Mental health experts yesterday called for greater awareness of young people’s mental health and more attention to their emotional development.
There is a lack of attention in society to mental and emotional health, Soochow University psychology professor Linda Yang (楊長苓) told a news conference held in Taipei by the National Policy Foundation, a think tank affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
People devote much of their time throughout childhood and adulthood to physical well-being, but children are not being taught how to handle psychological problems, she said.
From a young age, children should be given the opportunity to speak about their troubles and setbacks at home and school, she added.
“Suicide prevention is everyone’s responsibility,” Taiwan Counseling Psychologist Union vice president Lo Hui-chun (羅惠群) said, adding that everyone should know the warning signs.
Taiwan is the only country in the world where mental and oral health are overseen by one government agency, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Department of Mental and Oral Health, he said, adding that the two should be independent.
Lo urged everyone to reflect on what they can do for the nation’s children as a parent, teacher or in some other role.
Last year, 1,337 suicide attempts were reported among people aged 14 or younger, up from 826 in 2018 and 408 in 2017, the foundation said, citing ministry statistics.
Among people aged 15 to 24, the ministry recorded 7,991 suicide attempts last year, up from 6,352 in 2018 and 4,905 in 2017, it said.
Last year, 10 people aged 14 or younger died from suicide, unchanged from 2018 and up from four in 2017, while 257 people aged 15 to 24 died from suicide, up from 210 in 2018 and 193 in 2017, it added.
The reported figures might be less than the actual tally, said Kao Yuang-guang (高永光), convener of the foundation’s Education, Culture and Sports Division.
KMT Legislator Lee De-wei (李德維) said that a student at National Taiwan University (NTU) had written online that students at NTU needed to wait two to three weeks to see a mental health counselor.
There are “far from enough” counseling professionals on school campuses, he added.
While not every school might have the financial resources for an adequate counseling staff, students, academics, administrative staff and other campus groups should support vulnerable students, Lee said.
“Often a phone call, a few words of encouragement can prevent such regretful events from happening,” he said.
Buried underneath the statistics are many unknown situations, he said, urging educational authorities to address them.
“We are not afraid of the numbers being high,” Lee said, adding that he hopes that the numbers accurately reflect the issues among young people so that all members of society can come together and support the nation’s youth.
Yesterday’s discussion came after a 20-year-old female NTU student died after falling from a building on Monday last week and a 26-year-old male NTU student was two days later found dead in his dormitory.
A male NTU student in his 20s was on Friday reported to have fallen from a campus building. The university on Saturday said that his condition was gradually becoming stable.
A 19-year-old male student and a 20-year-old female student enrolled at Taipei University of Marine Technology were on Monday evening found dead inside a rented residence in New Taipei City.
A male student at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan was reported to have died from suicide in the early hours of yesterday.
Additional reporting by CNA
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