There is a dramatic increase in the numbers of young students taking their own lives in Hong Kong. In a new study by Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, most of these pupils are full-time students.
The group found out with the help of documents from the Coroner's Court there were about 75 Hongkongers aged 15 to 24 who took suicide in 2016. Twenty-nine of them were full-time students. Most of these learners experienced school problems and had a psychiatric history, but the center warned against "oversimplifying" the causes of suicide.
Some documents revealed suicide victims experienced different problems. It varied from studies to personal relationships and money problems. Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention head Paul Yip Siu-fai, who is also University of Hong Kong's Department of Social Work and Social Administration professor, added the lack of community support and the significant increase of divorce rate among parents also played a big role in the issues they had to face.
"I think life is becoming very competitive," Yip said in the celebration of World Suicide Prevention Day on Monday, September 10, per the South China Morning Post. He also added students now use new technology to voice out their worries and thoughts. As young people today do not often use telephones to talk to someone and seek for help, they use social media instead to convey their minds and problems.
Suicide growth among young people has become a huge problem that Hong Kong and the world have to face. The overall suicide rate in the country hit 12.4 percent per 100,000 people. Fortunately, the numbers decreased compared to the "historically high" 18.8 percent per 100,000 people in 2013.
In another article by the SCMP, it noted the newest developments in artificial intelligence and web-based programs help to easily promote mental wellness not just in Hong Kong but all over the world. AI algorithms can now identify people who are stressed based on their social media posts. Online programs, on the other hand, will show intervention and programs that aid to enhance mental well-being.
To make this possible, these moves need the intensive efforts of an interdisciplinary team that specializes in "youth development, mental health, e-learning design, psychological and educational assessment, big data and computer science." The publication noted these things play a vital role to promote research, knowledge exchange, and education to improve suicide prevention.
