SUVA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Mental health and suicide are two of the most serious social and health issues facing Fiji, Youth Champ for Mental Health President Lionel Rogers said Monday.
Fiji has the highest suicide rate in the South Pacific.
Rogers revealed that it had been established that most adolescents considering suicide or who have attempted suicide shy away from using specialized mental health services.
Rogers said on average one young person attempted to commit suicide every 36 hours.
"We have relationship problems, rejection from families... We have poor examination results, unrealistic expectations from communities and families as well as bullying in schools, violence on social media and in the grassroots level," he told the state owned Fiji Broadcasting Corporation.
The Youth Champs for Mental Health is the only organization in Fiji that looks after mental health and suicide issues among young Fijian people.
There are only around 1,300 mental health professionals in Fiji.
The Youth Champs for Mental Health believes that there is a need for more professionals so they can evenly distribute them to urban and maritime areas.
