If more attention is not paid to the mentally ill in China, it could drive them to the brink of suicide, doctors and researchers said.

Chen Dong, a senior doctor at the Peking University Health Sciences Centre, told China Youth Daily in a story published yesterday that since the nation's economy is developing so fast and societal divisions are becoming more pronounced, rapid social changes are causing various kinds of mental illness.

Depression, attempted suicide, low quality of life, chronic psychological pressure, grave interpersonal clashes before death, and the effects of suicide by family members and close associates are examples, Chen said.

Chen Yucai of the Beijing Health Bureau said that two of the largest groups committing suicide were young people and the elderly.

For college students, the underlining factors include mental barriers, psychological illness, the pressure of combining study and employment, and trouble adjusting to surrounding environment, said Yang Haiping of the Ministry of Education.

Facing crisis

More work should be done to help college students to manage their lives and to develop courage and confidence in facing pressures and crises, Yang said.

For primary or middle school students who commit suicide, said Han Lina of Chaoyang Hospital in Beijing, the reason may be simpler: worry about a test to enter a better school or college, premarital pregnancy, love affairs and even clashes with classmates or teachers.

Wang Jisheng of the Institute of Psychology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences said he thought the chief reason for the high rate of suicidal behavior among teens and young people is they don't handle setbacks well.

Senior citizens choose suicide because they are afraid of not being cared for or chronic illness, and grieving from the loss of their spouses, said Wang Ling from Beijing Jishuitan Hospital.

Although society needs to provide a better economic and social structure, Wang said, the chief preventive measures must come from people themselves, he said, citing a multi-layer outlook of values, better morals and a better approach to meeting the changes in society.

(China Daily 03/01/2007 page5)