Suicide leading cause of death among young Chinese

Beijing, April 24: Suicide has become the leading cause of death among young Chinese aged 15-35, a Ministry of Health survey revealed on Monday.

Causes and solutions of suicide vary between different people, reports the People's Daily.

Some of the most common causes of suicide are a history of mental illness in the family, social isolation, relationship and financial problems, says Wu Mingxia, a psychological expert from China's Southwest University.

In many cases, liability has become a controversial issue, with some families insisting that universities should be held liable when students commit suicide at college. Some even seek compensation for the loss of their loved one.

According to the survey, the majority of people seem to agree that educational establishments should bear a large part of the responsibility for campus suicides saying that they have a duty to counsel students, and help maintain their mental and physical health.

However, many feel that parents also need to shoulder partial responsibility, as they ought to be aware of the potential suicide risks of their children, the daily reported.

Beyond the issue of responsibility, suicide prevention and psychological counselling are seen as significant ways to reduce the level of campus suicide, and both schools and parents agree that there is much work to be done on means of preventing suicide among young people.