The pressure to appear perfect and the relentless touring can take a heavy toll on K-pop stars.
As discussion of mental health is becoming more mainstream in American media, music and entertainment industries in other countries are starting to broach the topic as well.
One such industry is K-pop. K-pop, or Korean pop, is a type of music with roots in South Korea. According to Teen Vogue, the industry tends to groom its artists at a very young age and is fairly intense when it comes to the amount of pressure that is placed on them.
High Suicide Rates In South Korea
When it comes to mental health, South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the entire world, as well as minimal resources for individuals battling mental health disorders.
So it’s no surprise that young people in the country are wanting to speak up about the issue, especially in the wake of two suspected suicides in the industry. In December 2017, boy-band member Kim Jonghyun died by suspected suicide after struggling with depression with no help.
“K-pop stars usually make their debut during important formative years of their youth,” Dr. Nesochi Okeke-Igbokwe, a New York-based physician and health expert, told Teen Vogue. “They may face the continuous stress of intense schedules, sleep deprivation, and the daunting pressure to be ‘perfect’ in the public eye.”
In the K-pop world, there is an unrealistic pressure to appear perfect. Those well-known in the industry are often scrutinized and critiqued endlessly, which can take a toll.
“Having to deal with such intense stress and public scrutiny at a very young age is not something that everyone can handle,” Okeke-Igbokwe said. “Experiencing high levels of stress incessantly can compromise anyone’s physical and mental health. Chronic stress may translate into a weaker immune system for some and increase the risk of various health conditions.”
Changing The Narrative
Korean boy band ATEEZ is among those hoping to change the narrative when it comes to positivity and mental health.
“We always talk about the sunrise,” said Hongjoong, a member of the band. “If we watch the sun rise up, we can rise up. We have a real type of emotional connection to that image too…so, when we talk about our image, we talk about that, we’re like a sunrise. If the sun rises, then it’s bright and wonderful, so I connect that with us.”
Others, such as Mina of K-pop girl group TWICE, are putting their well-being first by choosing to take breaks as needed. This year, Mina chose to sit out on the group’s U.S. tour, stating the reason was “sudden extreme anxiety and insecurity towards performing on stage.”
In some cases, entertainment groups in South Korea are starting to discuss suicide prevention and sexual health with their artists, Teen Vogue notes.
“It is so critical that healthy outlets are available for these young stars to cope with stress and really make self-care a priority while they endeavor to make it to the top,” Okeke-Igbokwe said.
“If you’re being led by profit and the dollar sign, and you don’t have other goals, the outcome may not be great.”
The chief executive officer of Niantic, the software development company behind the popular mobile games “Pokemon Go” and “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite,” told CNBC that gaming manufacturers need to focus as much attention on safeguarding users against compulsive or addictive game play as they do on their profit margins.
Integrating Reality Into Gaming
Speaking in London at One Young World, a UK-based global solution forum, John Hanke said that his company’s games require players to interact with the real world during game play, and encouraged other manufacturers to adopt similar measures.
“I think it’s a great example of how you can design technology that leads into positive impacts,” he said.
Both “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite” and “Pokemon Go”—which, as of September, was the second highest-earning mobile game in the world—use augmented reality and location data based on the player’s actual geographical location as part of game play. As players move around the real world, their game avatars follow a similar path on the game’s map.
But as CNBC noted, the games’ rise in popularity also raised issues of “gaming disorder,” which was identified as a health condition by the World Health Organization in 2016. Exactly how many people can be diagnosed as exhibiting the signs of gaming disorder is a subject for debate, with some sources claiming that 10% to 15% of gamers currently qualify as suffering from gaming disorders, while others urge caution and further research.
Playing In Small Doses
Hanke told CNBC that Niantic’s games actually discourage compulsive game play through the company’s core tenets: promoting community exploration, incorporating exercise into game play and encouraging interaction with the real world.
“I would really look at our games as an alternative to traditional video games, because they’re designed to be played in small doses as you’re moving around outside, and they’re meant to be played together with people in real life,” he said.
Hanke also urged other companies to consider similar measures for their product in addition to the monetary rewards. “Technology is not inherently evil, but if you’re being led by profit and the dollar sign, and you don’t have other goals, the outcome may not be great,” he noted.
