About 1.25 million people in Taiwan have mental health problems and 13.2 percent of them have attempted suicide, according to a study released on Sunday by the Taiwan Suicide Prevention Center (TSPC).
The study showed that 10.5 percent of those with mental health problems have seriously thought about committing suicide in the past month, while 20.4 percent have considered ending their lives in the past year.
The results of the survey were released during a seminar held by the center and the Taiwanese Society of Suicidology to mark World Suicide Prevention Day, which falls on Thursday.
Noting that suicide is a global issue, TSPC director Lee Ming-been (李明濱), citing WHO statistics, said that more than 800,000 people commit suicide every year, with an average of about one person committing suicide every 40 seconds and one person attempting to kill themselves every four seconds.
TSPC chief executive Liao Shih-cheng (廖士程) said that a recent survey found that many people are aware of the importance of suicide prevention and are willing to help people seeking assistance.
Liao said that according to the survey, 7.6 percent of respondents said one of their friends had attempted to commit suicide in the past year. The survey also showed that 80.8 percent of respondents said they would try to dissuade people from trying to commit suicide, while 11.8 percent said they are willing to accompany those with who are thinking of committing suicide to seek medical attention.
According to the survey, which was carried out using a “feelings thermometer,” 6.2 percent of respondents were found to have mental health problems.
Of those suffering from mental disorders, 13.2 percent have attempted to take their own lives, but only 22.2 percent have sought medical help, the survey showed.
The poll also showed that 59.9 percent of respondents said they are prepared to lend a helping hand to prevent a suicide.
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