022. The per capita medical cost in 2022 was KRW 537,748 ($450).

Looking at the patients treated in 2022 by age group, the 20s had the most with 194,200. This was followed by the 30s (164,942), 60s (149,365), and 40s (146,842).

By gender, there were more women (674,050) than men (325,982) in 2022.

Depression, also known as depressive disorder or major depressive disorder, is a ‘disorder’ that continually triggers feelings of depression, lethargy, loss of pleasure, or irritation and anger.

It affects mood, thought, and behavior, and can cause various emotional and physical pains. It can also make it difficult to carry out daily activities and sometimes make one feel as if life is not worth living.

The Review & Assessment Service stated, “Depression is not a personal fault or weakness, and it may not necessarily get better over time. Treatment may be needed,” and added, “Most people suffering from depression can escape their pain through medication, psychotherapy, or both.”

By. Jae-Hyuk Lee