Seven in 10 People: "Experienced Mental Health Problems Over the Past Year"

Survey of More Than 5,100 People on Mental Health Knowledge and Attitudes
Only 30% Sought Help, Such as "Counseling or Hospital Care"

Seven in 10 people experienced mental health problems over the past year, but only about 30% of them sought help, such as counseling or medical care at a hospital.

The National Center for Mental Health, under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, commissioned policy research institute Kstat Consulting to conduct an online survey of 5,100 people nationwide aged 15 to 69 over two weeks starting June 12. On Nov. 1, it published a report on the findings of the "2026 Survey on Public Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Mental Health." The survey was introduced in 2016 to inform the development of mental health policies and has been conducted every two years since 2022.

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According to the report, 70.1% of respondents said they had experienced at least one mental health problem over the past year. This figure does not represent the share of people who received a medical diagnosis of a mental illness; it also includes experiences such as stress and insomnia. The figure was slightly lower than the 73.6% recorded in the 2024 survey. However, the largest share of respondents, 30.8%, said they had experienced "five or more" mental health problems. The share reporting five or more problems has generally risen since 2018, when it stood at 18.2%.

Among the main mental health problems experienced over the past year (multiple answers allowed), severe stress was the most common, at 47.7%. This was followed by physical discomfort with no known cause (37.5%), depression lasting several days (30.8%), insomnia lasting several days (30.6%), and anxiety lasting several days (30.3%). Other problems included addiction, such as to gaming (18.8%); uncontrollable displays of anger, including violent behavior (16.2%); and serious, concrete thoughts of suicide (14.1%).

A total of 21.5% of respondents said mental health problems had significantly or severely disrupted their daily or family life. The figures were 25.4% for work or studies and 21.4% for social activities or interpersonal relationships.

Among respondents who had experienced mental health problems, 30.4% said they had sought help by talking or consulting with someone, or through a hospital or online service. The help-seeking rate was up from 27.0% in 2024 and reached its highest level since the survey began. However, it should be noted that, starting this year, the survey counts the use of counseling apps and generative AI as help-seeking.

On a five-point scale measuring perceptions of mental health, respondents' understanding scored 3.93, down 0.12 points from 4.05 in the previous survey. Acceptance of mental illness fell 0.04 points to 3.18, while negative perceptions were unchanged from the previous survey at 3.12. The survey's margin of error is ±1.37 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

The "2025 National Mental Health Status Report," released alongside the survey report, found that 6,367 people per 100,000 received treatment for mental illness last year. The number of people per 100,000 receiving treatment for mental illness has risen each year, from 5,520 in 2022 to 5,824 in 2023 and 6,113 in 2024.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.