More than 61,000 people called the Taiwan Suicide Prevention Center’s (TSPC) hotline last year to seek help, the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday said.
The number of calls made to the center’s hotline last year was 27 percent higher than in 2008. The TSPC provided emergency rescue in 143 cases and prevented suicide in 318 cases, Bureau of Medical Affairs Deputy Director Wang Tsung-hsi (王宗曦) said.
Of the 61,000 people who called the center, about 50 percent were women, 41 percent men and the remaining 9 percent unknown. The largest age group of callers (33 percent) consisted of 30 to 39-year-olds, followed by 40 to 49-year-olds (27 percent) and 20 to 29 year-olds (22 percent). The center also noticed that men were more prone to act impulsively when attempting suicide than women.
The hotline, a joint effort between the center and the Lifeline Association, Taipei, has well-trained operators and a database system that matches up emergency suicide calls to callers’ information to assist rescue workers in providing immediate help to callers who may not have given correct or adequate information, Wang said.
Most callers who were identified as potential suicide victims had psychological problems, while those who were psychologically healthy were mainly plagued by problems at home, with relationships or marriage or had financial difficulties.
Wang said that even though the number of people who committed suicide last year fell slightly, suicide still remains the ninth highest cause of death in Taiwan.
The center said that if a friend or relative is contemplating suicide or just seems depressed, the appropriate thing to do is to first extend help by asking the person what is troubling him or her.
The second step is to respond and show that you care about them and the final step is to seek professional help.
The center urged those who are depressed or troubled not to view suicide as an option. Professional help and counseling is available by calling the hotline at 0800-788-995.
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