Making grim* reading, a new survey has revealed that 12.1 percent of middle school and college students in Shenzhen have contemplated* suicide* at some point in their lives.

The survey presented by the city’s center for disease prevention and control Thursday, the eve of the World Mental Health Day, questioned 4,350 students between the ages of 11 and 23 at eight junior high schools, six senior high schools, two technical schools and two universities. The results raise the startling* suggestion that suicidal thoughts could be a common experience, due to lack of parental love, growing anxiety, depression and an inferiority complex*.

About 12 percent of students said they fit that category in the past year, which is known as suicide ideation*, with females outnumbering males. The rates were higher in middle school students than college students. Of them, 6.6 percent devised suicide plans while 2.2 percent actually attempted suicide.

More than 27.5 percent of those surveyed said they wanted to end their lives because life was meaningless while 24.4 percent complained they could not handle the pressure of campus life. Other reasons cited by students included a lack of family love, emotional disputes and inter-personal crises.

Coincidentally*, a girl student jumped to death from the seventh floor of a dormitory building at Shenzhen Polytechnic on Thursday.

The reason for her death is still under investigation. Classmates said the 21-year-old student, a former cheerleader, had been unsociable and suffered depression in the previous few days.

Another 12.8 percent of those surveyed said they felt lonely, 25.9 percent felt bad because of poor academic performance and 11.6 percent suffered from insomnia*.

Recent statistics show more than 250,000 people end their own lives every year in China while 2 million had attempted. Suicides have become the leading cause of death among juveniles* and women.

Experts agreed suicide of students was a social problem. Mental disorder was the psychological cause of students committing suicide.

Zhou Li, head of the center for disease prevention and control center, said parents, schools and communities should cooperate to prevent suicides.

Young people contemplating suicide frequently give warning signs of distress. Parents, teachers and friends were in key positions to spot these signs and help. It was most important to never take the warning signs lightly or promise to keep them secret.

Adults and students in the school community should be committed to making suicide prevention a priority* and take the correct action. Early intervention* can help youth before they engage in behavior with irreversible* consequences.

World Suicide Prevention Day is observed on September 10 each year as an initiative of the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), and is co-sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in commitment and action to ensure that suicides are prevented, that people living with mental illness receive adequate treatment, that community-based care and close follow-up are available to people who attempt suicide.

The WHO estimates that one million people throughout the world die by suicide each year. These figures represent an annual world mortality* rate from suicide of 14.5 per 100,000 head of population. The reality is that every minute there are two more deaths by suicide. For every person who succeeds in suicide, 20 or more may make an attempt. For family and friends affected by suicide or attempted suicide, the emotional impact may last for many years.(Mu Zi)