鄧志堅
If you are in the habit of reading newspapers, it is inevitable to read
news of suicides in the recent pages. The cases of suicides in Hong
Kong have risen so dramatically this year that it seems this suicidal
trend is spreading as rapidly as the development of this modern city.
Coincidently, those people who commit suicides are mostly middle-aged
women. While many people may put the blame of suicides on the economic
recessions of recent years, it seems unlikely for most middle-aged women
were devoted to their housework and are not involved in economic
activities very often. So there must be other hidden reasons for them
to suddenly terminate their lives. Depression—the factor that most
people neglect—looks like a key factor for their resolute behaviors.
According to experts, reaching menopause is one of the major factors
that lead middle-aged women into depression. Their memory is fading,
and their moods change dramatically. They get angry easily and they
often feel anxious. Besides these psychological effects, their body
shapes—which most women care about very much—are changing and they no
longer look attractive. Moreover, unlike the old family, most modern
families tend to have fewer children. This makes the women concentrate
their energies on their children and if their children can』t measure up
to their expectations, they』ll feel disappointed and depressed. And
when the kids grow up and leave their parents one day, the mothers often
feel lost and lonely, which may lead to depression, too. When all these
middle-age-related factors come together, women lose the motivation to
live.
Most of these middle-aged women are housewives. When their husbands
and children go to work and go to school respectively, they have plenty
of free time getting along with themselves in solitude and may become
easily affected by the exaggerated reports in newspapers and
televisions. As the media characterize burning coal in an enclosed room
as the most popular way of committing suicide nowadays, many innocent
but frustrated middle-aged women may have taken the hint and used this
method to reach death.
Recently the media are also devoted to reporting about extra marital
affairs of Hong Kong men in mainland China. This has also made a lot of
wives uneasy about their husbands, whom they suspect may have taken
second wives in mainland China. Since housewives are fully dependant on
their husbands financially, they can do nothing except remaining silent.
Besides, due to the rapid development of the modern world, many
middle-aged women have already lost the competitive ability to survive
in the new market place, thus it』s impossible for them to divorce. The
dead-end feeling makes them feel empty and many start to question the
value of their lives.
Last but not least, many of these middle-aged women underestimated the
seriousness of their depression. Some middle-aged women only hide
themselves in darkness when they feel depressed and their thoughts of
suicide start to sprout. Moreover, they often mix up the concepts of
「depression」 and 「mental disorder」. It makes them reluctant to consult
the doctor. They can』t accept the fact that they are 「crazy」 and it』s
also a shame to their family. They suppose that they can control
themselves; however, in a moment of weakness, they may very well lose
control and commit suicide.
Depression has already been one of the major killers among modern
people. It』s time the government paid attention to it and took
precautions; otherwise, it』s hard for us to avoid reading news of
suicides on the cover pages again.