Society should address suicide among youths

The high number of suicides among Chinese adolescents could be attributed to the extreme pressure that their families put on them to perform excellently in school and score the highest marks in exams. Apart from such pressures, many teenagers also feel isolated and lonely that could push them toward suicide.

Many young people kill themselves because they cannot bear the heavy pressure of the test-oriented education system, says the 2014 Report on China's Education, also known as the "Blue Book of Education". In China, a typical school day can last up to 12 hours. In many cases, Chinese students return home from school with two to four hours of homework. And Chinese parents make great demands on children's time to complete their homework because they believe it will help them to perform better in school.

Given the complexity of the problem, is it possible to lower the suicide rate among Chinese teenagers? It is, if parents, teachers and friends can identify signs of distress among the young. Certain characteristics - such as depression, conduct disorders and situational crises - are associated with increased risk of suicide. Young people may show particular behavioral signs that indicate their intention to attempt suicide. Among such signs are changes in appearance and their conduct toward friends. Actions like giving away of prized possessions or suggesting directly or indirectly that they could end their life are also indicative of people contemplating suicide.

Because children and adolescents spend a substantial amount of time at school under the supervision of school staff, teachers and other officials should be trained to detect warning signs among children. At the same time, there should be more frequent communication among parents, teachers and school staff to identify vulnerable children and help them overcome their problems.

A good approach would be to create "crisis response teams", comprising representatives from students, parents and school officials, to look after students who exhibit behaviors that raise concern.

Moreover, students should have easy access to effective medical and mental health services. Through a combined and comprehensive set of actions, China can effectively control what threatens to become a serious public health problem.

The author is an international public health consultant.