Teenager Suicide Brings more Attention to Psychological Needs

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, July 13, 2003

Teenager Suicide Brings more Attention to Psychological Needs

The suicide of a high school girl in Dalian, who killed herself in emulation of her favorite pop star, has confronted Chinese parents and education experts with a new psychological phenomenon.

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The suicide of a high school girl in Dalian, who killed herself in emulation of her favorite pop star, has confronted Chinese parents and education experts with a new psychological phenomenon.

The 16-year-old girl, surnamed Liu, hanged herself on June 21 in this northeast China city, after her mother refused to buy a CD of Leslie Cheung, a Hong Kong singer and movie star whose suicide on April 1 shocked and dismayed his fans.

Ms. Mu, the mother, recalled that she used some offensive wordstoward the star when she refused her daughter.

She said her daughter got angry and they had a quarrel after they returned home from the CD shop. The girl then went to her grand parents' home, where she ended her life.

Mu regretted that it was because she failed to understand her daughter's psychology that the tragedy happened. The mother found her daughter's notebook full of references to Cheung.

Though she sometimes had some communication with her daughter, it usually focused on her study, the mother said.

"I never imagined the star had preoccupied her so much."

According to Mu, her daughter had been a good student and won a school English speaking contest.

She called for other parents to spend time communicating with their children, and said she hoped the tragedy would not repeat in other families.

A survey conducted by the China Juvenile Research Center showed that over 50 percent of young people surveyed admitted they had admired or worshipped a star. Their idols were mostly singers, movie stars and sports stars.

Experts said it was natural for young people to admire or worship popular stars, but the key was to avoid fanaticism, and for parents and school teachers, it was important to understand children's psychology and give them guidance.

Hu Zhenkai, a psychology professor with the Dalian-based Liaoning Teachers' University, said that blaming children would only lead to conflict.

Hu said parents and teachers should help children develop a healthy mentality and develop reasonable attitudes to their heroes.

Pan Yihe, a professor of cultural communication with Zhejiang University in east China, said schools and society needed to provide proper and correct guidance and intervention.

"Communication through dialogue between children and parents or teachers might serve as a good way of helping the young better understand their icons," Pan said. "Just shaking heads or saying no to their fervor does not work."

Experts also said that the mass media, which has great influence on young people, should also shoulder the responsibilityof helping them develop a reasonable recognition of popular stars.

They contended that the mass media should provide young people diversified and critical perspectives on popular stars instead of just putting them under the spotlight.

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