Why Top Students Still Fall — A Holistic View on Student Suicide

According to figures from the Education Bureau, between 2021 and 2025 Hong Kong recorded 141 suspected suicide deaths among primary and secondary students, of which about 90% were secondary students. A study by the Chinese University of Hong Kong found that among every 100 secondary students, 8 had thought about suicide, and 4 had made a plan.

What is hardest to accept is that many of the students who left us were academically excellent — the "top students", the "good students" in the eyes of teachers and classmates. Why would someone who is doing so well, end up here?

🎓 1. A person reduced to a grade

Holistic psychology believes the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Yet our society often reduces a child to a single part — their academic results. When a child comes to believe "my worth equals my grades", their entire self becomes a building resting on one pillar. The moment that pillar shakes, the whole structure collapses.

🔒 2. The cage of perfectionism

High-achieving students are often trapped by "I must not fail". They have learned to trade excellent results for approval. Over time, any single setback becomes evidence that "I am not good enough". They do not allow themselves emotions or weakness, because a "good student" is not supposed to have any.

💔 3. The real connection has broken

Holistic psychology places great weight on connection. High-achieving students appear to have plenty of it — teachers' praise, parents' pride. But too often this connection is to their grades, not to the person. When a child feels "what is loved is my results, not me", their loneliness is something no one else can see.

🚨 4. The body's distress signals are ignored

The CUHK study found that one in ten children and adolescents suffers from sleep disturbance. High-achieving students tend to "push through" — staying up late, ignoring fatigue. But a person is not a machine. The body cries for help through insomnia, headaches and loss of appetite. Ignoring those signals eventually comes at a cost.

🌫️ 5. The vacuum of meaning

When grades become the only source of meaning, the moment they are achieved — or shaken — a child falls into an existential void of "what now?". They were never taught that their worth does not need to be proven by results.

If you are a parent, a teacher, or simply a classmate, please remember: grades are one part of a child, not the whole child. One more "how are you feeling today?", one more "you are already good enough", may be a thread of light in the dark.

If you are in pain right now, please know: reaching out is not weakness — it is courage. Your life deserves to be seen and cherished.

📞 24-hour helplines

• The Samaritans (multilingual): 2896 0000
• Suicide Prevention Services: 2382 0000
• The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong: 2389 2222
• Caritas Family Crisis Support Centre: 18288