In post-lockdown China, student mental health in focus amid reported jump in suicides

Some Chinese students returning to school after lockdown are grappling with familial conflict while others are stressing over how coronavirus disruptions have affected their academic performance, teachers and school counsellors say. The heightened post-lockdown anxiety has become a matter of central government concern as domestic media report a spate of suicides by young people. It has also led to unprecedented measures by schools and local governments to focus on student mental health - a topic that like suicide has often been taboo in Chinese society.
“There have been some heartbreaking incidents as schools reopened,” Yan Wu, vice mayor of the southern city of Zhuhai, said at China’s annual parliamentary meeting last month.
“This highlights the importance and urgency of promoting mental health development in young students,” he said.
At the parliamentary meeting, at least four delegates put forward proposals for more attention to be paid to students’ psychological needs.
In one Shanghai district, there have been 14 suicides by primary and secondary school students so far this year - more than annual numbers for the last three years, Li Guohua, deputy mayor of Shanghai’s Pudong New Area district, told financial magazine Caixin in May.
“It’s the tip of an iceberg,” he was quoted as saying.
Reuters was unable to contact Li or confirm the number with local authorities.
The state-owned Health Times also reported on Sunday that nationwide, 18 students had jumped off buildings in the past three months and quoted experts calling for more focus on student mental health. The article was, however, soon deleted - a common occurrence in China when sensitive topics are raised.