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By Dr. Timothy P. Hannum
SEOUL- North Korea made waves this week when they sunk a South Korean battleship in international waters off of the countries’ mutual coast. Pyongyang subsequently became enraged when their southern neighbors formally accused them of the act and threatened retaliatory sanctions. Today, North Korea cut off all diplomatic relations with Seoul in protest of the sanctions. Furthermore, North Korea has promised to expel all South Korean diplomats after this most recent flare-up between the two feuding sibling countries.
To me, North Korea sinking the South Korean battleship was yet another in a long line of calls for help by the isolated country. As an expert in depression and anxiety, I see cases like this one all the time. It is not abnormal for a country to be dealing with difficult identity issues such as this, but make no mistake, the economy isn’t the only thing in North Korea that is depressed.
Think about it- North Korea has a long history of destructive and attention-getting behavior, and it’s not the type of diplomacy that one would expect from an emotionally stable nation. In addition to sinking South Korea’s ship just to get attention, North Korea also cut off ties with one of their closest relatives and became even more isolated than usual. That type of withdrawn behavior is evidence of deep emotional scarring, and may require years of therapy to rectify.
I don’t need to tell you that the pain of being cut off from your loved ones is great, but it pales in comparison to the damage done by some of the more physically destructive tendencies that severely depressed nations can sometimes experience. As many of you know, one manifestation of severe depression can be the tendency to starve oneself. North Korea has had an ongoing battle with such starvation over the years, from the widespread famine of the late 1990s, to the refusal of food aid
from Western countries starting in 2002, to the World Food Program’s proclamation of “imminent danger” of famine conditions in recent years. Clearly, North Korea is suffering from some serious body image issues.
SEOUL- North Korea made waves this week when they sunk a South Korean battleship in international waters off of the countries’ mutual coast. Pyongyang subsequently became enraged when their southern neighbors formally accused them of the act and threatened retaliatory sanctions. Today, North Korea cut off all diplomatic relations with Seoul in protest of the sanctions. Furthermore, North Korea has promised to expel all South Korean diplomats after this most recent flare-up between the two feuding sibling countries.
To me, North Korea sinking the South Korean battleship was yet another in a long line of calls for help by the isolated country. As an expert in depression and anxiety, I see cases like this one all the time. It is not abnormal for a country to be dealing with difficult identity issues such as this, but make no mistake, the economy isn’t the only thing in North Korea that is depressed.
Think about it- North Korea has a long history of destructive and attention-getting behavior, and it’s not the type of diplomacy that one would expect from an emotionally stable nation. In addition to sinking South Korea’s ship just to get attention, North Korea also cut off ties with one of their closest relatives and became even more isolated than usual. That type of withdrawn behavior is evidence of deep emotional scarring, and may require years of therapy to rectify.
I don’t need to tell you that the pain of being cut off from your loved ones is great, but it pales in comparison to the damage done by some of the more physically destructive tendencies that severely depressed nations can sometimes experience. As many of you know, one manifestation of severe depression can be the tendency to starve oneself. North Korea has had an ongoing battle with such starvation over the years, from the widespread famine of the late 1990s, to the refusal of food aid
from Western countries starting in 2002, to the World Food Program’s proclamation of “imminent danger” of famine conditions in recent years. Clearly, North Korea is suffering from some serious body image issues. [LEFT- No, go south. You're not welcome here.]
Even though I have not had the opportunity to examine North Korea personally, the symptoms speak volumes about the country’s psychological condition. It has repeatedly shown itself to be ill-tempered, delusional, paranoid, and withdrawn. At times, it has shown hints of a messiah complex, which could be evidence of borderline personality disorder. These are issues that normal diplomacy could not begin to address.
If I was giving advice to South Korea, it would be to not blame yourself. There was nothing more that you could do. You provided a safe, nurturing environment for North Korea, but North Korea had problems that did not allow it to engage in that type of positive relationship. North Korea clearly needs professional help. Even though your efforts did not fix North Korea, you did what you could, and even though your actions caused pain to North Korea and yourself, they may have saved North Korea in the long run by encouraging it to get the help that it needs.
