BEIJING, Nov. 15 -- A female postgraduate at Fudan University plunged to her death from a campus building on Monday, the second female postgraduate to commit suicide at the university in a month.

School officials said the woman was a first-year postgraduate student in Fudan's school of international relations and public affairs. The Anhui Province native jumped from the 11th floor of the school's liberal arts building on Handan Road about 2 p.m. on Monday.

School officials said she had been suffering from serious depression for months before she committed suicide. Her mother was so concerned about the woman that she came to the city to take care of her.

"But efforts made failed to prevent the mishap from happening," said a Fudan spokesperson surnamed Zhou.

School officials wouldn't speculate on the woman's motive for killing herself, and her mother declined to talk to the press yesterday.

A third-year female doctoral student in Fudan's history department jumped to her death from the university's tallest dorm building on Oct. 26.

The 38-year-old's dorm mates said she often locked herself in her room and had a habit of speaking to herself.

Liu Mingbo, vice director of Fudan's psychological counseling center, said many students struggle to deal with the pressures of modern society, and too few are willing to seek professional help when they are depressed or facing other mental problems.

"People are afraid they will be regarded as mentally unbalanced if people find out they are visiting a shrink. But it shouldn't be considered embarrassing," Liu said.

Liu said that fewer postgraduates are willing to seek psychological counseling than undergraduates.

A recent survey of 1,061 Fudan postgraduates indicated that study and employment worries are the biggest sources of pressure on students, followed by financial woes and interpersonal relations.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)