Finding The Balance
Niantic’s gaming principles have not only determined how their games are played, but which games the company releases.
“In a game like ‘Pokemon Go,’ there are hundreds of features you could build, and many would not fulfill one of those three objectives,” said Hanke. “It’s about finding that balance between purpose and profit and pursuing both in the context of a private company.”
“It’s not easy—it’s a constant challenge—but I do think it’s possible to combine those things.”
The Grammy winner has openly spoken about mental health, including publicly disclosing that he’s bipolar.
Kanye West is back with his latest album, Jesus is King, and on the eve of its release, he candidly spoke with Beats 1 about being addicted to porn and sex.
West started with a ritual many young boys go through, finding an issue of his dad’s Playboy, which he called a “gateway to a full on pornography addiction. It has impacted every choice I have made in my life from age five to now, having to kick the habit. And it just presents itself in the open like it’s okay and I stand up and say, ‘No, it’s not okay.’”
Drowning Himself In Sex — A Rock Star Cliché
West saw himself living a cliché that many musicians fall into.
“That was such a script out of a rock star’s life. You know that Playboy that I found when I was five years old was written all over the moment when I was at the MTV awards with the Timberlands, the Balmain jeans and the Hennessy bottle. My mom had passed a year before. And I said some people drown themselves in drugs, and I drown myself in sex.”
West said that sex “fed the ego too. Money, clothes, paparazzi photos, going to Paris fashion week, all of that.”
Asking Employees To Abstain From Premarital Sex
Coming to his realization about porn and sex addiction also affected how he crafted the Jesus is Kingalbum. “I was asking people to…this is gonna be radical what I’m about to say. There were times where I was asking people to not have premarital sex while they were working.”
West has openly spoken about his mental health issues, including publicly disclosing that he’s bipolar (he subsequently claimed he was misdiagnosed), and he’s used it as material for his lyrics as well.
On the cover of his album Ye, “I hate being bipolar it’s awesome” is scrawled in neon green. And as he told radio personality Big Boy, “I am so blessed and so privileged because think about people that have issues that are not Kanye West, that can’t go and make that [music] and make you feel like it’s all good. I’d never been diagnosed and I was like 39 years old. That’s why I said on the album it’s not a disability, it’s a super power.”
Screenagers: Next Chapter zeroes in on how adults can aid teenagers when it comes to mental health.
Screens and teens: the combo has been discussed in-depth in recent years, and now a new documentary called Screenagers: Next Chapter is diving in even more deeply.
According to TheWashington Post, the film is a follow-up to the 2016 documentary Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age, by filmmaker and physician Delaney Ruston.
Screenagers: Next Chapter zeroes in on how adults can aid teenagers when it comes to mental health challenges. The documentary, which is being screened around the country, focuses on stress resilience, or the ability to cope with stressful emotions.
The Screenagers website states that the documentary “takes a deeply personal approach as [Ruston] probes into the vulnerable corners of family life, including her own, to explore struggles over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction.”
Ruston’s interest in the topic stems from her own daughter’s struggle with depression.
“I had no idea when to step in, what to say, and often it felt like anything I said made it worse,” she told Good Morning America. “It felt like I was just tiptoeing. If I say the wrong thing, it’ll make her never talk to me again. It’s emotional just thinking about it, just how stuck I was.”
According to the Post, lower levels of stress resilience are associated with “mood disorders and conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.”
However, when teens learn to feel their emotions and then regulate them, they are more likely to move past such conditions.
Communication Is Key
Educational psychologists Staci M. Zolkoski and Lyndal M. Bullock note that adults can assist adolescents in these circumstances by expressing care and teaching them how to communicate effectively.
Tessa, Ruston’s daughter, says this approach from her parents was helpful.
“Some of the things my parents said that really helped in the moments of hardship were, you’re doing the best you can for where you’re at and what tools you have, especially when I felt really low and incapable,” she told GMA. “My favorite quote that my dad said that actually really got me through the hard times that felt like forever is ‘This too shall pass.’”
In Screenagers: Next Chapter, Ruston talks with various researchers about how adults can help increase resilience in young people. One such researcher, Jessica Borelli from the University of California at Irvine, says sometimes parents’ attempts at intervening can actually be a negative. Psychologist Laura Kastner adds that rather than intervene in their child’s emotions, adults should learn to validate those emotions.
