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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
Opinion
Paul Yip
Paul Yip

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
Paul Yip
Paul Yip
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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.

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It is time to rethink the challenges around mental health, reassess our priorities and release community resources to tackle the challenge. The theme of this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day, “Creating Hope Through Action”, reflects the need for collective action to address this urgent public health issue.

All of us can act to prevent suicide. It takes more than medical treatment; we need a societal movement to help those who are less well-off.

Training and education are the most important elements for the future of young people, to break the chain of intergenerational poverty; they provide the necessary skill sets to prepare youth.

10:28

‘Let it rot’: surviving China's high unemployment and cost of living

‘Let it rot’: surviving China's high unemployment and cost of living
By providing more opportunities, including vocational education, we can improve their career prospects. The school curriculum needs to be diversified and made more inclusive to cater to a wider variety of student abilities. Those who are not going on to higher education should be given the chance to develop alternative skill sets, and young people should have more opportunities to receive on-the-job training to become better skilled.
Young people are also at risk of falling into debt from borrowing too much from financial institutions that engage in irresponsible lending practices. These lenders encourage young people to buy now and pay later.
Some young people borrow and try to earn quick money to repay their debt through gambling and risky investments, and they pay the price. They often struggle to repay because of exorbitant interest rates, leaving family members to shoulder the burden of repayments. Judging by the suicide notes these young people leave behind, some simply give up.

There should be stricter regulations around financial institutions lending money to young people, and we should promote responsible corporate behaviour to protect the vulnerable. Parents also need to spend more time with their children to nurture their relationship.

Anxiety among young people is not uncommon. Some life events, including being separated from good friends and teachers when they move away, can cause considerable mental health strain. The school interruptions during the Covid-19 pandemic caused significant disruption to students’ learning and social support over the past three years, especially for those already vulnerable.
School interruptions during the Covid-19 pandemic caused significant disruption to students’ learning. Photo: Shutterstock

The voice of young people has not been heard, even on issues that directly concern them. They have rightly taken the stance of “nothing about us without us”, that is, nothing should be decided without the full participation of those affected.

Our goal is to raise awareness about suicide prevention in the community. We hope to facilitate open discussion on mental health at home, at school, in the workplace and elsewhere. Those contemplating or affected by suicide are also encouraged to share their stories.

This can help lead to behavioural change through self-help or seeking professional help. We can all take time to reach out and start a conversation with those around us if we notice something is different. Every action, however simple, can connect someone to life and the help they need.

Preventing suicide requires us to become a beacon of light to those in pain. With persistence and by keeping hope alive, we can weather the challenges that life throws at us and society can be better tomorrow.

Paul Yip is director of the HKJC Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention at the University of Hong Kong and a national representative of the International Association of Suicide Prevention

If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, dial +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +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.
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