調查顯示半數韓國青少年有自殺念頭大綱

A recent survey shows that just over half of South Korean teenagers have had suicidal thoughts this year, while nearly one in three said they had felt very depressed.
最近的一項調查顯示，略高於半數的韓國青少年今年有過自殺念頭，同時近三分之一的青少年表示感到非常抑鬱。

Over 40% of the survey respondents in the Feb. 20-27 poll by the Korea Health Promotion Foundation, an affiliate of the finance ministry, said that school pressure and future uncertainty concerned them the most. More than 17% in the survey of 1,000 Koreans aged 14 to 19 said that they were mainly stressed over their looks, and 16% by family troubles.
韓國企劃財政部下屬的健康促進基金會(Korea Health Promotion Foundation)於2月20-27日進行的這項調查中，超過40%的受訪者表示，學業壓力和未來的不確定性最令他們擔心。在接受調查的1,000名14-19歲韓國青少年中，超過17%的受訪者表示主要爲自己的相貌感受到壓力，16%的受訪者表示壓力主要來自家庭問題。

South Korea's problems with suicide are often attributed to lifelong pressure to compete for better schools, better jobs, better physical appearance and even better marriages. What's alarming is that while overall suicide rates in developed countries are falling, the suicide rate for people aged 15-24 in Korea rose to 13 deaths per 100,000 people in 2011, up from 7.7 in 2001, according to the latest Statistics Korea data.
韓國自殺問題的原因經常被歸結爲人們爲獲得更好的教育、工作、外貌、甚至婚姻而一生都感受到競爭壓力。值得警惕的是，儘管發達國家總體自殺率正在下降，但韓國統計局的最新數據顯示2011年韓國15-24歲人口的自殺率從2001年的10萬分之7.7上升至10萬分之13。

Experts say South Korean teens often lack access to professional help or are reluctant to seek it out. One in four of the recent survey respondents said they have no-one to talk to when they're going through hard times. Almost half said they turn to friends instead of teachers, counselors or parents.
專家們指出，韓國青少年經常缺少獲得專業幫助的途徑或不願向外界尋求幫助。這次調查中有四分之一的受訪者表示，他們在遇到困難時沒有人可以傾訴。有將近半數的受訪者表示他們會求助於朋友，而不是老師、諮詢師或父母。

Kim Eun-young, a counselor who has researched and worked with suicidal teenagers since 2007 at the Korea Youth Counseling & Welfare Institute, says young people are more open talking about their suicidal thoughts than before. But because teenagers tend to use vague expressions such as 'what if I disappear one day?' or 'I feel like not waking up in the morning,' parents or friends often overlook the underlying problems by saying 'it's nothing' or 'toughen up.'
韓國青年諮詢及福利研究院(Korea Youth Counseling & Welfare Institute)的諮詢師Kim Eun-young自2007年以來一直研究並接觸自殺青少年。Kim說，與過去相比，青年人現在更加坦率地談論自殺想法。但由於青少年總會使用諸如“如果有一天我從世界上消失了會怎麼樣”以及“我不想清晨再醒過來”等模糊的表達方式，父母和朋友經常會忽視潛在的問題，只是說“這沒什麼”或“堅強起來”。

'We have social institutions and counselors at school to help teenagers with stress, but what we need is a mindset in which they utilize those resources just like they would go to a pharmacy or hospital when they get cold,' said Mo Sang-hyun, a research fellow at the National Youth Policy Institute in Seoul.
位於首爾的國家青年政策研究所(National Youth Policy Institute)的研究人員Mo Sang-hyun說：我們有社會機構以及學校的諮詢師來幫助青少年應對壓力，但我們需要青少年擁有一種觀念，能夠想到利用這些資源，就像他們在感冒時去藥店或醫院一樣。