One is too many: the Hong Kong suicide expert battling to turn a tragic tide in student suicides

The key to preventing such tragedies, according to Professor Paul Yip, is building a more caring environment, whether at home or at school

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Professor Paul Yip has spent more than 20 years working on suicide research. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 10:02am, 10 Sep 2016Updated: 10:01am, 10 Sep 2016

Suicide prevention is not an easy task in Hong Kong, but one man has built a career on it.

With more than two decades of experience in suicide research, Paul Yip Siu-fai is now in his 14th year serving as the founding director of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention.

Recently appointed chairman of the government’s new Committee on Prevention of Student Suicides, Yip is also a professor of social work and administration at the University of Hong Kong and a recipient of the International Association for Suicide Prevention’s Stengel Award in 2011.

In Hong Kong, suicide prevention has become a hot button issue in recent months as a result of a spate of student suicides earlier this year. Last year there were 70 youth suicides and 23 cases of full-time student suicides.

Many people feel Hong Kong youngsters are under too much pressure at schools that focus on exam success. Photo: SCMP Pictures

The centre estimated the suicide rate in Hong Kong last year to be about 12.6 per 100,000. Although the rate has been decreasing for more than 10 years, the suicide rate among young people aged 15 to 24 spiked to an estimated 8.5 per 100,000 last year, up from the 6.2 per 100,000 in 2014.

With World Suicide Prevention Day on Saturday, Yip aims to raise awareness of the importance of suicide prevention and call on Hongkongers to work together to create a more caring and nurturing community.

One is too many: the Hong Kong suicide expert battling to turn a tragic tide in student suicides

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The key to preventing such tragedies, according to Professor Paul Yip, is building a more caring environment, whether at home or at school

The key to preventing such tragedies, according to Professor Paul Yip, is building a more caring environment, whether at home or at school