A recent survey aimed at learning more about suicide prevention has revealed that 40 percent of respondents thought suicide was an act of cowardice that caused the victim to lose face. As many as half of those surveyed said that talking to a person with suicidal tendencies was likely to put themselves at greater risk of committing suicide. Such findings demonstrate that the general public view the topic of suicide in a negative light and generally try to avoid it.
The survey, commissioned by Taipei City’s Department of Health, interviewed 1,400 people. It found that 47.7 percent of respondents had considered committing suicide, of which half decided not to discuss their problems with either someone close to them or a counseling organization. The most common reason given for this was that they thought they could handle the problem themselves (63.2 percent), while 34.1 percent believed professional help to be ineffective. Another 27.8 percent wanted to avoid troubling other people.
The Health Department said that half of respondents did not feel comfortable talking about suicide in public, and that when they encounter problems or have suicidal feelings they prefer to deal with the problem themselves rather than seeking help.
PHOTO: EPA 照片：歐新社
The health department analyzed statistics from the suicide prevention center for the first half of the year and found that as many as 210 young people between 15 and 24 considered suicide as a way to solve the problems they have in their life. This represents 16 percent of all suicide attempts, which is why it is seen as necessary to provide youngsters with another way to deal with life’s difficulties.
(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY TAIJING WU)
一份自殺防治認知問卷調查結果，四成民眾認為自殺行為是懦弱、有失顏面的事，也有五成受訪者認為和想自殺的人談論自殺會提高他們自殺的危險性，顯示民眾對自殺議題的負面與懼怕接觸的心態。
台北市衛生局指出，這份問卷針對一千四百位民眾調查，四十七點七％民眾表示自己曾有自殺的念頭，半數的民眾在有自殺念頭時，選擇不尋求任何人或機構協助的多重複選原因中，以自己能夠處理的比例最高，達六十三點二％，其次則是覺得求助沒有用，達三十四點一％，以及造成別人的麻煩，達二十七點八％。
台北市衛生局說，有半數的民眾對於公開談論自殺易抱持較為負面的想法，在自己遭遇困境或自殺危機時，亦傾向採取自行面對而不求助的做法。
台北市衛生局提醒民眾，分析北市自殺防治中心一月至六月自殺企圖者的資料，十五至二十四歲青少年以自殺行為來解決生活不順遂者高達兩百一十人次，約佔總自殺企圖者的十六％，有必要透過多方面角度提供青少年在面對生活困境時另一種可能的思考。
（自由時報記者林相美）
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