The cause of suicidal thoughts

Adolescents : Almost 20% of the first year undergraduate students are suffering from depression and anxie

ty.

1. Overall academic stress in Hong Kong is high, 75% of students had experienced a sense of ‘overwhelming anxiety’ at some time

2. Bullying. If the victim fails to receive timely assistance or support, there can be an increased feeling of isolation and self-doubt, which deepen anxiety and a sense of helplessness.

Adults

1. Work is one of the biggest sources of pressure. The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong found out that 18.57% of the people who were asking for help faced work problems in 2017. Among them, 40% are dissatisfied with the working environment and treatment, 20% are stressed under work pressure, and 20% are worried about the future.

2. Financial concerns - unemployment rate rises to 12-month high of 5.4% as social-distance curbs hit businesses hard which means downward economic mobility. This can have negative consequences for people’s mental health status.

Elderly

1. When elderly’s perception towards their meaning of living shifted to being a financial/emotional burden for their families(medical bills or needing intense caring), they may consider ending their lives, mostly out of caring and love. This is such a tragedy of miscommunication within families.

2. Since humans need caring and connections from others, living alone without meaningful aims and family can be a sign of danger.

青少年：將近20%一年級大學生受抑鬱和焦慮的困擾

1. 學業壓力。75%的香港學生都曾經歴過「極度焦慮」的感覺。

2. 欺凌。假如受害者沒有得到及時的幫助或支持，便會增加孤立感和自我懷疑感，從而加深焦慮和無助感，“我值得被這樣對待嗎？”。

成人：

1. 工作。這是成人最大的壓力來源之一。香港撒瑪利亞防止自殺會調查發現，在2017年尋求義工幫助的人中有18.57%因工作問題而受困擾，其中40%對工作環境和待遇不滿，20%稱工作壓力大，20%對未來感到擔憂。

2. 財務狀況。失業率上升至5.4%的12個月高點，因為不斷變更的抗疫限制對企業造成不同程度的打擊，這意味著其經濟狀況正在下滑，產生無形的壓力。這會對他們的心理健康產生負擔，包括抑鬱、焦慮和自尊心下降。

長者：

1. 當長者認為自己成為了家庭的經濟或情感負擔（包括高昂的醫療費用或需要長時間的陪伴和照顧）時，他們可能會考慮結束自己的生命， 主要原因是出於關懷和愛。這是因為家庭內部溝通不足，甚至誤解對方意思而造成的悲劇。

2. 人是需要他人的關懷和聯繫的，失去有意義的目標和獨居於家中，失去家人陪伴的老友記都是值得關注的人群。