Taipei, Aug. 19 (CNA) A group of social workers said in a seminar Saturday that families and schools can play a key role in preventing teenagers from committing suicide, as the year's fifth case of teen suicide was recently discovered in southern Taiwan.
In fact, there are far more teens who consider committing suicide than people imagine, said Hsiao Hui-ying, President of the National Alliance of Parents' Organizations. It's just a few who really take action, he said.
"Today, the thoughts running 'round teenagers' minds are highly complicated. If you don't spend time with them, there's no way to understand them. This is why parents should be able to listen [to what their children say] and allow kids to make mistakes," said Cheng Pi-hua of the Humanistic Education Foundation (HEF).
In school, where teenags spend most of their daily lives, the importance of "life education" should be stressed and teenagers' self-respect and dignity should be protected, not abused, Chang said.
While it is almost impossible to prevent teen suicide, adults should pay closer attention to their kid's behavior and talk with them to better understand their state of mind, said Claire Teng, a psychiatrist at Municipal Wang Fang Hospital.
According to statistics from the Department of Health, between the years 2000 and 2005, suicide ranked as the eleventh greatest cause of death for those under 14 in Taiwan.
A HEF report indicated that lack of emotional control was the main reason for teenager suicide, and committing suicide is a way to express anger and seeking help for teenagers.