“It’s not approval, it’s not agreement—it’s seeing it from their perspective and accepting their feelings exactly the way they are, without trying to mess with them,” Kastner said.
When parents intervene, Ruston notes, it can affect a child’s ability to increase their resilience and learn how to cope on their own.
Affleck was spotted imbibing at a Halloween party this past weekend.
Actor Ben Affleck, who has struggled with alcohol addiction since the mid-1990s, looked to be inebriated after a Hollywood Halloween party on Saturday, according to video obtained by TMZ.
The video shows him stumbling a bit after posing for a photo, then nearly falling backward and grabbing an idle SUV for support. He then carefully gets into his own vehicle as the cameraman asks him how he’s been.
Talking To The Paps
The next day, Affleck was seen looking no worse for wear and admitted on camera that he had “slipped” but that he’s not going to let that stop him.
“It happens. It was a slip but I’m not going to let it derail me,” Affleck told paparazzi. “Thank you very much, guys.”
According to a “friend” who spoke to People, the actor has acknowledged that his recovery is not going to be a perfect journey.
“Sobriety is difficult and elusive for everyone struggling with addiction,” the source said. “Ben has acknowledged he’s going to slip up from time to time. It was never as if this was simply behind him.”
The Midnight Mission
Earlier Saturday, Affleck posted on his Instagram promoting The Midnight Mission, a non-profit organization that helps people experiencing homelessness with services like job training, housing, and addiction treatment.
In his post, the actor mentioned being sober for over a year and announced that he would be donating to the non-profit while encouraging his followers to do the same.
“I have been in recovery for over a year and part of that is helping out others,” he wrote. “@themidnightmission is an incredible organization that helps those in need with housing, training, development and recovery. I’m making a donation today because there are people battling addiction every day that don’t have the resources and need help.”
His Third Rehab Stay
Affleck was most recently in rehab for his issues with alcohol from late August to early October 2018, which was his third time staying in a facility for addiction treatment. After his 40-day program last year, he posted a statement to his fans explaining that treating an addiction disorder is a lifetime journey.
“Battling any addiction is a lifelong and difficult struggle,” he said. “Because of that, one is never really in or out of treatment. It is full-time commitment. I am fighting for myself and my family.”
This July, Affleck credited the treatment center Refuge Recovery for his progress and health in a defense of founder Noah Levine, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple individuals.
“Working with Noah and his Refuge Recovery program has, quite literally, turned my life around,” said Affleck. “Today I am sober, happy, healthy and have custody of my three children. All of those things are a result of having Noah in my life.”
One of the trial’s participants quit smoking after 46 years.
In a recent 60 Minutes segment, Anderson Cooper interviewed multiple subjects of research trials exploring the effects of psilocybin on people living with depression, anxiety or addiction.
Trials are ramping up after decades of total bans on any scientific research into psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin (“magic mushrooms”) and LSD. Many participants who have been put through six-hour experiences with psilocybin found them to be life-changing.
“They come to a profound shift of world view,” says researcher Roland Griffiths, “and essentially, a shift in sense of self.”
Cooper interviewed two trial participants who had been struggling with addiction for many years, having had no success with other quitting techniques and products. After one intense session with the psychedelic drug, they haven’t touched the substances that were troubling them since.
46-Year Smoker Quits After “Bad Trip”
Carine McLaughlin, a smoker for 46 years, was able to quit after having a “bad trip,” an experience that produced primarily negative or distressing emotions.
“The ceiling of this room were clouds, like, heavy rain clouds,” McLaughlin recalled of her session. “And gradually they were lowering. And I thought I was gonna suffocate from the clouds.”
Jon Kostakopoulos, meanwhile, was up to 20 drinks a night before his session, which brought up old memories and deep feelings.
“I felt, you know, a lot of shame and embarrassment throughout one of the sessions about my drinking and how bad I felt for my parents to put up with all this,” he said. He hasn’t had a drink since that day in 2016. He hasn’t even been tempted, he said.
“Not at all, which is the craziest thing because that was my favorite thing to do,” he told Cooper.
