Some 80 percent of those who commit suicide suffered from different types of mental illnesses, an analysis by a South Korean medical team showed Tuesday, although such a correlation is less stark in Asian countries.

The team led by professor Na Kyung-se, of the neuropsychiatry department at the Gachon University Gil Medical Center in Incheon, west of Seoul, researched the results of psychological autopsies of 6,626 people from different countries who died in suicides. The research covered cases from 1966-2015. Psychological autopsies reconstruct the state of mind of those committing suicide through interviews with family members and friends, and personal documents.

Of the cases studied, 80.8 percent were found to have suffered mental illnesses, according to the team's analysis. The most common forms of illnesses were depression (50.8 percent), alcohol-related problems (21.1 percent) and personality disorders (12.2 percent).

The correlation between suicides and mental disorders appeared higher in North America, where prevalence was 88.2 percent. In East Asia, which included South Korea, the prevalence was 69.6 percent.

Na said the lower figure may have more to do with the region's common lack of analysis for personality disorders in suicides.

"The absence of the category altogether in autopsies likely influenced the statistics," he said.

South Korea for years has had a high suicide rate. Data released in August last year by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said an average of 29.1 people per 100,000 in South Korea took their own lives, compared with an average of 12 for other OECD member states.

"Given such a high rate, related research needs to be conducted in more varied forms," Na said.

Dr. Cho Seo-eun, who works in the same department as Na, said autopsies also need to be carried out by experienced professionals, especially face-to-face interviews.

"Specialists need to look comprehensively at the medical records, suicide notes, SNS records and interview results to be able to conclude whether the person had been suffering from mental illness and follow up with more research," Cho said. (Yonhap)