Preventing suicide among Hong Kong’s youth will take a collective effort, in school and beyond

Paul Yip says an approach that combines research, knowledge sharing, and training for teachers, would help prevent suicide among Hong Kong’s youth, amid academic and social pressure

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HKU medical students spread awareness on suicide prevention through a roadside outreach in Causeway Bay in November 2017. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 3:03pm, 8 Sep 2018Updated: 8:12pm, 8 Sep 2018

“To those who have lost their lives in suicide, to those who struggle with thoughts of suicide, to those who have made an attempt on their lives, to those caring for someone who struggles, to those left behind after a death by suicide, to those in recovery, and to all those who work tirelessly to prevent suicide and suicide attempts in our nation. We believe that we can and we will make a difference.” – Dedication of the US 2012 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.

According to the latest World Health Suicide Report, there are about 800,000 deaths by suicide worldwide every year; more than 60 per cent of these are in Asia. Reducing the suicide rate has been included as one of the 17 sustainable development goals proposed by the United Nations.

The increase in suicide among young people has become an emerging problem both in Hong Kong and globally. In Hong Kong, the overall suicide rate has decreased from its historical high of 18.8 per 100,000 people in 2003 to an estimated 12.4 per 100,000 people in 2017.

A few studies have indicated that our high-school students are showing signs of depression. Adolescence is a critical and sensitive stage of development as teenagers adapt to changes in life, learning environment, friends and for some, parental separation. They are more susceptible to being influenced by their external environment, and less emotionally stable, which may lead them to behave impulsively.

In the past, youth in the school system had a lower suicide rate than those who are working or unemployed for the same age cohort. However, the gap is disappearing and there is not much difference in the suicide rate among young people, regardless of whether they are in the school system or not.

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