Many people complain of extreme stress and depression due to the recent uncertain domestic and foreign situation and economic downturn.
Such mental pressure can lead to disease, but there are many cases where they miss the timing of treatment because they do not know their condition properly. This is because even in serious cases, it is not considered insignificant or cannot be properly expressed to the surroundings. In addition, even if the test was conducted, it was constantly pointed out that the existing mental health scale, which was developed in foreign countries and translated into Korean, did not match the sentiment of Korea.
In this regard, the National Mental Health Center and the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association announced in October the development of a 'Korean mental health (depression, anxiety, stress) scale that reflects the cultural and emotional characteristics of the Korean people.
The Korean mental health scale consists of three types: the National Depression Scale (NDS), the National Anxiety Scale (NAS), and the National Stress Scale (NSS), each consisting of 11-12 questions.
The National Depression Scale (NDS), which consists of a total of 12 questions, is a tool to evaluate major depressive symptoms such as depression, lethargy, and loss of interest in life experienced in daily life. A total score of 9 or higher is considered to be highly likely to have a depressive disorder, and a score of 29 or higher is classified as a severe depressive disorder.
The National Anxiety Scale (NAS) developed based on anxiety and tension commonly complained by Koreans is suspected of anxiety disorder if the total score is 10 points or higher, and from 17 points or higher, it is evaluated as moderate or higher anxiety disorder.
The National Stress Scale (NSS), which deals with physical and emotional stress responses tailored to Korean cultural characteristics, is considered to be experiencing moderate or higher stress if it is higher than 11, and if it is higher than 21, it is recommended to diagnose by an expert due to a very high level of stress.
