Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) President Hon Wai told reporters that his bureau is paying close attention to the recent rise in suicides.
Hon made the remarks during a press conference on Friday at Caritas Wui Ieng Service Centre (明愛匯應服務中心) in a public housing estate in Ilha Verde (青州坊大廈).
Hon expressed his bureau’s concern and conveyed its condolences to the families concerned. The bureau called the press conference to talk to the local press about local citizen’s psychological and mental health issues.
Hon said, “We cannot afford to have even one more case of suicide”, hoping residents could cherish their life. He added that the attempted suicide cases followed up by the bureau, which mostly involved mental or emotional distress and interpersonal issues, were not caused by societal factors. At that time, he was answering media questions as to whether the recent increase in suicide cases was related to the rising unemployment rate or the COVID-19 epidemic.
Hon noted that the bureau has joined hands with several social service organisations in launching a string of community care activities in Areia Preta, Iao Hon, and Mong Ha districts on Thursday, and will add other communities later. Hon also said that the bureau was willing to work with social service organisations to act as “goalkeepers of people’s lives”.
Hon also said that his bureau has been highly concerned about people suffering from emotional distress, and reaffirmed that it would care for residents’ mental and psychological health through cooperation between the government and civil society.
According to Hon, the bureau encourages residents to pay more attention to their relatives and friends’ mental and psychological health, adding that the bureau was also encouraging and assisting families and individuals in need to seek help through community service resources.
Hon also said that “life is not always smooth as there are sunny and rainy days”. If one has mental or psychological problems or is emotionally disturbed, one should seek help from professionals and “trust in science”, in order to allow professionals to make the appropriate referrals.
Hon stressed that parents should not “only reason with their children”, but should also be tactful, adding the most important thing was to listen to what their children say.
Life Hope Hotline representative Ng Lai Ieng pointed out during the press conference that the hotline received 12,000 calls last year, of which more than 300 were about suicidal feelings, and many were from family members of suicide victims.
She added that in the first quarter of this year, 3,000 calls were received, of which more than 70 were related to attempted suicides, which, she pointed out, was not a significant increase compared to the same period last year.
According to Ng, Life Hope Hotline focuses on caring for the emotionally disturbed, aiming to act as the first line of defence and protection against suicide.
Hoi Fai Life Education Resource Centre representative Leong Iao Hong said that since its establishment, the centre has been providing community counselling services to help the public understand how to deal with mental health problems such as depression and anxiety disorders.
Their professional team was willing to take up the role of “goalkeeper for people’s lives”, striving for early detection, intervention and assistance, the representative noted.
A representative from the Hoi Fai Life Education Resource Centre (from left to right), Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) President Hon Wai and Life Hope Hotline Ng Lai Ieng pose during Friday’s press conference at Caritas Wui Ieng Service Centre (明愛匯應服務中心). Photo courtesy of TDM
