Half of callers to Shanghai's suicide prevention line below 40

Nearly half of the callers to Shanghai's first 24-hour suicide-prevention hotline are in their 20s and 30s, the organization said on Friday.

The free hotline at 021-5161-9995 was launched on Dec 3 by nonprofit organization Life Education and Crisis Intervention Center.

Compared with similar hotlines in the city, the new line extends its service into late nights and early mornings, peak times for people who need to reach out for mental comfort.

From Dec 3 to 31, a total of 632 calls were received, with both sexes equally represented. Among them, 305 calls, or 48 percent, were from people between 23 and 35.

"These figures show us that this group of people should be given enough psychological and mental health aid," said psychological expert Lin Kunhui, the founder of the organization, who is also the secretary-general of the Taiwan Suicide Prevention and Cure Association.

About 20 percent of the calls require a crisis intervention, which means that the callers are considered to be in a serious state and need urgent intervention.

Lin said they are planning to work with local companies and schools to carry out activities to promote mental health.