Christine Choi says suicide a complex issue amid rising trend in number

Hong Kong saw a total of 27 students commit suicide in the first 10 months of 2023 as authorities believe the Covid pandemic and challenges faced by students after resuming to normalcy attributed to the rising trend. 

It is higher than the yearly number of student suicide cases at 21 in 2020 and 25 in 2021 and 2022. 

Speaking in a LegCo meeting on Wednesday, Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin said analysis for recent student suicide cases pointed to risk factors including interpersonal relationships in family, socializing and love life, as well as school adaptation, studies and depression. 

She continued that suicide is a complex issue weaved by the multiple risk factors and cannot be narrowed down to a single reason. 

The education chief said the government will step up interdepartmental cooperation among the Health Bureau, the Education Bureau and the Social Welfare Department and introduce a three-tier contingency mechanism. 

The first tier of the mechanism will assist schools in identifying students with a high risk of suicide and mental health needs in order to provide them with necessary and timely intervention. 

The second tier will organize an “off-school support network” by crossing different departments, professions and sectors to strengthen backup for the school; and the third tier will allow the school’s principal to refer students with serious mental health needs to the Health Bureau’s psychiatric services. 

The referred cases will be prioritized by the bureau, Choi said. 

She also said the government will continue to review and improve the current services and support provided to students and will strengthen protection of students’ mental health.