China is the only country in the world where women commit suicide at a higher rate than men.
In connection with its new Global Strategies, Brundtland added that WHO and Chinese health officials will organise a national workshop on suicide prevention in a few months. Outside large cities, officials are reluctant to discuss suicide with researchers. The government used to regard suicide as reflecting poorly on Chinese society, and only sanctioned its public discussion five years ago. Experts say the suicide rate among rural women is high due to the availability of strong pesticides and traditional attitudes that place a higher value on boys than girl. At the WHO's Beijing meeting last November, Vice Premier Li Lanqing said mental health care is an important part of public health in China, and urged all Chinese to join the campaign for better mental health.