
Boosting suicide prevention must be part of Hong Kong's recovery efforts
study by Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong has revealed that 1,138 people committed suicide in the city last year. The rate of 15.1 per 100,000 is the highest since 2003. It is a stark reminder of the need for effective measures to prevent such tragedies.
The report, based on an analysis of Coroner's Court cases, highlighted a significant year-on-year increase in cases involving middle-aged men. A rate of 24.38 suicides per 100,000 was recorded for men aged 30-39, and 27.46 for the 40-49 age group. This demographic has received less attention compared to the well-documented cases involving young people and the elderly.
The NGO believes economic hardship to be a contributing factor. More than twice as many men as women committed suicide last year and more than a third of all cases involved people who were unemployed.
Another factor is the relative reluctance of men to seek help. There were almost double the number of interventions prompted by calls to the organisation's hotline from women compared to men last year.
There must be increased awareness of the need to ask for assistance and the means of doing so, ensuring support is available to help those at risk turn their lives around.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
AniTech offers AI kit to tackle depression and suicides in Hong Kong
AniTech, the developer of an artificial intelligence (AI) platform to detect early signs of depression, plans to launch its technology next year to tackle mental illness and suicide among the city's population, co-founder and CEO Candy Lau Po-chun said. The company operates an electroencephalogram (EEG) brain electrical signal-based screening platform, which can be used to help prevent cases among youth and elderly people – two vulnerable groups in the city known for their high levels of pressure and stress in life, it said. 'While Hong Kong legislators have made efforts to support those with mental illnesses and address related suicides, these are insufficient to find hidden patients such as those with mild symptoms,' Lau said in an interview. 'We aim to build on this progress by providing a tool for early screening and prevention.' Hong Kong recorded 1,138 suicides last year, the highest number since 2003, the Samaritan Befrienders said, based on data from the Coroner's Court. Cases rose 4 per cent from 2023. Suicides among students almost tripled to 32 cases over a 10-year period to 2023, according to government data. A Chinese University of Hong Kong survey in 2023 showed a quarter of polled students had mental disorders, while 6.9 per cent had suicidal tendencies. 02:05 Long Covid-19 patients struggle with suicide risk more than 2 years into the pandemic Long Covid-19 patients struggle with suicide risk more than 2 years into the pandemic Co-founder and non-executive director Eddie Ma Chi-him, a professor in neuroscience at City University of Hong Kong, built the AniTech platform using decades of research on EEG signals.


South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
China girl nearly dies after eating greens, laxatives for 2 weeks to fit in birthday dress
A teenage girl almost died after she ate just small portions of vegetables and laxatives for two weeks in a dangerous attempt to fit into a new birthday dress. Mei, a 16-year-old from central China's Hunan province, had to go through an emergency 12-hour medical procedure after she lapsed into a critical condition as a result of her extreme diet. For two weeks, Mei ate nothing but a small amount of vegetables and laxatives, according to the mainland news outlet Xiaoxiang Morning Herald. Mei was sent to hospital, lapsed into a critical condition, and had to endure a 12-hour emergency procedure as a result of her diet. Photo: She was sent to hospital after she suddenly lost strength in her limbs and developed shortness of breath. Examinations showed that her blood potassium levels had plunged to well below normal. This resulted in a condition called serious hypokalaemia, which is often caused by an unhealthy diet. A doctor at another hospital in Hunan, surnamed Li, said an unbalanced diet and dehydration can lower levels of potassium in the body.


South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
Chinese kindergarten lead poisoning scandal raises fresh questions over local governance
China's worst food safety scandal in almost two decades, in which hundreds of children suffered lead poisoning , has prompted fresh questions about the quality of local governance. On Sunday, the authorities in the northwestern province of Gansu said 10 local officials were under investigation over the incident in the city of Tianshui. One political scientist, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the slow response to the incident showed how local officials 'try to avoid taking responsibility'. He added that a 'passive feedback mechanism' made it hard for the public to obtain accurate information. The investigation found that a local hospital and the provincial centre for disease control and prevention (CDC) had falsified test results. On Monday, the media outlet Caixin published a commentary questioning whether the data falsification was 'motivated by pressure or profit'.