Professional counseling

"Potential suicides need company and attention," said Qingsong, explaining that a phone call or text message may help them realize that they are not alone and prompt a change of heart.

"Many readers don't believe people who post online saying they plan to end their life. They simply regard it as sentimental twaddle," she said. "In fact, desperate people really do need someone to help them, even if it's just a few words of encouragement that will help them continue to live."

But for those struggling in the darkness, life-saving intervention may not always be available.

According to the Life Education and Crisis Intervention Center, about 40 percent of the calls it receives come from people living outside of Shanghai, which reflects the large demand for their services.

The first suicide hotline on the Chinese mainland opened in Beijing in 2002. Since then, it has received more than 190,000 calls, and intervened in more than 8,000 potential suicides.

"In Taiwan, the first such hotline began operating in the 1950s, and the 24-hour suicide intervention hotlines can receive as many as 100,000 calls a year on average," Lin said. "However, on the Chinese mainland, the number still lags behind. We still have much work to do."

Of the nearly 1,700 calls received by Lin's hotline, about 60 percent were from first-time callers, which again indicates a huge demand for the service.

"If new cases only accounted for 30 percent, it would suggest that demand for the hotline's services was declining. But at present, significant services are still urgently required," said Lin.

Lin said he is planning to expand the suicide hotlines to more areas and eventually provide an informal, nationwide network.