Don’t simplify causes of suicide, expert warns in wake of triple homicide that shocked Hong Kong
Woman, 23, who was found dead with her parents, left note about how she had suffered from painful skin condition
An expert in suicide prevention urged Hongkongers not to simplify the reasons for someone seeking to end their own life, as a recent triple homicide shocked the city and threw the spotlight on eczema, a painful skin condition suffered by one of the victims.
Professor Paul Yip Siu-fai, director of the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention at the University of Hong Kong, said such cases were “very rare” in Hong Kong.
“For us who work on preventing suicide, the biggest worry is simplifying the causes, because it may normalise suicide as a solution to general situations,” said Yip, who also chairs a government committee on student suicide prevention.
Yip added that social media users should be more alert to messages mentioning suicide and should call police when messages involved suicide attempts or suggested that someone was in the process of committing suicide.