China's Gen Z mental health crisis emerges in disturbing jump in suicide rate amid intense academic pressure

The number of children aged five to 14 that died by suicide jumped nearly 10% annually from 2010 to 2021, according to a recent study from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The figure for people aged 15 to 24 fell 7% through 2017 then posted a nearly 20% increase the next four years. 

The increase is small in absolute numbers yet it contrasts with a decline of 5.3% annually in the 2010-2021 period among all age groups in the country, a drop the researchers said was due to a nationwide mental health program.

They said that children and adolescents have faced severe mental disorders and elevated suicide risks from intense competition to do well at school. Half of people suffering from depressive disorder in China are students, according to a 2022 national survey. 

The researchers called on the government to prioritize developing programs targeting children and adolescents that adopt best practices from abroad and allow for the early identification of suicidal behavior.

Young people in China have long engaged in fierce competition to get ahead in school and get good jobs upon graduation. Three years of the Covid-19 pandemic — which in China meant snap lockdowns, including many imposed on college campuses — and record youth unemployment have also piled pressure on youth.

Earlier this year, the apparent suicide of a boarding school student named Hu Xinyu gained widespread attention in China, both because the 15-year-old boy had expressed concern beforehand about his grades and how the police handled their investigation. 

Also, many people took to Chinese social media Thursday to express sadness over the death of Hong Kong-born singer and songwriter Coco Lee. The 48-year-old had been suffering from depression for several years, her sisters said in a statement posted on Facebook.

One person wrote on Weibo that “Coco’s passing is also a wake-up call for us to take our mental health seriously.”

In 2021, Beijing unveiled a sweeping overhaul of its education tech sector, banning companies that teach the school curriculum from making profits. Many parents complained that pressure to engage private tutors caused excessive anxiety at home.

The researchers at the Center for Disease Control & Prevention also warned that the widespread belief among parents and teachers that getting good scores trumps anything else risks obscuring mental health issues plaguing children.