7 K-Dramas that Focus on Mental Health

Isha Singh, Delhi

K-dramas are cherished by people all around the world for various reasons such as their relatability with real-life experiences, the diverse range of plots, no lengthy format, and the ability to make a profound impact on someone by either breaking stereotypes or offering unique perspectives on situations. But who says popular K-dramas are all about rom-coms or cliche genres? South Korea, a country suffering from a mental health crisis due to a lack of services, and a series of psychological dramas are responsible for breaking the taboos regarding mental health. Also, due to its higher viewership, the series gets the opportunity to make an impact globally.

Psychology is the study of the mind and human behaviour. Gaining psychological knowledge is important to understand a wide range of mental illnesses, human reactions in various situations, emotional behaviour, and their relationships with people around them. Some of the K-dramas that focus on mental health are:

GOOD DOCTOR

Park Shi-on’s role played by Joo Won gets diagnosed with autism and savant syndrome as a child. In congenital savant syndrome, the extraordinary savant abilities surface in early childhood and usually coexist with developmental disabilities. The story focuses on the criticism he faces while working as a surgeon in one of the prestigious hospitals and spreads the message of how people with disabilities need appreciation, not pity.

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IT’S OKAY, THAT’S LOVE

The story revolves around numerous mental illnesses like schizophrenia, tourette syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Jang Jae-yeol ‘s role played by Zo In-sung suffers from OCD and has undiagnosed schizophrenia while Park Soo-kwang’s role played by Lee Kwang-soo has tourette syndrome due to which he often suffers from panic attacks.

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SOUL MECHANIC

Lee Shi-joon is a psychiatrist at Eun Kang Medical Centre and is known for his unconventional yet successful ways of treatment. Han Woo-joo, a musical actress suffering from borderline personality disorder is Lee Shi-joon’s patient. The story focuses on various mental disorders suffered by the people at Eun Kang like eating disorders, delusion disorders, social anxiety, etc., and normalizes the idea of having a mental disorder.

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KILL ME, HEAL ME

The main lead Cha Do-hyun role played by Ji Sung suffers from dissociative identity disorder due to which he manifests 6 different personalities – Shin Se-gi, Perry Park, NaNa, Mr. X, Ahn Yo-seob, Ahn Yo-na.

In another drama Hyde Jekyll, Me, Hyun Bin played the role of both Hyde and Jekyll. Hyde is a cold-hearted, insensitive personality while Robin on the other side is charming and kind-hearted. While the message regarding mental illness is delivered, it’s fun to watch how the main leads of both dramas played their different characters so professionally.

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SKY CASTLE

This drama doesn’t talk about a specific mental health disorder but describes the most important issue of teenage depression which is led by immense anxiety, stress, and societal pressure. The drama shows 4 rich families living in Sky Castle who are obsessed with admitting their children to the top universities in South Korea. The sky here represents the 3 top universities of Korea – Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. The children of these families have to face extreme pressure to accomplish their family’s expectations and the fear of not satisfying them keeps on chasing their soul.

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IT’S OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY

This drama covers a wide range of mental health issues ranging from bipolar disorder, PTSD, autism and anti-social personality disorder. The character of Ko Moon-young is bold, attractive, fashionable, and rich but at the same time, she has a traumatic childhood and a personality disorder due to which she acts too possessive and heartless at times. On the other side, Moon Gang-tae’s older brother Moon Sang-tae has autism but with special art and vast knowledge about dinosaurs. Being a psychiatrist, even though Gang-tae works to heal patients, he is seen struggling inside while wearing a happy mask outside. With time, the characters are seen overcoming their fears and a sense of freedom is experienced by them. The drama also drops an important message that everybody has their sorrows and it’s okay to not be in your perfect state all the time.

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“There are more patients out there who aren’t wearing hospital gowns. If you meet someone like Sang-tae, who is on the autism spectrum, on the street, I think it would be nice if people could think ‘I would like to be with that person’ instead of ‘I would like to help that person.”

CHOCOLATE

This K-drama deals with childhood trauma, specifically Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Lee Kang, a neurosurgeon has to give up his dreams of being a cook while Moon Cha-young ends up being a Chef. The chocolate here symbolizes a sense of connection they both face as they reunite. These two characters are seen healing and embracing each other through their love for food.

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Unlike other genres, psychological K-dramas have led to a normalization of talking about mental health in daily life conversations, which is still considered taboo in many Asian countries like South Korea. The viewer also becomes aware of the importance of mental health in one’s life and encourages others to freely talk about it.

Tell us about your favourite Korean dramas related to mental health and what you like about them.