S. Korea to research digital treatment for depression amid pandemic

South Korea’s ICT ministry stated Thursday the nation prepares to spend virtually 30 billion won ($262 million) over the following 3 years to study electronic therapy for clinical depression in a relocate to discover brand-new methods to aid the expanding variety of individuals dealing with the mental illness.

The variety of clinical depression individuals in South Korea got to 790,000 in 2019, up 5.9 percent on-year, and also the number is anticipated to climb as the pandemic limits social tasks and also activates financial unpredictability.

Digital therapy approaches, such as video games and also digital truth software application, have actually lately attracted focus as a feasible option to deal with and also stop psychological health and wellness problems without straight physical treatment.

The Ministry of Scientific research and also ICT stated it has actually set aside 14 billion won up until 2024 for the study program, while the economic sector will certainly spend 14.9 billion won.

The study intends to create an electronic solution that provides tailored clinical depression detects based upon real-time collection and also evaluation of individual information, in addition to a solution that supplies preventative actions versus the illness by utilizing smart devices and also various other mobile phones.

Specialists throughout different areas, from expert system to psychological health and wellness, will certainly participate in the study, consisting of Kim Hyung-sook, a cognitive scientific research teacher at Hanyang College.

Naver Cloud, the cloud arm of South Korea’s web titan Naver Corp., will certainly likewise join the program to develop a cloud framework for the electronic systems. (Yonhap)