Actor Lee Hye-young reveals she sought psychiatric treatment after waking early from anesthesia during lung cancer surgery

Actor Lee Hye-young has revealed she is receiving psychiatric treatment following her lung cancer surgery.

On Thursday, Lee shared on her YouTube channel the reason she began seeing a psychiatrist.

"Before the lung cancer surgery, I thought I would just walk into the operating room and walk out," she said. "They said the surgery would take three hours, but it ended up taking six. Maybe because of that, the anesthesia wore off a little early."

She recalled waking up fully before being moved to her hospital room. "I came to completely while still in the operating room. There were patients all around me on beds, moaning, and the cold atmosphere of the hospital hit me — it was a serious psychological shock," she said.

She added, "I was in so much pain, and because the anesthesia wore off so quickly, I could see everything. So I passed out again."

Lee said the experience left her with deep mental anguish over death. "I told the hospital, and they referred me to a psychiatry professor specializing in post-traumatic stress," she said. "At first I cried every single day, but now my mind feels so much more at ease — I've even gotten close enough with my doctor to share supplement recommendations."

She also encouraged others to seek help without hesitation. "A lot of my friends around my age are seeing psychiatrists. As menopause sets in, things like depression can come along," she said. "Your mind can catch a cold just like your body can. Please don't be afraid of psychiatry — go and get the help you need."

Lee had previously disclosed that she was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2021 and underwent surgery to remove part of her lung.