(Image: Yonhap News)
[Anchor]
A South Korean study has shown a serious increase in mental health problems during the coronavirus pandemic.
One in five adults surveyed said they were at risk of depression, five times the figure in 2018.
The BBC's Laura Bicker reports from Seoul.
[Reporter]
This is the latest survey to sound the alarm about a developing mental health crisis in South Korea, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 4 million people who've been directly affected by the coronavirus, including frontline medical workers, contacted a government-run helpline and almost 2 million were referred for counseling.
Cases of suicide among women in their late teens and early 20s is causing particular concern.
Experts believe that the closure of schools and universities, limited opportunities for young people to meet, and this may have had an effect on their mental health.
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