(China Daily 20080910)-- Suicide is the leading cause of death for Chinese people aged 15 to 34, and the fifth biggest killer - after cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease and
accidental death - among all age groups, a report by the Chinese Association for Mental Health said Tuesday.
On average there is one
suicide and eight attempts every two minutes on the
mainland, leading to more than 250,000 deaths a year, it said.
Yang Fude,
vice-president of Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, which specializes in mental health, said China has one of the highest
suicide rates in the world, particularly among rural women.
"It is also one of the few countries where rural
suicides outnumber urban
suicides," he told China Daily.
"In China, the ratio is three to one," he said.
Yang was
speaking on the eve of World Suicide Prevention Day, organized by the World Health Organization.
According to the report, 50 percent of all
suicides on the
mainland involve women from rural areas, the majority of whom drink pesticide to end their lives.
Family disputes, work pressures, poor
educational opportunities and
limited levels of social interaction are the main causes, it said.
Zhu Wanli, who specializes in
suicideintervention, said marriage disputes are still the main cause of
suicide, accounting for 30 percent of all cases.
"Changes in society have led to an increase in the number of extramarital relationships and these in turn have led to more disputes between husbands and wives," Zhu was quoted as
saying Tuesday by the Chongqing Evening News.
Pressure at work and home is the second biggest cause of
suicides, accounting for about 20 percent, the report said.
It also said the
suicide rate among
senior citizens in rural areas was six times that of their peers in urban areas.
"Senior citizens are becoming
increasinglyfragile, both
physically and spiritually," Yang said.
"As more farmers
migrate to the city to work,
elderly people are becoming isolated and feel less secure," he said.
Meanwhile, a recent study by health authorities in Foshan, Guangdong province, found that 17 percent of junior high schoolgirls had contemplated
suicide, Nanfang Daily reported Tuesday.
Pressure to do well at school, and feelings of
isolation and
loneliness were the main reasons given, the report said.
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