A Study on the Development of a Dedicated Organization for Youth Mental Health: Focusing on the case of Chungcheongbuk-do A Center

Abstract

South Korea has the highest suicide rate in the OECD. As of 2022, 50.1% of youth deaths were attributed to suicide. Taking care of adolescents' mental health is not only directly linked to their quality of life, but also has a lot to do with preventing potential problems in our society. Therefore, supporting youth mental health is an important government role. In particular, the role and importance of mental health centers available to teachers and adolescents continues to grow as the educational environment changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was conducted to provide a development direction for youth mental health centers to operate efficiently to meet social needs in response to various environmental changes. Therefore, this study selected Center A, an organization dedicated to adolescent mental health operated by the local government of Chungcheongbuk-do, as a case study, and analyzed the internal and external environment of the organization to identify problems and derive improvement measures. This study analyzed the case of managing a student in mental health crisis, and analyzed the environment surrounding Center A and its organizational status. Finally, we conducted a comprehensive diagnosis, including collecting opinions for the developmental operation of the center, and suggested mid- and long-term development directions.