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Taliao community inaugurates suicide prevention center

"We should teach young people that life is full of tests, challenges and frustrations and that they should not be daunted." — Lin Fang-yue, Department of Health minister

Grassroots community suicide prevention networks should be established throughout the country to help curtail suicide attempts and reduce the suicide mortality rate, Department of Health (DOH) Minister Lin Fang-yue (林芳郁) said on Saturday.

Lin said education programs should also be implemented to help young people understand that there are many hurdles to overcome in life and that suicide is never the answer.

“We should teach young people that life is full of tests, challenges and frustrations and that they should not be daunted by setbacks but should instead gear up to overcome the difficulties on their road to success,” Lin said, adding that such education is critical, as only those who have such an understanding can treasure life.

Lin made the remarks at the inauguration of a community support network for suicide prevention in Kaohsiung County’s Taliao Township (大寮鄉), where the suicide mortality rate has surpassed the national and county average for the past three years.

In the face of steadily rising suicide mortality rates and as suicide emerges as one of the Top 10 causes of death in Taiwan, Lin said a national center was inaugurated in December 2005 to pool resources and coordinate efforts for suicide prevention and related care.

Through the efforts of the National Suicide Prevention Center and the assistance of non-governmental organizations, Lin said the suicide mortality rate dropped to 17.2 people out of every 100,000 last year, down 11 percent from the 2006 level.

“It marked the first decline since 1994,” he said.

As suicidal people usually tell someone close to them about their intention, Lin said a publicity campaign has been launched to educate people that everyone is obliged to do his or her part in helping prevent suicide.

“All-out effort should be made to promote the core values of ‘cherishing life, restoring hope’ and that ‘suicide prevention is everybody’s business,’” Lin said.

Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興) said the county’s health bureau has worked hard to establish a community suicide prevention network in Taliao in the hope that every resident could become a doorkeeper to help curtail suicide.

Yang said that Kaohsiung County’s suicide mortality rate fell from 20.9 persons per 100,000 in 2006 to 16.6 last year, but the rate has remained at around 25 persons per 100,000 in Taliao.

“Against this backdrop, we have overcome difficulties to install a grassroots support network in the village to help prevent residents from killing themselves for any reason,” Yang said, adding he is hopeful that similar systems can be copied in the county’s other townships in the future.
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