Researcher Griffiths and his colleague Matthew Johnson have been working on their research since 2000, when the Nixon-era ban on psychedelics in scientific trials was lifted. Before the ban, similar trials were conducted with LSD in the 1950s and ’60s.
How It Works
Today, Griffiths and Johnson are careful to weed out patients with psychotic disorders and family histories of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and all trial participants are put through “weeks of intensive counseling before and after” the experience. After finally being given the dose of psilocybin, they lie on a couch with a blindfold and headphones playing “a mix of choral and classical music” while a guide watches over them.
Results have been very promising, with the majority of the 51 terminal cancer patients who have been through the trial enjoying “significant decreases in depressed mood and anxiety” from the treatment.
“It seemed so implausible to me that a single experience caused by a molecule, right, ingested in your body could transform your outlook on something as profound as death,” saidHow To Change Your Mindauthor Michael Pollan. “That’s kind of amazing.”
These lawsuits are separate from those filed by thousands of American municipalities against many of the same companies.
Hospitals are joining the fight in trying to squeeze settlement money from drug companies accused of fueling opioid abuse and overdose in the U.S.
The High Cost Of Addiction Treatment
Hospitals in Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Kentucky and West Virginia are suing companies like Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson and McKesson, a drug distributor, hoping to recoup the heavy cost of treating the opioid crisis.
“The expense of treating overdose and opioid-addicted patients has skyrocketed, straining the resources of hospitals throughout our state,” said Lee Bond, chief executive officer of Singing River Health System in Mississippi, which is also suing.
These lawsuits are separate from those filed by thousands of American municipalities against many of the same companies.
Hospitals see the worst of the opioid crisis firsthand. People who overdose, or require treatment for serious illness like endocarditis, pneumonia and hepatitis, are often unable to pay for treatment.
According to court filings cited by NPR, hospitals estimate that the cost of treating such patients amounts to an average of $107,000 per person. In just one year, providing treatment for opioid-related sickness has cost U.S. hospitals over $15 billion, according to 2012 statistics.
“I can’t pay a thing. I don’t have a dime. So they do absorb all that cost,” said Traci Grimes, a woman from Nashville who was treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (which is not involved in any lawsuit) for near-fatal endocarditis, hepatitis A and C, and pneumonia.
Hospital Lawsuits Could Open “New Can Of Worms”
Health experts noted that hospitals may be reluctant to sue in order to protect sensitive information such as how they determine their prices for care, or their relationships with drug companies. This may garner “some unflattering attention” for some hospitals, a health analyst explained to NPR. It could potentially open “a whole new can of worms,” making it a safer choice to sit out on litigation.
However, the downside of sitting out is that hospitals are not guaranteed to receive any of the settlement money won by municipalities, experts noted.
Ohio Governor John Kasich and West Virginia University President Gordon Gee want more hospitals to join as plaintiffs.
“Hospitals are directly bearing the brunt of this crisis,” it says on the website for their organization, Citizens for Effective Opioid Treatment. “U.S. hospitals provide billions of dollars annually in reimbursed care directly related to the opioid crisis.”
It is unclear if the searches were in response to any illegal activity.
Federal agents conducted searches at four substance abuse treatment centers in California’s Los Angeles and Orange counties in early October 2019, seeking what the Orange County Register claimed was evidence in a criminal investigation.
A spokesperson for the FBI said that the reasons for the raids were filed under seal in federal court, and did not comment further on the details of the probe.
But as the Register noted, media reports of improper regulations over the addiction treatment industry in the Golden State have yielded accounts of deaths and unchecked substance abuse within treatment centers, and have spawned federal probes and new state laws to protect patients while in treatment.
October Raids
The FBI spokesperson, Laura Eimiller, said that the four facilities raided on October 3 were Malibu California Model Drug Treatment Center Inc., which was doing business as Inspire Malibu in Agoura Hills; Progressive Recovery Solutions LLC, doing business as Victory Detox Center in North Hollywood; BLVD Centers Inc., doing business as BLVD-Sawtelle in Los Angeles; and Reflections Recovery Inc., doing business as Reflections Recovery in Santa Ana.
