The death on Wednesday of Hong Kong-American singer-songwriter Coco Lee (李玟) sparked shock and grief among her fans and celebrities. It also shone a spotlight on depression and suicide prevention. Her sisters wrote in a statement posted on Facebook and Instagram that Lee, who had depression for several years, passed away at a hospital three days after attempting suicide at her home.
Suicide was the 12th-leading cause of death in Taiwan last year, and the second-leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 24 and 25 to 44. Ministry of Health and Welfare data released last month showed that 3,787 people died of suicide in Taiwan last year, 202 (5.6 percent) more than the previous year. Reports of suicide attempts or ideation among people aged 15 to 24 has risen significantly in the past few years, from 4,368 reports in 2016 to 12,316 in 2021, the data showed.
While many factors contribute to suicide risk, studies have found that depression is the most common condition associated with suicide, with some saying that the risk of suicide is 20 times greater among people with severe depression than the general population. In Taiwan, the prevalence of depression among people aged 15 and older is about 8.9 percent, a health ministry survey showed, indicating that there might be more than 2 million people with depression, and an estimated 1.25 million people who might meet the clinical diagnosis of depression, yet it often goes undiagnosed or untreated.
A National Health Research Institutes study published last year showed that 1,253 among 7,675 people aged 50 or older have depression, or 16.3 percent. Only 27 percent of them had contact with health services for depression, and 11 percent received effective treatment. Some studies and experts say that fewer than 30 percent of people with depression seek treatment. The Taiwan Association Against Depression said that treatment in Taiwan has four issues: not enough people are seeking treatment, receiving a diagnosis, getting treatment and continuing treatment.
In addition to encouraging people in need of emotional support to call the National Suicide Prevention Center’s hotline at 1925 or the Taiwan Lifeline International hotline at 1995, the health ministry aims to set up 71 community mental health centers by 2025. Nevertheless, the rate of people seeking professional help remains low, and experts say that the common reasons include a lack of mental health awareness, lack of knowledge of what kind of help to seek or where to get it, and fear of being labeled weak or how their relationships or career might be affected due to the stigma of seeking help.
While it is important for people to seek professional help, it is equally important to establish suicide prevention strategies at different levels of society — family, friends, peers and communities — so that everyone can learn the warning signs, how to provide proper care and support, and how to encourage people who are depressed to seek professional help. About 70 percent of people who killed themselves had exhibited early warning signs, the Taiwanese Society of Suicidology said. One study found that about 60 percent of adolescents who killed themselves had sought help from family or friends.
The newly appointed Department of Mental Health Director Chen Lian-yu (陳亮妤) in March said that the health ministry was consulting with Australia on introducing a “mental health first aid” program, to teach people the skills to recognize and respond to the signs of mental illness and substance abuse. The government should also promote telemedicine consultations for people who fear the stigma of seeking in-person help at clinics, to further expand the safety net.
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