If more attention is not paid to the mentally ill in China, it
could drive them to the brink of suicide, doctors and researchers
said.
Chen Dong, a senior doctor at the Peking University Health
Sciences Center, told China Youth Daily in a story
published yesterday that since the nation's economy is developing
so fast and societal divisions are becoming more pronounced, rapid
social changes are causing various kinds of mental illness.
Depression, attempted suicide, low quality of life, chronic
psychological pressure, grave interpersonal clashes before death,
and the effects of suicide by family members and close associates
are examples, Chen said.
Chen Yucai of the Beijing Health Bureau said that two of the
largest groups committing suicide were young people and the
elderly.
For college students, the underlining factors include mental
barriers, psychological illness, the pressure of combining study
and employment, and trouble adjusting to surrounding environment,
said Yang Haiping of the Ministry of Education.
Facing crisis
More work should be done to help college students to manage
their lives and to develop courage and confidence in facing
pressures and crises, Yang said.
For primary or middle school students who commit suicide, said
Han Lina of Chaoyang Hospital in Beijing, the reason may be
simpler: worry about a test to enter a better school or college,
premarital pregnancy, love affairs and even clashes with classmates
or teachers.
Wang Jisheng of the Institute of Psychology under the Chinese
Academy of Sciences said he thought the chief reason for the high
rate of suicidal behavior among teens and young people is they
don't handle setbacks well.
Senior citizens choose suicide because they are afraid of not
being cared for or chronic illness, and grieving from the loss of
their spouses, said Wang Ling from Beijing Jishuitan Hospital.
Although society needs to provide a better economic and social
structure, Wang said, the chief preventive measures must come from
people themselves, he said, citing a multi-layer outlook of values,
better morals and a better approach to meeting the changes in
society.
(China Daily March 1, 2007)