Useful Information

Caring for Clients with Suicidal Tendency

Dear Doctor,

Suicide is not new to us.  It is defined as an intentional and self-inflicted death.  In Hong Kong, suicide is an important public health problem.  It causes more deaths than road traffic accidents and homicide.  Besides causing death, suicide also costs profoundly to society due to significant potential years of life lost and distress suffered by family members and friends of the deceased.

In 2000, the death rate due to suicide was 13.4 per 100 000 population.  The death rate due to suicide increases significantly after 60 years of age.  The trend has been comparable to those of other industrialized countries.  Recently, suicide has become a much-discussed issue in Hong Kong as reflected by wide coverage in media.  Although the increase in media reporting may not represent a true increase in suicide incidence, lack of solid evidence is definitely not a reason for not taking the right actions to prevent suicide, as one is already too many.

The causes of suicide

The causes of suicide are many and varied.  Although some of the cases are related to mental illness such as depression, suicide is not necessarily a result of mental illness.  The factors contributing to suicide can be summarized as follows:

a) mental or chronic illnesses,

b) depressed and negative attitude,

c) family disputes or events, such as loss of family members, marital disharmony and domestic violence,

d) poor interpersonal relationship, and

e) economic hardship.

Health care professionals play an important role in suicide prevention

Suicide is relevant to clinical practice regardless of its underlying causes.  You, as a health care professional, can contribute a lot to suicide prevention by providing professional and continuous care to your clients.  Moreover, study revealed that half of the elderly people committing suicide had presented themselves to doctors in the month before they killed themselves.  Thus, you are in a very important position to help people out.

The following measures are very useful in preventing your clients from committing suicide:

a) have high index of suspicion about suicide among your clients,

b) provide care and support to clients in psychosocial distress and ensuring that his/her family members are aware of the problem,

c) give appropriate treatment and referral, and most importantly,

d) be confident in asking about suicide.  Discussing with clients about suicide will often reduce their anxiety and thus provide relief to them.

Useful resources and information

You may like to visit the following websites for further information and educational materials:

a) Materials for health care professionals

Materials of the seminar on suicide prevention in elderly for health care staff in the Department of Health (powerpoint presentations and lecture notes in Chinese)

This link will open in a new windowhttp://www.cheu.gov.hk/b5/professional/index.htm

World Health Organisation – Suicide Prevention Resource Series

This link will open in a new windowhttp://www.who.int/mental_health/resources/preventingsuicide/en/index.html

National Institute of Mental Health, USA

This link will open in a new windowhttp://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/suicide-prevention/index.shtml

b) Materials for general public

Fact sheet for general public by the Central Health Education Unit, Department of Health

This link will open in a new windowhttp://www.cheu.gov.hk/b5/info/mental_06.htm (Chinese)

This link will open in a new windowhttp://www.cheu.gov.hk/eng/info/mental_06.htm (English)

Social Welfare Department

This link will open in a new windowhttp://www.info.gov.hk/swd

Committee on Family Life Education Publicity Campaign

This link will open in a new windowhttp://www.family-land.org/centre/book.htm

The Samaritans Befrienders HK

This link will open in a new windowhttp://www.sbhk.org.hk

The telephone list in the Annex may also be useful to your clients.

Although it may not be realistic to aim at preventing all suicide, I am sure that your efforts in helping your clients do foster positive attitude towards life and contribute to the control of suicide in Hong Kong.

Yours faithfully,

(Dr Monica Wong)

for Director of Health

Annex

Useful telephone numbers for clients in distress (in Chinese)

熱 線 名 稱	服 務 對 象	服 務 時 間	電 話 號 碼
社 會 福 利 熱 線 電 話 服 務	公 眾 人 士	星 期 一 至 六 ( 上 午 9:00- 晚 上 10:00) ， 星 期 日 及 公 眾 假 期 ( 下 午 1:00- 晚 上 10:00) 當 值 社 工 會 親 自 解 答 問 題 、 提 供 輔 導 服 務 和 處 理 及 轉 介 緊 急 個 案 ， 其 餘 時 段 、 則 有 留 言 服 務 ， 社 工 會 於 當 值 時 間 盡 快 與 查 詢 者 聯 絡 。 查 詢 者 亦 可 全 日 24 小 時 透 過 錄 音 或 傳 真 獲 得 所 需 福 利 服 務 資 料 。	2343 2255
明 愛 向 晴 熱 線	面 對 家 庭 危 機 / 衝 突 或 情 緒 受 困 擾 的 個 人 及 家 庭	24 小 時	18 288
香 港 撒 瑪 利 亞 防 止 自 殺 會 - 求 助 熱 線	有 自 殺 傾 向 及 情 緒 受 困 擾 的 人 士	24 小 時	2389 2222
珍 愛 生 命 預 防 長 者 自 殺 熱 線	有 自 殺 危 機 / 情 緒 困 擾 之 長 者	上 午 11:00 至 下 午 5:00	2382 0881
生 命 熱 線	有 自 殺 傾 向 及 情 緒 受 困 擾 的 人 士	24 小 時	2382 0000
香 港 青 年 協 會 關 心 一 線	受 困 擾 的 青 少 年	星 期 一 至 六 下 午 2:00 至 淩 晨 2:00	2777 8899
撒 瑪 利 亞 會 24 小 時 多 種 語 言 熱 線	有 自 殺 傾 向 及 情 緒 受 困 擾 的 人 士	24 小 時	2896 0000
人 間 互 助 社 聯 熱 線	公 眾 人 士	24 小 時 電 話 錄 音 系 統 / 社 會 服 務 熱 線 轉 駁 系 統	1878 668

Useful telephone numbers for clients in distress (in English)

Name of Hotline	Target	Service hours	Telephone number
Hotline Service of Social Welfare Department	General public	From 9:00 am to 10:00 pm Monday to Saturday, and from 1:00 pm to 10:00 pm on Sundays and Public Holidays, there are social workers on duty to answer enquiries or handle emergency cases.  You can leave your message on the recording machine outside their duty hours for the social workers to call back. Comprehensive information on welfare services in the form of recorded voice message or facsimile transmission can be provided to the public on a 24-hour basis.	2343 2255
Family Crisis Support Centre	Individuals or families with family crisis, disputes or emotional disturbance	24 hours	18 288
The Samaritan Befrienders HK – helpline	People with suicidal tendency or emotional disturbance	24 hours	2389 2222
Hotline Service, Live Life - Joint Project on Prevention of Elderly Suicide	Elderly people in suicidal crisis or with emotional disturbance	11:00 am to 5:00 pm	2382 0881
Youthline, The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups	Young people in crisis	From Monday to Saturday, 2:00pm to 2:00 am	2777 8899
The Samaritans 24-hour hotline	People with suicidal tendency or emotional disturbance	24 hours	2896 0000
Mutual Aid Helpline, Hong Kong Council of Social Service	General public	24-hour recorded voice message/ call diverting function to other social service hotlines	1878 668

 

(Issued in 2002)