An average of 11 people per day die from overdoses… 93.6% are for suicide purposes

In 2023, it was reported that an average of 11 people died from overdoses in the Republic of Korea each day. According to the '2023 Statistics on Injuries and Discharges' released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 30th, a total of 3,885 overdose-related deaths were recorded last year, which accounts for 14.0% of all injury-related deaths.

The concerning fact is that 93.6% of these overdose deaths were intentional overdoses for the purpose of suicide. The disease control agency defines injury as "physical and mental health issues or their aftereffects caused by various accidents, disasters, or external risk factors such as overdose."

Suicide purpose overdose

In 2023, the estimated number of patients discharged from general hospitals with more than 100 beds due to overdose was 21,935, with 57.0% of them being women.

By type of overdose, unintentional overdoses were higher in men (34.8%) than in women (25.5%), while intentional self-harm overdoses had a larger proportion in women (70.4%) compared to men (62.6%).

Distinct characteristics of overdoses by age and substances used

An analysis by age group revealed that in the 15-24 age range, the proportion of intentional self-harm overdoses was overwhelmingly high at 89.2%. This is interpreted as an indicator of the seriousness of mental health issues among adolescents.

When examining the substances used for intentional self-harm, neuropsychiatric medications such as anticonvulsants, sedatives, and sleeping pills accounted for the highest proportions at 47.1% to 58.0% across all age groups.

The next most commonly used substances varied by age group. In the 0-24 age range, analgesics and antipyretics (24.1% to 31.1%) were predominant, while in the 25-54 age range, gases and volatile substances (17.1% to 21.9%) were most commonly used. For those over 55, pesticides and herbicides (27.6% to 41.1%) were the main substances used. This suggests that the accessibility of substances differs by age group.

The hospitalization rate for intentional self-harm patients per 100,000 population was highest among seniors aged 65 and older at 62, followed by adolescents (13-18 years) at 56, young adults (19-64 years) at 34, and children (0-12 years) at 1.

More than half of injury patients were due to falls, with a 49.9% increase over the past 10 years

In 2023, the total number of hospitalized patients due to injuries was 1,230,202, accounting for 15.6% of all hospitalizations. This means an average of 3,370 people were hospitalized daily for injuries.

The largest share of injury causes was attributed to falls, which accounted for 51.8% of the total. The hospitalization rate for falls among women was 1,350 per 100,000 population, about 1.5 times higher than that of men (891). The second most common cause of injury was traffic accidents (19.9%).

Compared to ten years ago, the number of hospitalizations due to falls increased from 748 to 1,121, a rise of 49.9%, while hospitalizations due to traffic accidents decreased from 729 to 433, a drop of 40.6%.

By age group, fall injuries were more prevalent among men aged 0-54, but from age 55 onwards, women experienced higher rates. Notably, the hospitalization rate for falls among seniors aged 75 and older was approximately 15.9 times that of those aged 0-14, highlighting the need for social attention toward elderly safety.

The most common locations for injury cases were on roads and sidewalks (men 27.7%, women 23.1%), with the average length of hospital stay for injury patients being 13 days, which is 6 days longer than non-injury patients (7 days).

※ If you or someone around you is experiencing difficulties such as depression, you can receive professional counseling 24/7 by calling the suicide prevention hotline ☎ 109 or through the suicide prevention SNS counseling 'Madelain'.

※ If you or someone around you is experiencing difficulties such as depression, you can receive professional counseling 24/7 by calling the suicide prevention hotline ☎ 109 or through the suicide prevention SNS counseling 'Madelain'.

Image source: SOS Lifeline installed at Mapo Bridge, Seoul / News1, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency