Media

“Take a Minute, Change a Life”
HKU Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention releases
latest figures and suicide prevention recommendations

08 Sep 2017

September 10 marks the annual World Suicide Prevention Day. As a member of the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), the HKU Hong Kong Jockey Club for Suicide Research and Prevention (CSRP) held a “Take a Minute, Change a Life” press conference today (September 8) to release the latest suicide figures and present awards to winners of the “Take a Minute, Change a Life” one-minute video competition.

Latest suicide figures

According to figures provided by the Coroner’s Court, as of July 31, 2017, CSRP estimated that 12.6 per 100,000 people in Hong Kong died from suicide in 2016. To enable meaningful comparison of suicide rates among different countries or regions, suicide rates are standardised and adjusted according to the age structure of the world population. After adjustments, the suicide rate in Hong Kong is estimated to be 8.9 per 100,000 people in 2016. For more than a decade since 2003, there has been a continuous downward trend in Hong Kong’s suicide rate. 

The instances of student suicides over the past two years attracted wide public attention. According to figures provided by the Coroner’s Court, there were 69 suicide cases of young people aged 24 or below in 2016. CSRP estimated that the suicide rate of young people aged 15-24 was about 8.9 per 100,000 in 2016, an increase from 8.4 per 100,000 in 2015. Suicide cases of young people aged 15 or below were rare and increased slightly from 0.2 per 100,000 in 2015 to 0.5 per 100,000 in 2016. By gender, the suicide rates of both male and female aged 15 or below increased slightly in 2016 compared to 2015. The suicide rate among female aged 15-24 increased from 4.0 per 100,000 in 2015 to 5.3 per 100,000 in 2016. The suicide rate among male aged 15-24 decreased slightly from 12.7 per 100,000 in 2015 to 12.5 per 100,000 in 2016.

Professor Yip, the Director of CSRP expressed concern about the increase in suicide cases among the younger age group. Recent cases have seen people as young as ten died from suicide. Findings of several recent research reports reveal emotional distress is common among young people. Professor Yip encouraged community members to pay continued attention to the situation of youth suicide and take the initiative to care and understand young people’s feelings. He also urged parents and teachers to educate and help young people learn how to resolve problems and handle stress in daily life. Professor Yip reminded members of society to avoid normalising suicide and to prevent young people from holding the misconception that suicide is an acceptable method of dealing with problems. Professor Yip added that the suicide rates of other age groups remained higher than that of young people. He urged that the needs of those groups should also be taken care of.   

"Take a Minute, Change a Life"

Earlier this year, CSRP held a one-minute video competition with the theme “Take a Minute, Change a Life”. After a public voting on CSRP’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/hkucsrp/) and panel evaluation, the list of winners was announced at the press conference. The champion, first runner-up and second runner-up are Chief Superintendent, Gilbert Wong Kwong-hing and his team from Hong Kong Police Negotiation Cadre, Candice and Christine respectively. The competition was sponsored by Community Partner Foundation. Founder of the Foundation and Executive Committee Member of Suicide Prevention Services Ms. Beatrice Mok and CSRP Director Professor Yip presented awards to the winners.

The champion team is the Hong Kong Police Negotiation Cadre. The lead character in the video is a middle-aged man who could not face his family and chose to end his life out of financial difficulties. When going back in time, he realised that there were things and people worth treasuring and there was more than one path in life. Superintendent Liauw Ka-kei, the team's representative, said the story idea came from their client cases, hopefully could encourage people not to give up. He said the most critical period in negotiation is the very last minute – if someone is willing to intervene a minute earlier, there is always a chance to reverse the very last minute of life of a person attempting suicide. He added that suicide prevention is not merely the responsibility of negotiators but that everyone can help to prevent suicide.

The first runner-up is Candice. She used animation to express that companion is a critical factor in helping individuals with suicidal tendencies, and to encourage those contemplating suicide to give themselves one more minute for seeking professional help. In addition, she urged everyone not to ignore the warning signals of suicide. She stressed that individuals contemplating suicide do not necessarily want to die but are instead sending a distress signal for help.

The second runner-up is Christine. Her video carries the message that darkness in life will always come with the opportunity to transform one’s life, and that only in accepting and embracing darkness that the other side of darkness - light, will emerge.

Professor Yip said: “A minute can change a life.” He encouraged individuals contemplating suicide to give themselves one more minute to seek professional assistance. He also urged stakeholders including police, teachers, social workers and family members to prevent suicide together by spending a minute more time to listen to and care for individuals experiencing emotional distress and pay attention to their signals for help.

About HKJC Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (CSRP), HKU
Founded in 2002, the CSRP promotes the use of the Public Health Approach in tackling suicide problems in Hong Kong. It has established its reputation in suicide research and prevention worldwide and recently extended its scope of research to the well-being of individuals and society as a whole. The CSRP believes that empirical research optimises practices and ultimately contributes to the improvement of a society. To learn more about the centre, please visit: http://csrp.hku.hk

About Community Partner Foundation
Community Partner Foundation is a family philanthropy established in 2012 to promote physical, mental, and spiritual well-being in Hong Kong. The Foundation supports initiatives in the following areas: (i) mental well-being, (ii) church & missionary works, (iii) education, (iv) youth, and (v) community. By providing financial resources, the Foundation partners with non-profit organisations to carry out projects echoing the concerns of various stakeholders. To learn more about the Foundation, please visit: http://cpfhk.org.

The press release, photos and presentation slides at the press conference can be downloaded from the following website after 4pm, September 8, 2017: http://csrp.hku.hk/wspd2017/.

For media enquiries, please call Mr Rickey YAU at (Tel) 2831 5232, or send email to csrp@hku.hk.