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Government integrating suicide prevention efforts

A government official said that the government was working on integrating suicide prevention resources to reduce the nation's suicide rate.

There are more than 10 suicide prevention telephone hotlines nationwide, the official said, adding that the well-known Teacher Chang counseling hotline and Lifeline are always busy.

By comparison, a suicide prevention and crisis hotline set up by the Department of Health has not received many calls.

For this reason, the department's Suicide Prevention Center is integrating suicide prevention resources, the official said.

The number of calls received by Lifeline International per year totals 120,000, representing more than 300 calls per day, Lifeline sources said.

An analysis of calls placed to Lifeline showed that 75 percent of those contemplating suicide were having problems with romantic relationships or conflicts with their family.

The study also found that 35 percent of the calls were from men and 65 percent were from women. Most callers were between 30 and 49 years old.

Many people contemplating suicide did not attempt to kill themselves after calling the hotline, the sources said.

People who have tried to kill themselves are at high risk of repeating their attempt, Lifeline sources said, which should make the government view counseling hotlines as a priority.
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