Radio Free Asia carried an article which quoted statistics from Lianhe Zaobao a Singapore based Chinese language newspaper. The article pointed out that the number of Chinese Party officials who committed suicide grew significantly in 2014, which was the third year after the Party’s 18th National Congress held in October 2012. The article reported that, according to the statistics that the Chinese Academy of Sciences released, from 2009 to 2016, the number of Party officials who committed suicide was as follows: 21, 25, 22, 17, 10, 59, 50, and 39. While the article pointed out that in 2013, the second year following the party’s 18th National Congress, the number dropped to 10, it grew five times to 59 in 2014. Even though the number has decreased since 2014, it was still significantly higher than the numbers before 2012. Reports indicate that the corruption scandal and inadequate personal ability are blamed as the main cause for the stress which led to depression. The most common suicide choice was jumping off buildings.
Source: Radio Free Asia, April 10, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/Xinwen/8-04102017142950.html