‘Intense pressure to do well at school’: China sees suicide rise among youth

China Suicide: The figure for people aged 15 to 24 fell 7% through 2017 then there was a nearly 20% increase in the next four years.

China reported an increase in suicides among young people in recent years, a recent study from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed. The number of children aged five to 14 that died by suicide jumped nearly 10% yearly from 2010 to 2021, the study showed. The figure for people aged 15 to 24 fell 7% through 2017 then there was a nearly 20% increase in the next four years.

A China's flag flutters near people lining up to get tested at a makeshift nucleic acid testing site. (File image) (REUTERS)

The increase is small in absolute numbers but there is a decline of 5.3% annually in the 2010-2021 period among all age groups in the country. Researchers attributed the decline to a nationwide mental health program warning that "children and adolescents have faced severe mental disorders and elevated suicide risks from intense competition to do well at school. Half of people suffering from depressive disorder in China are students"."

Following the study, the researches called on the government to prioritize developing programs targeting children and adolescents. Earlier this year, the suicide of a boarding school student gained widespread attention in China. Many people also took to Chinese social media to express sadness over the death of Hong Kong-born singer and songwriter Coco Lee who had been suffering from depression for several years, her sisters said.

In 2021, Beijing unveiled an overhaul of its education sector, banning companies that teach the school curriculum from making profits.