Suicide top cause of death among young Chinese

Suicide has become the leading cause of death of young Chinese people, aged between 15 and 35, according to a survey carried out by the Chinese Ministry of Health.

Young people taking their own lives is becoming a serious issue in Chinese society, reports Legal Daily.

Causes and solutions of suicide vary between different people. Some of the most common causes of suicide are a history of mental illness in the family, social isolation, relationship and financial problems, says Wu Mingxia, a psychological expert from China's Southwest University.

In many cases, liability has become a controversial issue, with some families insisting that universities should be held liable when students commit suicide at college. Some even seek compensation for the loss of their loved one.

In interviews carried out by journalists on the subject of suicide, the majority of people seem to agree that educational establishments should bear a large part of the responsibility for campus suicides saying that they have a duty to counsel students, and help maintain their mental and physical health.

However, many feel that parents also need to shoulder partial responsibility, as they ought to be aware of the potential suicide risks of their children.

Beyond the issue of responsibility, suicide prevention and psychological counseling are seen as significant ways to reduce the level of campus suicide, and both schools and parents agree that there is much work to be done on means of preventing suicide among young people.