After conducting an official survey of 330,000 schoolchildren, the Department of Health has found that 1.6 per cent of Hong Kong secondary students tried to take their own lives in the last academic year and 3.7 per cent considered it.
The figure for those that had considered suicide was almost 50 per cent up on the rate for 2018-19.
The annual look at the welfare of the city’s schoolchildren, unveiled on Wednesday, found an increased number of pupils needed professional help to deal with psychosocial and behavioural problems.
Deep Dive: Hong Kong’s student mental health crisis
A spokesman for the department said it wanted to “safeguard both the physical and psychological health of students through health promotion and disease prevention services, enabling them to gain the maximum benefit from the education system and develop their full potential”.
A self-administered questionnaire by youngsters who went to student health service centres showed that 2.8 per cent of all respondents had considered suicide in the previous 12 months and 1.3 per cent had tried to take their own lives.
The survey included 233,000 primary school pupils and 97,000 at the secondary level.
The rates increased at the secondary school level, where 3.7 per cent had considered ways of ending their lives, and 1.6 per cent had attempted to.
The department said on Wednesday night that 2.4 per cent of primary schoolchildren had considered suicide and 1.1 per cent had attempted it.
The numbers have been on an upward trend over the past few years, with the rise most significant at secondary level.
The rate for suicidal thoughts for secondary pupils in 2018-19 was 2.5 per cent, which meant the 2022-23 figure was up by 48 per cent. The rate for attempted suicide for the older group was 1.1 per cent.
The department said comparison of figures before and after the coronavirus pandemic had to be handled carefully as the number of pupils and ways to attend student health services had changed since 2019-20.
25% of Hong Kong children and adolescents faced mental disorder in past year
The latest figures also showed that the percentage of pupils who required a referral to the department’s student assessment centre, specialist clinics or other organisations for psychosocial and behavioural problems had gone up to 1.8 per cent in the 2022-23 school year from 1.1 per cent in 2018-19.
The department said healthcare professionals in student health services had paid extra attention to pupils’ emotional and mental health needs, and provided individual health counselling and advice.
Lee Yi-ying, a secondary school principal and chairwoman of the Subsidised Secondary School Council, said the reasons for pupils’ mental problems in recent years might be because of the adaptation to post-pandemic life.
“As the living pace has become faster when compared to the days during the Covid-19 epidemic, some students may find it hard to adapt to the return of normality,” she said.
Lee added poor sleep quality also made some youngsters become moody and emotional. She said some may also find it difficult to live up to the high expectations of their parents.
The council head appealed to the education authorities to ask schools to share measures they had found effective in identifying children with mental health problems.
Hong Kong reports 22 teenage suicide attempts or deaths in 3 months
Professor Paul Yip Siu-fai of the University of Hong Kong, who has carried out research into suicide, said secondary school pupils tended to face problems that were more complicated than their younger counterparts, which increased their chances of self-harming.
“It could be school bullying or relationships issues,” Yip said. “Academic pressure usually reaches its peak around the time of the Diploma of Secondary Education examination.”
He added the government should focus more on prevention and tackle mental health problems at their roots, by methods such as the encouragement of good relationships between teachers and pupils.
“If there are any problems arising, students will know how to seek help from classmates and teachers,” Yip said.
Rising suicide rates among youngsters is not unique to Hong Kong.
The rates among young people aged 10 to 24 in the United States jumped by 62 per cent between 2007 and 2021, from 6.8 deaths per 100,000 people to 11.
Suicide among schoolchildren has been in the spotlight recently after a spate of cases.
The number of suspected suicide cases among Hong Kong primary and secondary school pupils increased to 31 last year, more than double the figure recorded in 2018, the Education Bureau has said.
ADHD, depression most common mental health issues for Hong Kong students
Suspected pupil suicide cases reported by the city’s primary and secondary schools each year from 2018 to 2022 was 14, 23, 21, 25 and 25 respectively.
Earlier studies revealed that the Covid-19 epidemic, where social interactions diminished over the three-year period, had also taken a toll on youngsters’ mental health.
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.
