The sharp increase in suicides and suicide attempts in recent years has triggered widespread concern.
In preparation for the opening of a national suicide-prevention center, social workers and psychiatric experts gathered yesterday to discuss strategies.
According to statistics provided at the seminar, the number of suicides nationwide has been steadily rising since 1993, from 6.4 suicides per 100,000 people to 14.16 per100,000 people. Suicide is now the ninth largest cause of death in the nation.
The statistics show that while 3,000 or so people succeed in committing suicide every year -- another 30,000 try.
Cheng Tai-an (鄭泰安), a professor at National Taiwan University's College of Public Health, said a nationwide suicide-prevention center has been in the works since 2003 but the details have to be finalized.
"Prevention of suicide should be the top priority of public health services in Taiwan, and strategies should be settled as soon as possible," Cheng said.
Making reference to his expertise in suicide-preventative strategies used in Europe and the US, Cheng said the strategies used in Finland and England would be very valuable, since those places have about about the same population as Taiwan.
One important factor is the government's restrictions on substances that are often used in suicide bids, Cheng said, which would include pesticides and charcoal.
Cheng stressed the importance of improving the quality of mental-health care, citing research that showed 80 to 100 percent of people who have committed suicide suffered from a mental illness, particularly chronic depression.
"In Finland there are 1,000 psychiatric health-care workers for every 5 million people. In comparison, there are about the same number [of health-care workers] for Taiwan's entire population," Cheng said.
Other participants noted that each country has its own problems and resources.
"The effectiveness of suicide-prevention strategies depends a lot on each place, as each country has different resources and different needs," said Lee Ming-been (李明賓), president of the Taiwan Association against Depression.
Lee said decreasing the number of suicides should not be taken as an isolated goal but that experts in public health, mental health and psycho-social health should work together to address the issue.
"Suicide is not an isolated problem. It is an unfortunate end product of a process of psychiatric treatment," Lee said.
Lee said medical expertise should not be taken out of the equation when considering what suicide-prevention strategies should be offered, because mental illnesses can be very complicated.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has predicted that by 2020 suicide will be the ninth most likely cause of death worldwide. It has ranked suicide second among the top 10 "acute diseases and injuries."
Also see story:
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS