Yoga for World Suicide Prevention Day

Vocabulary: Chinese/English (Quizlet)

1. commit suicide 自殺
2. attempt 企圖
3. prevent (v.) 阻止, 妨礙, 預防
4. mental health 精神健康狀態
5. raise (v.) 增加；提高；改善
6. awareness (n.)意識
7. preventable (adj.) 可防止的，可預防的，可阻止的
8. factor (n.) 因素；要素
9. downturn (n.) 衰退，漸入低迷
10. bully (n./v.)恃強淩弱者，以大欺小者/ 傷害；脅迫；欺負，欺淩
11. assist (v.) 幫助；協助；援助
12. assisted suicide 協助自殺，輔助自殺

III. The Reading: (Handout)

World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is a day we should all put on our calendars. It highlights (強調) a huge but often ignored(忽視) problem in our society (社會). Every year thousands of people take their own lives. Around 3,000 people a day commit suicide. Another 60,000 a day attempt suicide. WSPD promotes (促進) ways to identify (確定) possible suicide cases and to prevent suicide. The day is organized (安排有序的) by the International Association for Suicide Prevention. This important group acts as a forum(論壇) for academics(學者), mental health professionals (職業的), and suicide survivors(倖存者) to work together to understand suicide better. They raise awareness that suicide is a preventable cause of hundreds of thousands of deaths around the world.

The word suicide comes from Latin, meaning to kill oneself. There are many factors that lead to someone taking their own life. These include depression(憂鬱症), shame (羞恥), physical pain, anxiety (焦慮), and relationship problems. A growing reason nowadays is financial ($) difficulties. There is a sudden increase in suicide in rich nations(countries) when there is a downturn in the economy (經濟). Another worrying trend (趨向) is the number of young people who resort to suicide because of bullying. Suicide is in fact, one of the leading causes of death among teenagers and young adults. In Japan, there are Internet suicide clubs so you can end your life with others who are equally desperate (拼命的). A hot topic(話題) today is assisted suicide – helping another person end his or her life.

Comprehension:

1. What problem is ignored by society?

2. Who organized World Suicide Prevention Day?

3. Which groups attend the forum?

4. Is suicide preventable? Explain.

5. Why do young people commit or attempt to commit suicide?

6. What is assisted suicide?

7. Why is bullying such a serious problem?

Smart people are more likely to suffer from mental illness 聰明人更可能苦於精神疾病

新聞辭典

1. woe：名詞，痛苦，悲哀。例句：Mary’s life was full of woe.（瑪麗的生活充滿痛苦。）
2. susceptible：形容詞，易感染的，易罹患的。例句：Older patients are more susceptible to infections.（年老病患更易受到感染。）
3. jumpy：形容詞，神經質的，神經過敏的。例句：My mother gets very jumpy when she’s alone in the house.（當我母親一人在家時，她變得非常神經質。）

Intelligent people have double the risk of mental illness compared to their lesser-intelligent peers - and more often suffer anxiety-related physical woes, a new study has found.一項新研究發現，聰明人罹患精神疾病的風險高出兩倍，且更常受苦於焦慮相關的身體痛苦，相對於較不聰明的同輩而言。

Researchers surveyed 3,715 members of MENSA, where having a IQ of above 130 is a requirement. They were asked to report whether they had been diagnoses with mental illnesses, including anxiety, depression and other disorders. 研究人員對3715名智力評鑑機構「門薩國際」會員進行調查，其入會條件是智商130以上。他們被要求報告是否曾被診斷出精神疾病，包括焦慮、憂鬱或其他疾患。

The study found 20 percent of the intelligent group suffered anxiety and depression, compared to 10 percent of the general population. Intriguingly, the participants also seemed more susceptible to asthma, allergies and poor immunity. 研究發現，這個聰明團體中有20%的人受苦於焦慮與憂鬱，相較一般大眾的10%。有趣的是，這些受試者似乎也更易罹患氣喘、過敏且免疫力差。

The study showed that more intelligent people often have what is called a "hyperexcitable brain." This means that a higher IQ leads to a greater awareness of their surroundings and what is going on. This causes the central nervous system to be more reactive, making intelligent people more ’jumpy’. 研究顯示，較聰明的人通常擁有所謂「過度興奮的大腦」。這意味高智商導致他們更留意周遭和正在發生之事物。這造成中樞神經系統更有反應，使得聰明人更為「神經過敏」。

Quitting smoking reduces anxiety 戒菸降低緊張感

Smokers who successfully quit feel less anxious afterwards — despite the belief that smoking relieves stress, researchers say.

The British Journal of Psychiatry study followed nearly 500 smokers attending National Health Service Stop Smoking Clinics in England. It found a “significant” decrease in anxiety levels among the 68 smokers who had quit after six months.

The effect was greater among those who had mood and anxiety disorders than those who smoked for pleasure.

The researchers — drawn from several universities including Cambridge, Oxford and King’s College London — said the findings should be used to reassure smokers attempting to quit that concerns about increased anxiety levels were unfounded.
(Liberty Times)

研究人員說，雖然一般認為吸菸可舒緩壓力，但吸菸者成功戒菸後，反而比較不會覺得緊張。
《英國精神病學期刊》刊登的這份研究，追蹤在英格蘭向「國民保健服務處」戒菸診所求助的近五百名吸菸者。研究發現，六十八名在六個月後戒菸的吸菸者，緊張感「顯著」降低。
戒菸對有情緒與緊張失調者的影響，比為了愉悅感而吸菸者來得大。

選自劍橋、牛津與倫敦國王學院等大學的研究人員說，這項研究發現應該用來說服欲戒菸者，戒菸會增加緊張感的憂慮並沒有根據。

（自由時報／翻譯：自由時報國際新聞中心）

TODAY’S WORDS 今日單字

1. afterwards adv.
後來 (hou4 lai2)
例: We had tea, and afterwards we sat in the garden for a while.
(我們喝了茶，然後在花園裡坐了一會兒。)

2. relieve v.
舒緩 (shu1 huan3))
例: She was given a shot of morphine to relieve the pain.
(她打了一針嗎啡舒緩疼痛。)

3. unfounded adj.
無根據的 (wu2 gen1 ju4 de5)
例: I’m pleased to see that our fears about the weather proved totally unfounded.
(我很高興我們對天氣的擔心最後是多慮了。)

Links:
http://www.spiritvoyage.com/blog/index.php/stop-smoking-with-kundalini-yoga/