According to this year's results of the annual survey on attitudes toward suicide conducted by the Taiwan Suicide Prevention Center (TSPC) among citizens above the age of 15, 19.7 percent of respondents said they had at some point contemplated committing suicide, and 4.4 percent admitted to having such thoughts over the past year.

The 20 percent figure, consistent with past surveys, indicates there is a considerable proportion of people who have been troubled by suicide issues, the TSPC said at a press conference.

The center also found that among people who have emotional problems, 17.22 percent were found to have suicidal thoughts, a sign that emotional problems were a risk factor for suicide.

Treating emotional disabilities early, therefore, could help mitigate suicidal behavior, the center contended.

Lee Ming-pin, director of the center under the Department of Health (DOH), suggested people can use a simple online symptoms rating scale to assess the level of emotional distress.

If people find their emotional problems exceed a predetermined level, they should seek professional advice or therapy to avoid being susceptible to suicidal behavior, Lee said.

Taiwan's suicide mortality rate increased by 3.3 percent in 2008 from the previous year -- a trend some believe may have been linked to financial problems caused by the slumping economy.

Suicides by both men and women claimed 4,128 lives last year, making it the ninth leading cause of death in Taiwan, up one spot from 2007, a DOH report showed.