Suicides in a mega-size factory in China: poor mental health among young migrant workers in China

Ten successful suicides and two unsuccessful attempts resulting in severe injuries occurred between January and May 2010 in a factory in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, which hires over 430 000 workers.1 The tragedy was an alarm for the poor mental health of the billions of Chinese workers migrating from rural areas to work in prosperous coastal cities ( Nongmingong 农民工 ). In Guangdong, there are 25 million migrant workers, of whom over 30% work in factories and the majority are below 25 years old.2 Unlike most of the older workers who would like to return to their hometowns eventually, most of these second-generation younger migrant workers would …