BEIJING, Oct. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Nearly a quarter of all children in China's largest and wealthiest city Shanghai have considered committing suicide.

    Among some 2,500 middle school students surveyed in Shanghai, 24 percent contemplated killing themselves, 15.23 percent seriously considered taking action and 5.85 percent had actually tried to kill themselves.

    The survey conducted by Fudan University and Shanghai Academy of Education Sciences not only said parents were unaware of what their children were thinking but also placed the blame squarely on their shoulders.

    According to Wang Zhenfeng, director of Beijing Mental Health Care Institute, most parents expect far too much from their kids.

    Psychologists also blame heavy schoolwork, intense societal competition, the increasingly fast pace of life and conflicts between old and new ideas.

    Wang Zhenfeng says the first step to preventing teenage suicide was to cultivate self-esteem, something that too many Chinese parents did not do.

    A separate survey in China's northern Tianjin municipality showed that 15 percent of eight- to 15-year-olds there suffered from depression. Enditem

(CRIENGLISH.com)