bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

knowledgeQuestion

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Vivian Au

Hong Kong’s Coroner’s Court handled a record of nearly 1,100 suicide cases last year, the highest in 16 years, prompting a major help group to call for more social support for younger people.
Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong said on Saturday that 1,092 suicides were reported in 2023, the highest since 2006, and 12 cases higher than the previous year. About 52 per cent, or 573, involved people aged between 20 to 59.
The remaining cases comprised 43 involving individuals aged 19 or younger, 473 aged 60 or above, and three cases with their ages unknown.
Samaritan Befrienders executive director Clarence Tsang Chin-kwok said the increase in suicides might be related to the economic and social environment.
“Hong Kong’s economic environment is in a state of a downturn, which might put pressure on people to strive harder to support their livelihoods,” he said.
More than half, 571 cases of the 1,092 suicides cases, last year involved people falling to their deaths.
Tsang urged schools to keep an eye on young people and their emotional needs.
To better connect with young people, the group has launched “Chatpoint Youth Crisis Angel Training Program”, which aims to provide continuous emotional support to those in need through online chat rooms.

Cheung Nga Man, a student from Polytechnic University’s faculty of social work, had done an internship with the group and said the experience equipped her with the skills to handle crises.
“One particularly memorable case involved an individual who shared with me upfront that she wanted to commit suicide.” Cheung said. “This shocked me and I tried my very best to counsel her and have a dialogue with her.”
She added the experience helped prepare herself as a social worker in the future.
Professor Paul Yip Siu-fai, founding director of the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), said unemployment and economic conditions in the city might have contributed to the rise in the number of people taking their own life.
“The economic issue affected the middle aged most. While the health problems of the elderly are usually regarded as the major reasons for them to commit suicide,” Yip said, adding that both the mental and physical health of older residents should be a priority.
The emigration wave might have also increased the chances of elderly people suffering from loneliness as they might have lost carers, he said.
Yip called for attention to be paid to the elderly and more emphasis placed on building a healthy society.
“We normally put most of our energy and resources into those with suicidal thoughts instead of preventing people from being ill,” he added.
Paul Wong Wai-ching, associate professor of HKU’s department of social work and social administration, said the number of suicides was expected to remain high for a period of time, given the economic and political situation.
“It is expected that a sharp decrease in the number of suicide cases might not be happening next year,” Wong said.
A total of 168 students with mental distress were referred to public psychiatry clinics through the three-tier school-based emergency mechanism between the start of December last year and March, the Education Bureau revealed earlier this month. Seventy-five inquiries from principals had also been received through a designated hotline.
But only 3 per cent of the cases were categorised as urgent. Forty per cent were semi-urgent, while the rest were stable or already receiving psychiatric care.
The mechanism includes identifying at-risk students, providing external support from NGOs for schools with limited resources and prioritising severe cases through public psychiatric referrals.
The implementation of the scheme was extended from January until the end of this year.
If you have suicidal thoughts, or you know someone who is, help is available. For Hong Kong, dial +852 18111 for the government-run “Mental Health Support Hotline” or +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans and +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.


Mainland Chinese tourists choose cheap Hong Kong eats touted online for ‘golden week’ trips

Passengers evacuated from Hong Kong MTR train carriage after lithium battery catches fire

85% of Hongkongers want mandatory cooling-off period for beauty, gym industry contracts: survey

Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: translator-interpreter built second career while battling cancer

Hong Kong society

Suicides in Hong Kong hit 16-year high with nearly 1,100 cases, concern group says

A suicide prevention group says about 52 per cent of cases, or 573, involved people aged between 20 to 59. Photo: Shutterstock

Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong has launched “Chatpoint Youth Crisis Angel Training Program” to provide continuous emotional support to those in need through online chat rooms. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Hong Kong teachers on front line of spotting student suicide risks in ‘top priority’ push

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

 Hong Kong has to move away from its exam-based education system, experts say. Photo: Handout

More realistic academic targets are needed to reduce pupils’ stress, experts say. Photo: Jelly Tse

Professor Paul Yip says there is a need to support teachers. Photo: Harvey Kong

Law Wing-yan says school social workers are often overwhelmed juggling everything. Photo: Sun Yeung

Dr Lam Ching-choi says the three-tier mechanism and other efforts have proven effective. Photo: Sammy Heung

‘Tip of the iceberg’: spate of Hong Kong murder-suicide tragedies sparks calls for early detection of high-risk families

Hong Kong has about 77,000 to 90,000 people with intellectual disabilities, according to data published in 2022. Photo: Shutterstock

A man, 80, died in an alleged murder-suicide attempt at Shek Mun MTR station in January. Photo: Google Maps

A woman, 58, and her 32-year-old son with mentally disabilities were found dead in their home at Kwai Fong Estate on Monday. Photo: Handout

Mother’s Day tragedy as ailing Hong Kong woman, disabled son found dead in murder-suicide case

Police were alerted to the case after the woman’s elder sister visited them at Kwai Yan House in Kwai Fong Estate on Monday. Photo: Google Maps

Detectives from the Kwai Tsing district crime squad are investigating the case. Photo: Warton Li

News

Hong Kong

Health & Environment

Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong calls for more support for young people, says increase in suicides may be related to lagging economy


Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong calls for more support for young people, says increase in suicides may be related to lagging economy.


Mental health

The University of Hong Kong