On Aug. 14, 23-year-old model Hsu Tzi-ting (
On April 6, award-winning novelist Yuan Che-sheng (袁哲生) hanged himself in the woods in Hsichih. He left behind 10 novels and a note for his wife.
These cases involve figures known to the public, but they're hardly unique.
Every day, nine people in Tai-wan choose to end their lives. More than 3,000 Taiwanese kill themselves every year. Each death forcibly derails the lives of parents and children, partners and siblings, hurtling them into unfamiliar and sometimes perilous territory.
Suicide is usually talked about in hushed tones, if it's talked about at all. Despite being veiled in secrecy and surrounded by stigma, suicide is so common in our society that media do not even bother to cover the tragic events unless it happens to prominent public figures.
According to statistics from the Department of Health, the suicide rate has doubled over the past decade, rising to 0.14 percent. Last year alone, 3,195 people took their lives and even more wound up in the emergency room following a suicide attempt.
Accompanying the high prevalence are deep-rooted misconceptions. Suicide is often characterized as a response to a single event or set of circumstances, such as unemployment, a failed relationship, social seclusion and so forth. However, unlike these popular conceptions, suicide is a much more complex phenomenon and its cause varies from person to person.
"The factors that contribute to any particular suicide are diverse and complex, mental and physical alike," said Hu Wi-herng (
Clinical experience and medical surveys yield only a rough sketch of the circumstances in each case -- but statistics indicate most people who have tried suicide suffer from a psychiatric illness. The department's statistics show that 87 percent of those who have taken their own lives had a record of depression.
"People take their lives not over an isolated incident, but usually during a significant psychiatric illness," Hu said.
Although mental illnesses are treatable, sufferers face obstacles to help every step of the way. Additionally the shame and stigma of psychiatric diseases keeps many people from seeking psychiatric help.
"My patients have confessed that, many times, they flinched from walking into my diagnosis room," Hu recalled.
People who have attempted suicide are often blamed for bringing public embarrassment to their families, or for simply being too weak to climb out of their mental dungeon. Not many give deep thought as to why the specter of suicide haunts and lingers over the depressed.
"It is the stigma that hurts the patients and suicide survivors," said Hwang Jenn-tai (
Hwang recalled how the parents of a university student silently refused his help in an emergency room where their daughter lay wordless in bed an hour after jumping from her dorm. They didn't want to acknowledge her act as a suicide attempt.
"While the act of desperation leads to thousands of fatalities each year, people must realize that a staggering 87 percent of suicide cases suffer from depression," the health department's director-general, Chen Chien-jen (
The rising rates focus on the country's youth. Suicide is now the second leading cause of teenage deaths, trailing only accidents.
The department has launched a prevention campaign in schools and local health centers, calling for nationwide action to battle suicide. "Suicide is a huge but largely preventable public health problem," Chen said.
The department has submitted to the Executive Yuan a proposal for an international suicide prevention center and aims to reduce the suicide rate by 20 percent by 2009.
"The most effective way to prevent suicide among loved ones is to learn how to recognize the signs of someone at risk, take those signs seriously, and know how to respond to them," Chen said.
There are danger signs to predict a potential suicide. Between 20 and 50 percent of people who have killed themselves had previously attempted to take their own lives, according to the department's records. Also, people who have a family history of suicide, depression, and other mental illnesses are at higher risk for suicide.
"The emotional crises that usually precede suicide are most often recognizable and treatable," Hu said. "A phone call made or a helping hand could save lives."
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)