Preventive Medicine Reports
Volume 53, May 2025, 103054
Preventive Medicine Reports

Suicides in China's scientific community: A call for a public health response


Author links open overlay panel
Cary Wu a
,
Xiaolin Ai b
,
Mojie Li b
,
Jiexi Cao b
,
Yiran Sun b
,
Yuxin Gao b
,
Zhiwen Gong b

a
Department of Sociology and The Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, York University, Toronto, 2060 Vari Hall, 4700 Keele St., ON M3J 1P3, Canada
b
School of Humanities and Social Science at the University of Science and Technology Beijing, No.30, Xueyuan Road, Beijing, China

Highlights
o
We draw attention to the alarming suicides within China's scientific community.
o
We introduce a cross-verified database of 130 unique suicide cases
o
We outline four urgent actions to prevent and mitigate suicides among academics in China
Abstract
Objective
Suicide among academics and students has emerged as a critical public health issue in China. This article seeks to contribute to a public health approach to suicide prevention specifically tailored to China's scientific community.
Methods
We created a unique database through a systematic search and hand-coding of media reports on suicide cases within China's scientific community. Our search (summer, 2024) resulted in a cross-verified database of 130 unique cases from 1992 to 2024. We analyzed suicide patterns based on the year of occurrence, age, gender, academic rank, methods, field, and reported reasons.
Results
Our data suggest that suicide numbers among Chinese academics have increased over time, with jumping from heights identified as the predominant method. The causes of these suicides were multifaceted and gendered. Additionally, media coverage of these cases appears to have changed over time, shifting from portraying suicide solely as an individual health struggle to framing it as a broader social issue. Drawing on our analysis as well as recent developments in literature, we outlined four urgent actions to prevent and mitigate suicides among academics in China: 1) Formally recognize the growing suicide crisis within the scientific community as a public health issue. 2) Address upstream political, social, cultural, and economic causes. 3) Document data and research suicide patterns. 4) Foster a healthier, more supportive academic environment through collective action.
Conclusions
The rising number of suicide cases in Chinese academia are not isolated incidents but rather reflect systemic issues within the academic and sociopolitical environment. A public health response that enhances our understanding of root causes and informs targeted interventions is urgently needed.
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