Op-Ed Contributors

Psychologist ministers to students

By Ku Ma (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-22 07:46

"We need to identify those who are most likely to commit suicide," Xu said. "The depressed, the introverted or the poor are not more inclined to kill themselves", he added.

Xu cited the example of a good-looking, out-going student who was very active socially and had an excellent academic record. Her classmates and teachers were astonished when she tried to kill herself as she had shown little sign of depression. Only after she hurt herself did Xu find out that the girl had felt guilty and ashamed of her parents' divorce.

"Some children of divorce will blame themselves for the family breakup, although it was not their fault at all," Xu said. "Many troubled children can't stop blaming themselves. They think: 'if only I had performed better, my parents would not have divorced'."

In another of Xu's cases, a management studies student tried to kill himself days after he got a good job offer.

"We found out that this young man's parents separated when he was very young," Xu said. "The mother went with him to wherever he studied. He had to earn money for his tuition and also took care of his mother, who was chronically ill."

"The mother's abnormal dependence on him was the key issue. It led to a feeling of hopelessness, " Xu added.

That case was similar to a widely reported case in Shanghai. Yang Yuanyuan, a 30-year-old graduate student hanged herself last November after her university told her to move her mother - whom she supported - out of her dormitory room.

"Many of students from broken families that are poor are especially vulnerable, because of low self-esteem," Xu said. "They often choose the 'right' answers on purpose during psychological tests, so it's hard for psychologist to label them as high risk people."

Xu is now trying to improve psychological tests to better find students who need help. His team will start a new system next semester. There will be a "psychological monitor" in every classroom Who will report any abnormal or risky student behavior to the clinic.

Under the new plan, the university will ask teachers from different departments and schools to act as "tutors" to these monitors.

"It's a pity that the present education system attaches so much importance to intelligence at the expense of values," Xu said.

"I find many students feel lost after they enter university," he added. "We should re-think our values if we promote life's goals as money or a good job."