Taipei, Oct. 5 (CNA) Suicide prevention is a possible yet challenging job as the tendencies of suicidal people vary in different countries and cultures, which means Taiwan has to develop its own suicide prevention program instead of "borrowing" or "importing" one, an American professor said Thursday during an international symposium.
"Suicide prevention is possible, but it's also challenging. A suicide prevention program cannot be exported (to another country), " said Eric Caine, a psychology professor at the University of Rochester, New York, in a symposium titled "Suicide is Preventable."
Suicide is the outcome of multiple risk factors and events, Caine said, adding that cultural forces play a critical role but that it's not clear how to "use" culture to modify suicide rates.
Case studies have shown, for example, that effective alcohol control helps lower suicide rates in Eastern Europe. Young adults account for most suicide cases in Australia, while rural China is the only known exception where the number of female suicides exceeds the number of male cases, Caine pointed out.
He further said that statistics also show, surprisingly, that the suicide rate among African-American females is the lowest of any racial group in the United States, even though they have among the lowest income and social status. "More recent research has shown that this is because most African-American females have strong religious beliefs and supporting family system, " he pointed out.
"It's important for Taiwan to understand what protects the low suicide rate group and develop a suicide prevention program of its own, " Caine stressed.
The media will also be an important part in the suicide program, Caine said, as "it can be helpful and also can be contagious. "