Hong Kong suicide centre advocates taking to social media to reach out to distressed youngsters
HK centre says engaging youngsters through online platforms is effective way to reach them
Last week, about 800 suicide prevention experts from around the world gathered in Montreal for the 28th World Congress of the International Association for Suicide Prevention, sponsored by the World Health Organisation. At the meeting, we discussed the latest discoveries and technological breakthroughs pertaining to suicide prevention.
One of the major themes was the use of social media to prevent suicides, as young people these days tend not to seek help face-to-face or even over the phone. There is a greater chance of engaging them through blogs, Facebook and other social media platforms.
But current traditional services for suicide prevention have been falling behind in developing online help. It is also of great importance to develop a scientific evaluation programme to assess the effectiveness of social media in this regard.
Montreal has made some impressive efforts in the last decade to reduce its suicide numbers. For example, the local police launched a people-oriented programme that led to a cut of more than 40 per cent in the suicide rate among their officers.
Substantial work was also done to raise awareness of mental well-being in the community. According to Professor Brian Mishara of the University of Quebec, various stakeholders in the community work together to save lives.
Companies are being encouraged to provide a working environment friendly to the mental health of their workers. The age standardised suicide rate in Canada stands at 9.8 people per 100,000, which is less than the world average of 11.4. Hong Kong's rate is 9.4.