Taiwan offers schoolchildren mental health vacations amid doubling of youth suicides

Taiwanese high schools will start offering mental health vacations to students this month to cope with rising youth suicide rates and high levels of stress and depression, The Guardian reports, writes UNN.

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Under the program, high school students can apply for up to three days off each semester, either full or half days, without proof of need but with their parents' permission. According to the Ministry of Education, more than 40 schools have expressed interest in the trial run.

The program is a response to growing concerns about mental health issues among young people in Taiwan. Between 2014 and 2022, the suicide rate among people aged 15 to 24 more than doubled, although the overall rate decreased.

Some Taiwanese authorities have been criticized for their response to the crisis, with advocates arguing that excessive academic pressure on students is a key factor in stress, anxiety and depression.

In 2022, the Child Welfare League Foundation surveyed students and found that more than 12% reported "severe" levels of stress, more than twice as high among high school students as among younger students. Nearly a quarter of high school seniors said they had experienced severe depression. The study found that the top three stressors were academics (77%), future prospects (67%) and interpersonal relationships (43%).

In 2018, a survey showed that more than 53% of Taiwanese people believe that mental illness is stigmatized in their society. 

The pilot program for high schools echoes initiatives already underway at dozens of Taiwanese universities, offering up to five days of mental health leave.

The National Taiwan University Student Union reported that 1,686 mental health leave applications were submitted last semester, representing 5% of students. This proportion was higher among creative writing students, of whom 11% applied for leave.