What I need you to do now, South Korea, is to be careful with North Korea, because it’s in one of the most delicate situations it has ever been in. North Korea is a bundle of emotions right now, and even though it has hurt you a lot in the last week, you need to remember that this is the sickness talking; North Korea doesn’t actually hate you, it doesn’t really want to blow up your battle ships, and it doesn’t want you out of its life forever, but now is not the time to seek retribution or try to get even for the destruction that it has caused. Instead, be thankful for what you have. In the half century since you and North Korea became independent, you have had the best economic growth density in the world, and you have the second highest math literacy rate in the world. That’s a lot to be proud of, and it proves that you are worthy of being loved, even if it’s by a short guy with a napoleon complex and some issues with gender roles.
Another thing you can do for me is to write North Korea a letter explaining all of the hurtful things that it has done to you. North Korea may not realize how much pain it has caused over the years because it has been so absorbed in its own problems. But if you sit down with North Korea and explain the ways in which it has hurt you, that will force North Korea to confront all of those problems directly.
Through counseling and the proper psychopharmacological regimen, I believe that North Korea can lead a healthy, productive life as a member of the global community. North Korea is going to have to take a long look in the mirror, set achievable goals, work through problems in a systematic and comprehensive way, and learn about the relationship between its behaviors and their consequences for itself and others. Through a deep and honest investigation of North Korea’s problems, we can get it to a place where it has a better sense of self-worth and can more fully enjoy its important relationships with the most important countries around it.
Dr. Timothy P. Hannum is a psychiatrist specializing in depression/anxiety and substance abuse issues. He is the author of the best selling self-help book Help You Help Me Help You, as well as the recently released follow-up Intervention on a Pension: Drug Abuse in the Silver Years. He can be reached on Twitter @DocRehab. His reality show, International Rehab All-Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 ET/5 PT on TruTV. Contact your local cable company for details.
Even though I have not had the opportunity to examine North Korea personally, the symptoms speak volumes about the country’s psychological condition. It has repeatedly shown itself to be ill-tempered, delusional, paranoid, and withdrawn. At times, it has shown hints of a messiah complex, which could be evidence of borderline personality disorder. These are issues that normal diplomacy could not begin to address.
If I was giving advice to South Korea, it would be to not blame yourself. There was nothing more that you could do. You provided a safe, nurturing environment for North Korea, but North Korea had problems that did not allow it to engage in that type of positive relationship. North Korea clearly needs professional help. Even though your efforts did not fix North Korea, you did what you could, and even though your actions caused pain to North Korea and yourself, they may have saved North Korea in the long run by encouraging it to get the help that it needs.
What I need you to do now, South Korea, is to be careful with North Korea, because it’s in one of the most delicate situations it has ever been in. North Korea is a bundle of emotions right now, and even though it has hurt you a lot in the last week, you need to remember that this is the sickness talking; North Korea doesn’t actually hate you, it doesn’t really want to blow up your battle ships, and it doesn’t want you out of its life forever, but now is not the time to seek retribution or try to get even for the destruction that it has caused. Instead, be thankful for what you have. In the half century since you and North Korea became independent, you have had the best economic growth density in the world, and you have the second highest math literacy rate in the world. That’s a lot to be proud of, and it proves that you are worthy of being loved, even if it’s by a short guy with a napoleon complex and some issues with gender roles.
Another thing you can do for me is to write North Korea a letter explaining all of the hurtful things that it has done to you. North Korea may not realize how much pain it has caused over the years because it has been so absorbed in its own problems. But if you sit down with North Korea and explain the ways in which it has hurt you, that will force North Korea to confront all of those problems directly.
Through counseling and the proper psychopharmacological regimen, I believe that North Korea can lead a healthy, productive life as a member of the global community. North Korea is going to have to take a long look in the mirror, set achievable goals, work through problems in a systematic and comprehensive way, and learn about the relationship between its behaviors and their consequences for itself and others. Through a deep and honest investigation of North Korea’s problems, we can get it to a place where it has a better sense of self-worth and can more fully enjoy its important relationships with the most important countries around it.
Dr. Timothy P. Hannum is a psychiatrist specializing in depression/anxiety and substance abuse issues. He is the author of the best selling self-help book Help You Help Me Help You, as well as the recently released follow-up Intervention on a Pension: Drug Abuse in the Silver Years. He can be reached on Twitter @DocRehab. His reality show, International Rehab All-Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 ET/5 PT on TruTV. Contact your local cable company for details.
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