Nearly half of respondents of a survey released yesterday said they had experienced stress due to a COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan.
The survey was conducted by the National Suicide Prevention Center and the Taiwanese Society of Suicidology.
The survey asked 2,219 people aged 15 or older whether the virus had affected them emotionally; 45.4 percent said that they had felt stressed over the past month, society director Lee Ming-been (李明濱) told a news conference.
Photo: CNA
The COVID-19 pandemic had placed 30.8 percent of respondents under financial pressure, up 7.4 points from last year, while 29.8 percent felt stress in daily life due to the pandemic, up 5 points from last year.
Lee urged those stressed by the pandemic not to ignore its emotional effects and seek medical help, as long-term stress can have adverse effects.
Last year, there were 40,432 reports of suicide attempts, Lee said, citing government data.
The rate of death by suicide has fallen each year since 2006, dropping out of the top 10 causes of death in Taiwan, he said.
Last year, 3,656 people killed themselves, down 17 percent from 2006, he added.
However, suicide has increased among those aged 14 or younger and those aged 75 or older, taking the lives of 11 more young people and 29 more elderly people than in 2019, he said.
Lee attributed the increase in suicide among young people to relationship problems, mental health issues and school bullying, saying that government agencies and schools should focus on these problems.
About 13 percent of respondents, or an estimated 2.64 million people, reported having had suicidal thoughts at least once in their lives, while 2 percent, or an estimated 408,000 people, reported having seriously considered suicide in the past year, the results showed.
Lee called on people to reach out to those who need help and refer them to specialists for counseling or treatment.
Those in need of counseling or assistance can call the 1995, 1980 or 1925 hotlines for help.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
The military yesterday said it has located the flight data recorder, or black box, of an F-16V jet that disappeared off eastern Taiwan earlier this month, and it would soon deploy a salvage team to try to retrieve it. Air Force Command Headquarters said that while it had pinned down the location of the black box, it was still searching for the aircraft’s sole pilot, air force Captain Hsin Po-yi (辛柏毅). Without providing details, the air force said it had located the black box days after detecting some intermittent signals and would now engage a team of professionals to retrieve it. The air
RSS