Page 55 - 2023 Taiwan Health and Welfare Report

04 Health Care 04

(3) To integrate oral care services for patients also held a total of 664 press conferences across
with conditions such as stroke, tracheostomy, Taiwan in October (Mental Health Awareness Month)
nasogastric tube or head and neck surgery, each year, attracting a total of 77,557 participants.
whereby 5 hospitals were guided to include oral 3. In 2022, the 1925 hotline (homonymous to "still
care assessment in their discharge preparations. love me" in Chinese) free psychological counseling
This initiative aimed to enhance the patients' services served a total of 126,139 individuals
ability to practice oral care and skills upon back and assisted 16,705 potential suicide victims. It
to the community. Additionally, 5 hospitals successfully intervened in 796 suicide crisis cases,
established comprehensive care teams for oral preventing immediate harm.
cancer patients, developing quality indicators
4. The MOHW continued to implement reporting of
and care standard operating procedures to
all suicide-related cases, arranged outreach visits,
enhance the integrity of professional care.
helped people with risk of suicide. In 2022, a total
45,367 reports were received, and caring visits were
Chapter 2 Mental Health and
conducted for 303,817 individuals.
Psychiatric Care
5. In 2022, there were 3,787 suicides in Taiwan,
Section 1 Mental Health Promotion representing a standardized suicide rate of 12.3
people per 100,000 people (Figure 4-3). The
1. MOHW's "Wellbeing" mental health learning
long-term trend has shown gradual decline for
platform is a source of related learningresources
suicide rate, which peaked in 2006 and had
and contains information on professional mental
remained outside the top 10 leading causes of
health counseling servicesacross Taiwan. In 2022,
death for 13 consecutive years in Taiwan since
the website received a total of 365,543 visitors.
2010. Nevertheless, Taiwan still remains relatively
2. To facilitate better wellbeing and mental health for
prevalent in certain regions. Efforts will continue to
the public, in 2022, the MOHW collaborated with 22
be strengthened in areas such as social safety nets
local departments of health to provide psychological
and various prevention policies.
counseling for 28,731 callers. In addition, the Ministry
Figure 4-3 Taiwan's Suicide Deaths and Suicide Mortality Rate, 1994-2022

Mortality Rate
Suicide Deaths Toll Suicide Crude Age-Standardized
Deaths Mortality Rate SuicideMortality Rate (per 100,000 Population)
7,000 21
19.3
18.8
17.9
6,000 17.2 17.6 18
16.6 16.8 16.8 16.2 16 16.4 16.4 16.4 16.2
15.3 15.2 15.1 15.3 15.1 15.7 15.5 15.3
5,000 14.2 14.7 15
13.6 14.7 13.8 13.1
12.4 13.6 12.3 12.0 12.1 12.3 12.5 12.5 12.6 11.8 12.3
4,406
4,000 11.1 12.5 12.8 4,282 4,406 4,128 11.8 11.6 12
4,282
4,128
4,063
10.4 11.7 3,933 4,063 3,889 3,871 3,865 3,864
3,889
3,871 3,865 3,864
3,933
3,765
3,787
3,766
10 10 10.6 3,766 3,565 3,542 3,675 3,765 3,656 3,585 3,787
3,656
3,675
3,585
3,565 3,542
3,507
3,468
3,000 8.7 10 9.8 10 3,468 3,507 9
3,053 3,195
7.8 8.6 3,053 3,195
2,781
7.1 2,781
7.6 2,471
2,471
2,000 6.9 2,172 2,177 2,281 6
2,281
2,172 2,177
1,847
1,847
1,618
1,618
1,451
1,451
1,000 3
0 0
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Year
Data Source: Department of Mental Health, MOHW
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