“According to the government, only three students per year commit suicide in the best universities in Beijing. Since you’d be the fourth, its safe for you to register.” It is a joke among the students, but no one is laughing now. The risk of suicide is so high for college students that the Chinese government has decided to test the mental health of the freshmen.

The test of mental health. On registration day, other than the list of courses available and their reading lists, the first year students receive a clump of stapled pages entitled Sci 90 (Symptom Checklist). This is the standardized test that the freshmen will have to complete before choosing their coursers; 90 questions to answer in 15 minutes. The psychologists that will read the tests will place the students according to nine principal factors of mental disturbance, from anxiety to depression, ending at psychosis. Do you believe that other people understand your thoughts? Do you hear voices that others do not hear? Have you thought of taking your life? The responses will go in the personal file of every student, which will be read and commented on. During the academic year, there will be a mandatory weekly interview with a psychologist, and every so often, with a faculty tutor. These will be done to obtain data and study solutions that aim to help the students with problems or mental troubles.

 

The Reasons. “At home they are treated like princes and princesses,” explained Wang Lan, a Chinese student to the Peace reporter. Then they arrive at the university and they don’t know how to manage, and they become afraid. The parents project large expectations on them. The competition is very high. Another source of insecurity is the Chinese school system, the teaching method used by teachers: “bad grade, bad child. They repeat this continuously, persists Wang Lan. They tell you that the only way to become someone is by excelling at school. But not all can, and those who do not risk suffering consequences to their psychological health. “ Her theory is demonstrated by the data. In a research of 22 colleges of Beijing, 22.5 percent of the students have shown proof of mental disturbances. Considering all the universities in the capital, it concludes that 20 percent of the enrolled students will consider suicide and of these 6.5 percent will have planned it.

The suicide rate. China has a yearly suicide rate of among the highest in the world. For every 500,000 people, 22 decide to end their life, about 50 percent more than the global rate. According to a central research analysis of suicides in Beijing, 3 Million people have tried at least one time to kill themselves. The majority of these are women, who have little education and are residents of rural areas, and often are victims of internal conflict within the family. The most recent estimate reports that about 30 women of 100, 000 commit suicide, but the Chinese media doesn’t report on these women. The attention is concentrated on the intellectual youth, in which the tendency towards suicide is high, and about 80 percent are caused by problems tied to depression and frustration. Overwhelmed by the challenge, they fear failure. To prevent the tragic end of the generation that has to guide the economic boom, the Chinese government is taking countermeasures, like the university test. Hui Long Guan, of the Beijing hospital, explained that death is often seen as a simple solution to a practical problem, because the youth do not have anyone to ask for help. In 2003, in the capital, the first psychological consulting center for the prevention of suicide was opened: 220, 000 questions, but a response rate of only 10 percent.

 

Veronica Fernandes