Efforts must be taken to prevent young people committing suicide like student protester Dai Lin (林冠華), as youths have been known to emulate suicidal events of their peers, Tri-Service General Hospital department of psychology director Yeh Chi-pin (葉啟斌) said.
Lin, a member of the Northern Taiwan Anti-Curriculum Changes Alliance, was found dead near burning charcoal early on Thursday morning, the day of his 20th birthday.
According to Yeh, Lin burned coal in an enclosed space, a method with one of the highest success rates.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
“A majority of participants in the anti-curriculum changes events are youths and there exists the possibility of an emulation effect,” Taiwanese Society of Suicidology director Yang Tsung-tsai (楊聰財) said.
“Emulation might see incidents ranging from self-mutilation to suicide in attempts to reinforce the message,” Yang said.
“People might have negative emotions because of the student protests. We suggest these students talk to friends, family or teachers if they are feeling helpless or frustrated,” Yang said.
“Students should find ways to balance their emotions by talking with friends, going out to sing, or using other calming methods, such as diaphragmatic breathing or keeping a diary or journal about things that make them happy,” Yang said.
“We also encourage parents and teachers to be proactive and keep a close eye on children or students if they see a drop in sleeping quality, a loss of appetite or less time spent on sports,” Yang said.
“Being alert and actively asking after people if they show such changes could help prevent tragedies,” Yang said, adding that if need be, parents and teachers should refer these people for professional help.
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A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
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The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
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