Readers seek solace, psychotherapy books

When life is hard, people seek solace from whatever source they can find, and if a market trend is any indication, more and more South Koreans are turning to books for mental healing. Psychiatrist Kim Hye-nam became an instant celebrity with her book, whose title roughly translates as "Thirty-year-olds Ask Psychology." It sold 600,000 copies and became a bestseller, a very rare feat for psychotherapy books. Kim cites her treatment of real patients in the 300-page book, helping readers who cannot bring themselves to go to a clinic for diagnosis in a country where seeking psychiatric counseling means losing face.