BEIJING, Sept. 11 -- Psychologists should pay more attention to the Internet as a way to spread information about suicide prevention, and reach out to those who are thinking about taking their own lives, several doctors told a seminar in the city over the weekend.
"Many people now choose to vent their emotions by writing blogs. Sometimes you can discover on the Internet those who are likely to take their own lives and their motives," said Xie Haiguang, a psychological researcher.
"Thus you can figure out a way to prevent them from doing so," Xie told the seminar, which was held to mark World Suicide Prevention Day yesterday.
While it would be impossible for doctors to keep track of all the blogs in China - there are more than 30 million bloggers on the Chinese mainland alone - they could use Google key-word searches to find those who are talking about suicide, and see if the blogger displays any warning signs, doctors said.
"Chinese people favor blogging because they feel it a safe way to vent their emotions. They don't have to appear physically before others or reveal their identities. So what they say on their blog is believable," said Gu Jun, a sociologist at Shanghai University.
Other doctors said a Website should be set up for those who want help with mental problems but are embarrassed to talk with a doctor face to face.
"The Internet can be a very efficient tool that helps doctors in suicide prevention," said Dr Shan Huaihai of the Shanghai Psychological Society.
Shan said the city is currently home to more than 20 suicide prevention organizations, but it doesn't have enough doctors to treat the roughly 600,000 people who need consultation.
According to the International Association for Suicide Prevention, more than 1 million people around the world kill themselves every year, but numbers for Shanghai and China are not available.
The Shanghai Mental Health Center said that around 2 million Chinese people are taken to emergency rooms after attempting suicide every year.
(Source: Shanghai Daily)
