Seoul Education Office Releases Parent Guide on Teen Suicide Warning Signs; Survivor Sim So‑young Calls for Open Dialogue

Ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education distributed a parent‑focused leaflet that lists physical cues such as frequent headaches or stomachaches, changes in sleep and eating habits, emotional and behavioral red flags like persistent fatigue, irritability, loss of interest, self‑deprecating remarks, isolation, heightened aggression, impulsivity, and increased online use, as well as academic indicators such as declining concentration, falling grades, tardiness and absences.

The guide aims to help families notice signs of adolescent mental‑health problems. In an interview, Sim So‑young, a social‑work PhD and suicide survivor, explained that acknowledging pain is the first step toward healing and described her dissertation on post‑traumatic growth among suicide‑bereaved activists. She noted that national data show many families hide the cause of death and experience significant depressive symptoms, and she has delivered more than 200 prevention talks.