Doctor warns of suicide risk as 40pc of Hong Kong pupils suffer stress as new term begins
Exams and homework are the biggest source of anxiety, with doctor warning that pressure may drive some vulnerable youngsters to suicide
Forty per cent of school pupils feel under pressure and anxious when a new term starts and experience symptoms such as fatigue, stomach ache and insomnia, a Federation of Youth Groups poll shows.
Their biggest fears are exams (61 per cent), homework (52 per cent) and the difficulty of their courses (48 per cent). More than one in 10 polled said they had suffered anxiety as a result.
A doctor warned that youngsters who struggled to cope with the pressure could resort to suicide as a way out.
The federation polled almost 4,000 male and female primary and secondary students across the city in August and September.
Dr Henry Cheung Hon-kee, a specialist in psychiatry, said: "Some people commit suicide because they cannot cope with pressure, not just because of depression.
"If the student doesn't feel ready for school and the new environment, he will feel stressed. And, if he cannot let out the pressure, the student may choose suicide at a moment when he can't take it anymore.
"Everyone is a pressure pot and how much a person can take varies."