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Medical experts have called for more preventative measures to treat depression from an early stage as suicide emerges as the fifth-biggest cause of death in China.

 

"About 60 percent of suicide victims have been diagnosed with depression; the mental illness is a major cause of suicide," said Professor Zhang Haiyin, director of the Shanghai Psychological Consulting Center.

 

Records from crisis hotlines in Shanghai and Hangzhou also show that depression is the most common cause of suicide attempts.

 

In Shanghai, around 4 to 8 percent of the population suffer from depression to various degrees. Senior citizens, school students and young women who are pregnant or have given birth are classified in the high-risk category for depression.

 

For example, a high school student with depression in Shanghai committed suicide early this year, because he was worried about getting poor results in his final exams.

 

According to Professor Xiao Shifu at the Shanghai Mental Health Centre, depressed senior citizens are at much higher risk of attempting suicide than other age groups.

 

"Depressed elderly people feel they are useless and regard death as the only relief. They make preparations before suicide and don't tell others of their attempts," Xiao wrote in a medical article.

 

Statistics show that in China the suicide rate among people aged between 64 to 75 is more than twice the national figure 47 in 100,000.

 

Medical experts said doctors at general hospitals, especially at the community level, should be trained to deal with mental health problems. "Many depressed patients seek medical treatment for physical problems rather than mental problems," said Zhang.

 

Suicide has become a major public health problem in China. Every year at least 250,000 people commit suicide on the mainland, and the suicide rate is as high as 22.2 in 100,000, the Ministry of Health reported in 1999. In addition, an estimated 2.5 million people attempt suicide every year.

 

After lung cancer, traffic accidents and other illnesses, suicide is the fifth most common cause of death in China. But of the population aged between 15 and 34, suicide is the leading cause of death.

 

In recent years, the problem has gained more and more attention from the government and medical experts. Several big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu have opened crisis hotlines to provide counseling support for people considering suicide.

 

This Sunday marks the 3rd World Suicide Prevention Day with an international theme of "With understanding, new hope." The focus this year is on translating current scientific knowledge and research about suicidal behavior into practical programs and activities that can reduce suicidal behavior and save lives.

 

(China Daily September 9, 2006)