Calls and other means of communication to all four locations by the Register went unheeded on the Monday after the raids, and the newspaper underscored that it was unclear if the searches were in response to any illegal activity.
According to the Register, Inspire Malibu and Victor Detox Center are described as “state-of-the-art” or “upscale” care centers, while BLVD is part of a chain of rehabilitation centers located throughout Los Angeles. The Orange County-based Reflections reportedly billed itself as an affordable outpatient facility.
Similar Raids In 2017
The Register also noted that the searches were not dissimilar to ones conducted at the now-defunct Sovereign Health treatment centers in San Clemente, Palm Desert and other California locations in 2017. It cited paperwork filed in federal court by attorneys for the addiction treatment company, which revealed that FBI agents sought evidence of health care and wire fraud, conspiracy and illegal payments for patient referrals.
Four bills currently awaiting signature by California Governor Gavin Newsom aim to improve care in the state’s treatment facilities and reduce instances of unethical practices. These include AB 920, which would require the California Department of Health Care Services to license all outpatient alcohol and drug addiction centers by 2021, and SB 589, which would regulate marketing and advertising by treatment centers in order to prevent false or misleading claims.
“This time around, it’s less depression, it’s more anxiety and a little more of the compulsive, obsessive thoughts,” the “You Oughta Know” singer shared.
With each birth of her three children, Alanis Morissette has shed light on postpartum depression (PPD) by sharing her personal experience with the “baby blues”—which can be more serious and longer lasting in some women.
Postpartum depression is a mood disorder suffered by some women after childbirth. Symptoms include extreme sadness, anxiety and exhaustion which affect the new mother’s ability to function.
“This time around, it’s less depression, it’s more anxiety and a little more of the compulsive, obsessive thoughts,” the “You Oughta Know” singer shared. She would be consumed by “images that are horrifying, just a lot of times about safety about the people you love, your loved ones, your children,” she said. But having gone through it twice before the birth of her third child, Winter Mercy Morissette-Treadway, in August, Morissette had the presence of mind to stop and recognize the symptoms of PPD.
Getting Help Instead Of Powering Through On Her Own
Her first instinct was to overcome it on her own, but she was advised otherwise. “My survival strategy is to just push through,” she told Villarreal. “And then I spoke with a professional who knew all about postpartum depression, and I asked her, does this go away if I just white-knuckle through it? She said, no, it actually gets worse.”
With the help of medication and the support of loved ones, Morissette has faced PPD with each birth, as she described in a recent essay.
The singer detailed her most recent experience with PPD in a blog post published to her website in early October.
“I have been here before. I know there is another side,” she wrote. “I saw how things got richer after I came through it the last two times.” With the birth of Winter, she was better prepared for the impending “postpartum tar-drenched trenches” that came with sleep deprivation, hormones, physical pain, isolation, anxiety, marriage and “all kinds of PTSD triggers,” she wrote.
Stigma-Free Perception Is The Goal
Sharing every detail of this experience is important, she explained. “There’s something about chronicling the experience in real time…If the goal is stigma-free perception of any mental illness or mental health conversation, understanding and giving the details of what it really looks like from the inside is important,” she told Villarreal.
Morissette said that PPD would not deter her from doing it all over again. “Because I had experienced the other side of postpartum depression… I know that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. I’d be willing to go through it again. I know that sounds a little insane,” she said.
Movies have the power to shape how we perceive the world. Here are several films that treat mental illness respectfully and honestly, instead of contributing to stigma.
Hollywood holds a lot of influence when it comes to current cultural beliefs surrounding mental illness, which is why fighting stigma should be a central tenet for filmmakers who tackle psychology and mental health in their projects. Films like Split demonize mental illness by twisting real disorders into monstrous villains. The real horror of mental illness is the pain it inflicts on the person with the disorder. Mental illness can affect those closest to us, but not in the horrifying ways portrayed in Split. The movies in this list are all successful in accurately depicting one or more aspects of mental health conditions.
What films are we missing? Add your own recommendations in the comments.
Melancholia
Kirstin Dunst plays the leading role of Justine in Melancholia, a fantastical science-fiction film giving a terribly real reflection on depression. When I first saw this movie, I was in a severe depressive downswing. I was desperate to feel less alone in my isolation, and this movie helped. It was like a friend sitting down next to me and accepting me without me needing to explain myself.
