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Experts urge national action to cope with suicides
Print Edition
Suicide is one of the most serious problems China faces despite its booming economy.
Today is the World Suicide Prevention Day, and some experts are calling for a national suicide prevention system to reduce the suicide rate, which has declined drastically in recent years but remains high.
In 2009, the number of suicides in China accounted for 26 percent of all suicides worldwide, putting it among the country’s top five causes of death.
“A variety of reasons contribute to the high suicide rate, including social, economic, cultural and environmental factors,” said Xia Xueluan, professor of sociology at Peking University.
Enormous societal change, which can lead to feelings of confusion and alienation, was one of the most important reasons, Xia said, adding that people today faced more pressures and difficulties.
In recent years, the suicide rate among the elderly had risen to a worrying high, more than three times higher than other age groups, said Xiao Shuiyuan, a professor with the China Association of Mental Health.
Li Baoku, president of the China Aging Development Foundation, said the suicide rate of elderly people in rural areas was four to five times higher than the world average.
Experts said having children and relatives away from home, disease and poverty were the main causes of suicide among the elderly in the country.
However, China has seen its suicide rate drop significantly compared with the global suicide rate, which has risen by 60 percentage points over the past 45 years.
The suicide rate among rural Chinese women has dropped dramatically. In the 1980s, family disputes, unhappy marriages, poverty and easy access to pesticides contributed to a suicide rate of more than 30 in 100,000. That fell to 7.87 in 100,000 in 2009. The drop may be due to mass migration to urban areas, ridding women of undeveloped living conditions and helping them gain legal and social assistance.
“Even one case of suicide is too much for society. I strongly advise that China create a national strategy to prevent suicide as soon as possible like some other countries have done,” Xiao said.
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