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Is anyone listening? Hong Kong educators and counsellors call for more attention to rising student suicide rates

  • Campuswide efforts to stem dark tide include peer groups and social media confessions page
  • Study shows suicide rates for full-time students increased 76 per cent between 2012 and 2016

Reading Time:6 minutes
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Recent statistics show an alarming trend in which student suicide rates are on the rise.

At Chinese University, students unload their heartaches and exam stress by “whispering” confessions into a tree hole, albeit a digital one on Facebook.

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The premise for the Tree Hole social media page is simple. It calls on students from the university to “share what’s on their mind” anonymously and at any hour, just by filling out a form and clicking submit.

It is run by a student group and serves as a tool to forge dialogue on mental health, as well as being part of a campuswide effort to improve students’ psychological well-being. The move comes against a backdrop of rising suicide rates among students.

“The idea is that you can say anything into a tree hole,” says Simba Lee, a second-year student and one of the members of the peer counselling group that runs the page. “It keeps your secrets.”

But this tree hole speaks back.

Below the online submissions are replies of the uBuddies, university students like Lee who are trained as peer mental health counsellors.

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