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.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
RSS