Young, single mothers from economically disadvantaged households are among those at highest risk of killing their own children before taking their own lives, according to a recent poll conducted by a team at the Taiwan Associa-tion Against Depression for the Social and Economic Burden of Depression initiative.
The initiative was launched in 2002 by Norman Sartorius, the former director of the WHO's mental health program, to engage medical, economic and political figures around Asia in an effort to address the consequences of depression in the region.
Taiwanese mothers in all age groups are beleaguered with different problems and difficulties, Lai Teh-jen (
The team found that mothers in their 20s were mostly burdened by financial problems, those in their 30s and 40s were usually worried about their children's educational problems, while those above 50 were mostly concerned about their health.
Single mothers appear to carry a heavier emotional load since they have to face multiple challenges, including finances, their children's education and personal health, Lee said.
At the news conference, Lee Ming-been (李明濱), the director of the Suicide Prevention Center, highlighted the tragedy of seeing mothers killing their own children before taking their own lives because they couldn't bear the thought of leaving their young ones alone.
The past 14 years have lay witness to 198 such incidents, with 101 cases of mothers dying together with their children and 22 cases involving the deaths of entire families, Lee said.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
RSS