SHANGHAI: Social workers are planning to launch the city's first suicide hotline to help teenagers in crisis.

It is hoped it will provide a lifeline for youngsters such as the girl from Zhengzhou, Henan Province, who wrote about her suicide plans recently in a blog, repeatedly claiming she would kill herself on Saturday.

The 18-year-old, who identified herself as Xing Fangyuan, wrote on May 30: "I can only say sorry now. At midnight, surrounded by dark air, I touch my stomach, where a life is growing. How can I involve an innocent life in my situation now?

"Only a few days left. I've started to seal myself up, leaving no way out. My baby, I am a filthy mom."

While many people left messages offering help, others accused her of being cruel and irresponsible.

One message read: "What's wrong with the youth of today? They can't deal with the smallest of troubles. I had a colleague who jumped off a building yesterday, just because he was scolded by the boss. How pathetic."

Gu Chenjie, spokesperson for the Shanghai teenagers' hotline said they had come across many cases similar to Xing's. Some had dialled the 12355 hotline number and said they wanted to kill themselves.

"The week before last we received a call from a girl. Our psychologist talked with her for eight hours over two days, until she agreed to meet with the counselor together with her parents."

Gu still hopes she and her colleagues can reach Xing in time to help.

According to a survey jointly published by the Shanghai Children's Hospital and the Education Research Center, nearly 6 percent of the 2,500 primary and middle school students polled said they had considered suicide. Some 1.7 percent of them said they had tried and failed.

Most of their parents knew little or nothing about their problems, the survey said.

"I've encountered cases similar to one involving the girl in Zhengzhou; girls who are troubled by accidental pregnancies," Gu said.

"We have registered psychologists to help them, to persuade them the problem is not too serious to be solved."

Gu's colleagues have tried to contact Xing through her blog.

"She is speaking out about her trouble and calling for help. We want to listen to her and respond," Gu said.

Youngsters today are faced with various problems, Gu said. Many fell pressure relating to their studies, while others have had to deal with parental divorce.

"These problems are a reflection of China's current social problems," Gu said.

Gu and her colleagues hope to make a systematic suicidal intervention network that involves a hotline, social workers and other public institutions.

"It might involve the 120 emergency medical service and the 110 police network," Gu said.

"We have social workers for teenage problems in every district. These workers can quickly locate the person in trouble because they are familiar with communities. Then, psychologists and other social services staff can do the follow-up work."

Gu did not give a launch date for the suicidal intervention hotline.

"We already have the teenagers' hotline, 12355, which we use for counseling, crisis management and other work.

"But we have been working on suicide hotline for a long time and we want it to have a separate number."

(China Daily 06/07/2007 page5)