Not Good

China has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, particularly among rural women, an expert on suicide prevention said yesterday.

Yang Fude, vice-president of Beijing Hui Long Guan Hospital, said China is the only country where suicides among women outnumber men.

"It is also one of the few countries where rural suicides outnumber urban suicides," he said on World Suicide Prevention Day.

Recent statistics show more than 287,000 people end their own lives every year on the Chinese mainland.

Stress and depression cause 70 to 80 percent of suicides in urban areas, where many of those afflicted jump off buildings, according to data released by the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center.