Rising teen suicides demands urgent, proactive response
The child suicide rate is low but increasing. It should be zero. The tragedy of loss is real. Schoolchildren coped with the COVID lockdown. Catch-up pressure combined with fractured families adds to the stress. Should the education system embrace holistic well-being to prevent teen suicide? Oasis Hu
Paul Yip Siu-fai, a professor in the Department of Social Work and Social Administration and director of the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention at the University of Hong Kong, views the data on schoolchildren suicides as a key indicator and "report card" for society, as rising suicide rates flash societal failure to address at-risk pupils.
Yip urges a shift away from obsession with academic success to more balanced interpersonal connections, to reframe student identities and guide children to find meaning in life for holistic well-being. He concedes this will require a long-term and challenging effort but the change can no longer wait. The alarming increase in suicide cases among schoolchildren in Hong Kong demands immediate attention.
Police data revealed that, as of November, 306 schoolchildren attempted suicide, with 37 fatalities at an average age of 16.3 years old, and 15.7 years old for the 269 who survived. The numbers indicate teenagers as the most vulnerable group.
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