Paul Yip

Opinion | Hong Kong needs all hands on deck to prevent suicide and create a brighter future for our youth

Youth unemployment and a lack of upward mobility are two of the factors causing hopelessness. It is time to rethink the challenges around mental health and release community resources to tackle the challenges keeping people from mental wellness

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Two people visit East Coast Park Precinct, in North Point, on July 16. The mental health of Hong Kong’s young people is a growing concern, given the toll of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the stresses of education, unemployment, a lack of opportunities, and more. Photo: Sam Tsang

Paul Yip

Published: 6:15am, 10 Sep 2023

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. Suicide has become a major public health issue, and an international collaborative effort is required to reduce the number of deaths. Each year, more than 700,000 people die of suicide globally.

In 2022, Hong Kong’s toll from suicide was over 1,000, with young people and older adults among the groups most at risk. The Covid-19 pandemic was massively damaging to the city’s mental health, especially for vulnerable, marginalised and underserved people.

Hong Kong experienced a significant increase in its suicide rate last year, up 18 per cent from 2021 to a rate of 14.5 per 100,000 people. Of particular concern is the rise in the suicide rate among young people, which increased from 6.2 per 100,000 people in 2014 to 12.2 in 2022.

All young people, no matter where in the world they live, have shared concerns in their pursuit of mental wellness. These include a lack of upward mobility, unemployment, high levels of debt and heavy use of social media. All these have been linked with unfavourable mental health outcomes.

In particular, a sense of hopelessness has been prevalent among young people. Some have been struggling and cannot see a way out of their difficulties. Many simply give up. The medical and health service gaps for young people suffering from undetected and untreated mental disorders need to be dealt with immediately.

Early treatment would be useful. However, the importance of social determinants can be overlooked at times. The suicide rate among unemployed young people was 15.5 times higher than that of those who were employed. Among the employed, lower-skilled workers had a rate almost 4.4 times higher than that of professionals. The outlook for lower-skilled and unemployed young people in Hong Kong and elsewhere is bleak.