“My Golden Kids” Dr. Oh Eun-young Puts Therapy On TV

In South Korea, renowned psychiatrist Dr. Oh Eun-young helped de-stigmatize seeking therapy and blew up the traditionally private relationship with patients by putting it all on TV.

SEOUL — The day of the appointment has finally arrived. The parents had waited a month to see the famous South Korean psychiatrist about their child's problems. They entered the room, the doctor arrived, and the door closed.

Then the teleprompters came on, the cameras started rolling, and the producer shouted, "Action!"< /p>

So began the recording of "My Golden Kids", one of the most popular reality TV shows in South Korea . Reigning over the episode was Dr. Oh Eun-young, a specialist in child and adolescent psychiatry who has been called the "god of parenthood".

His mantra: "He's not a problem kid, just parenting issues."

In a country where fame is often personified by Young megastars churned out by a demanding entertainment industry, 57-year-old Dr Oh holds a singular cultural niche, attracting millions of viewers on television and the internet, dispensing advice on parenting and marriage.

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Through a portfolio of shows - and books, videos and lectures - she redefined therapy for Koreans, shattered the traditionally private relationship between doctor and patient and introduced the nation to an accessible vocabulary about mental health issues.

"She's the mother you wish you'd had in your childhood," said Dr. Yesie Yoon, a Korean American psychiatrist in New York who grew up watching Dr. Oh's shows. “People really put their personal feelings towards popular figures in the media. And I have the impression that she plays a role of good mother for many Koreans. health treatments have deep roots and getting therapy has always been a stealth business.

South Koreans attest to Dr. Oh's role in de-stigmatizing psychiatric treatments and the fact that some are willing to share their struggles on his shows is a defining cultural moment. Practitioners in Dr. Oh's field say it is getting easier and easier to persuade South Koreans to seek therapy or take medication.

ImageDr. Oh record an episode of "My Golden Kids". The show launched in 2020, when the pandemic, with its extended shutdowns, forced people to face the problems of loved ones head-on.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">In South Korea, about one in four adults reported having had a mental disorder in their lifetime, and only one in 55 received treatment in 2021, according to National Mental Health Center. (One in five American adults received mental health treatment in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.) South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world; it was the fifth leading cause of death in 2020, according to the government. Among people in their 20s, it accounted for 54% of deaths.

When Dr Oh began his medical career in 1996, many South Koreans associated the disease mentally weak, she said in an interview at a counseling center in Seoul's wealthy Gangnam district. Some even believed that people...