The story circles around two sisters as Justine prepares to be married (clearly unhappily). There are many moments that capture the listlessness of depression, such as when Justine is served her favorite meal, but she can’t taste it. Other characters try to support Justine in completing basic tasks such as bathing and eating, things that can be excruciatingly difficult for someone with depression. It touches on the compulsive urges that drive self-destructive behavior and the dull ache of depression.
“It tastes like ashes.” – Justine
What Dreams May Come
Another fantastical meditation on the complexities of the human condition, What Dreams May Come stars Robin Williams as Chris Nielsen, a bereaved father who then dies himself, leaving his widow to her severe depression. We follow his journey through “heaven” and “hell” to save his wife who later dies by suicide. The colors in this film are out of this world, and the ideas it presents about severe depression and mental illness are beautifully depicted. There are some problematic ideas about a cure for depression, such as saving yourself to save someone else or that someone can save you from the pain of depression. But these potentially troubling aspects of the movie are overshadowed by poignant lines such as:
“Everyone’s Hell is different. It’s not all fire and pain. The real Hell is your life gone wrong.” – Albert
“What’s true in our minds is true, whether some people know it or not.” – Chris
I had a hard time rewatching this movie after my own father passed away, because there is something about Robin William’s thin-lipped smile that was reminiscent of my dad’s closed mouth grin.
Prozac Nation
Released in 2001, Prozac Nation stars Christina Ricci as real-life Elizabeth “Lizzie” Wurtzel, a college student with atypical depression. The narrative connects early trauma with current depression as we see Lizzie’s traumas via flashbacks. Lizzie makes risky decisions and alienates people she once pulled close. Despite her success as a journalism student and writer for The Harvard Crimson, Lizzie can’t find happiness. Eventually by seeking professional mental health support and taking the antidepressant Prozac, Lizzie’s life stabilizes.
“Hemingway has his classic moment in ‘The Sun Also Rises’ when someone asks Mike Campbell how he went bankrupt. All he can say is, ‘Gradually, then suddenly.’ That’s how depression hits. You wake up one morning, afraid that you’re gonna live.” – Lizzie
Inside Out
A Disney-Pixar success, Inside Out takes place in the mind of a young girl going through a big life transition. We see the complications of memory formation play out through the personification of five basic emotions: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger. We come to understand the importance of each core emotion, even Sadness. Memories are more complex than depicted in this film, but the basic premise is solid — our life experiences become memories which power our personalities. In this movie, the young girl at the center of the story experiences a breakdown of her personality until all her core emotions can learn to work together.
“Do you ever look at someone and wonder, what is going on inside their head?” – Joy
It’s Kind of a Funny Story
Released in 2010, It’s Kind of a Funny Story is an honest portrayal of what can manifest from depression. Following a teenager after a near suicide attempt, Craig Gilner (played by Keir Gilchrist) is admitted into a hospital’s psychiatric ward. What this film doesn’t do is challenge notions about the success and helpfulness of psychiatric wards, which vary greatly in quality and care. And there’s an element of romanticism that is problematic. What this film does well is show the negative self-beliefs that can accompany depression. The film also addresses the common fears that people seeking psychiatric care experience because of the stigma around mental illness.
“Okay, I know you’re thinking, ‘What is this? Kid spends a few days in the hospital and all his problems are cured?’ But I’m not. I know I’m not. I can tell this is just the beginning. I still need to face my homework, my school, my friends. My dad. But the difference between today and last Saturday is that for the first time in a while, I can look forward to the things I want to do in my life.” – Craig
Helen
Helen is a 2009 film starring Ashley Judd as Helen Leonard, a college music professor living with severe depression. What is particularly poignant about this story is that it captures the irrationality of depression. There is no trigger, there is just depression. No matter how many times someone asks “why?”, there is no answer that fully explains the underlying causes of depression. From an outside perspective, Helen’s life seems wonderful and successful. Feeling like you have no good reason to be depressed is a common experience for many people with depression. No amount of self-flagellation helps ease the pain, and we see that played out in this movie as Helen spirals.
“Your wife is not unhappy, Mr. Leonard. Your wife is ill.” – Dr. Barnes
