5 Korean Dramas That Address Mental Health Issues

Kapanlagi.com - This article was written by Aricha Safira Rachma

Usually, watching Korean dramas is a source of pleasure, hobby, and escape for many people, but Korean dramas can also serve as a platform to discuss serious topics. One of the topics that Korean dramas have addressed is mental health issues.

In the midst of a fast-paced and competitive environment, the need to maintain one's mental health to live a healthy life is crucial. While health and mental illness topics are still considered taboo, films and series have proven to be a great medium to raise awareness about the same.

Over the years, several South Korean dramas have addressed the subject through their characters, leading to conversations about specific mental illnesses. Some Korean dramas depict an accurate portrayal of the complex world of mental health and how individuals cope with it. Here are 5 Korean dramas that address mental health issues.

1. Kill Me Heal Me

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A wealthy businessman with dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder, meets a psychiatrist and falls in love. In this drama, we witness his struggle to manage his mental health disorder and his relationship with the psychiatrist.

Kill Me Heal Me showcases various aspects of dealing with dissociative identity disorder effectively. In this case, the drama uses humor and a little drama to explain how someone lives with this disorder and the challenges that come with it.

2. It’s Okay To Not Be Okay

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The story revolves around Moon Gang Tae, a young man who works as a caregiver at a psychiatric facility and takes care of his brother who lives with autism. At the hospital, he meets Ko Moon Young, a famous children's book author who is struggling with antisocial personality disorder. They fall in love while dealing with their respective mental health challenges and help each other heal.

This highly-rated drama showcases various aspects of mental health. It's Okay To Not Be Okay handles different mental health challenges with sensitivity and shows that there is no 'right' way to overcome them.

3. SKY Castle

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SKY Castle is a Korean drama set in a neighborhood called SKY Castle, where four families are willing to do anything at any cost to ensure their children get into prestigious universities.

The series revolves around the materialistic wives' cruelty in maintaining their family's success. Their husbands become more powerful in their positions and their children enter top universities. Unconsciously, they sacrifice other people's lives and cause their own children to experience destruction and depression.

4. Fix You

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Lee Si Joon is a psychiatrist who tries to heal his patients in various ways. He cares about their healing and finds eccentric ways for them to reconcile with their mental illnesses and traumas.

He meets Han Woo Joo, a musical actress with issues that cause her to experience emotional disturbances. Lee Si Joon is willing to work with her to help her recover.

5. It's Okay, That's Love

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In It's Okay, That's Love, a writer named Jang Jae Yeol meets Ji Hae Soo. Jae Yeol is a best-selling mystery novel writer and radio DJ. He is a bit mischievous and a little arrogant, but it turns out he also suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) due to childhood trauma. Meanwhile, Hae Soo is a first-year psychiatrist.

They hate each other a lot, but when Hae Soo finds out that the owner of the house she rents and lives in belongs to Jae Yeol, she has to redeem herself and endure his arrogant ways. However, their arguments slowly turn into love and they begin to realize how compatible they actually are.

(kpl/mag)