[HanCinema's News] Park Gyu-ri Talks About her Phobia for Consolation

On June 24th actress and singer Park Gyu-ri opened up on the 37th episode of Channel A variety show Doctor Oh's Golden Clinic, which is available on Netflix in some regions with English subtitles, about her personal mental issues. Park Gyu-ri has been involved in celebrity culture ever since she was a child. She admitted that because of this, for a very long time she felt apprehensive about discussing her anxieties with strangers.

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Park Gyu-ri said that she was scared of invoking despair in her underclassmen because she knew that they looked up to her. In discussing these issues, Park Gyu-ri noted that she had a sort of fantasy idea of idol life, and she felt responsibility for maintaining that image. So from Park Gyu-ri's perspective, it was always important to put on a positive face. However, this made it quite difficult for Park Gyu-ri to receive consolation whenever she was going through a tough time.

Park Gyu-ri interpreted displaying such vulnerability as a form of weakness. This thus gave Park Gyu-ri a phobia for consolation. Doctor Oh showed Park Gyu-ri a list of seven signs of such emotional repression. They include drinking alcohol alone, a fear of showing weakness through expression, a fear of talking to strangers, anger at people saying it's all right, the belief that she can't be understood, the belief that loneliness is strength, and the fear of her own stories running off from her control.

Park Gyu-ri said that all seven signs applied to her, and Doctor Oh confirmed that in these highly competitive times, eight out of ten young people hold these phobias. Park Gyu-ri mentioned that the worst of this for her was when her fellow Kara girl group member Goo Ha-ra killed herself following an extended bout with depression as well as threats from an abusive ex-boyfriend. Doctor Oh assured Park Gyu-ri that she was only human, and not alone in having trouble expressing her sadness.

Written by William Schwartz