Rising teen suicides demands urgent, proactive response

Early detection

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government implemented a Three-Tier School-based Emergency Mechanism in secondary schools from December last year to January this year for early identification of at-risk students, establishing off-campus support networks, and referring severe cases to the Hospital Authority's psychiatric specialist services.

Within this brief implementation, principals made 30 referrals to the Hospital Authority. Ivy Chung Wai-yin of the School Social Work Service at the Hong Kong Christian Service says this mechanism has the potential to be effective but is concerned the impact will be limited if it has not been implemented for long enough. She is also concerned about suicide-prone students hiding their distress.

Education Bureau data also confirm an increasing trend, with primary and secondary schools' reports of suspected suicide deaths of students increasing from 14 to 25 a year between 2018 to 2022. The figures for 2023 (post-pandemic), as of November, had reached 31 deaths - a 121 percent leap in five years.

The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong also reported a significant increase in the number of individuals under 19 contacting them for suicide-related help, totaling 188 cases in 2023 versus 148 in 2022, a jump of nearly 30 percent.

Chung and Phoebe Chan Hoi-man, supervisors at the School Social Work Service of the Hong Kong Christian Service, note that the increase in the number of suicides seems severe, expanding from internal school issues into a wider social problem.

Wai Choi-kei, who is responsible for the Suicide Crisis Intervention Centre at the Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong, notes that every single piece of suicide data represents a precious life. Every life lost deals an irreparable, irreversible, and tragic blow to families and society.