KUCHING: ‘Suicide’ is not something that should be taken lightly as it has a domino affect that can cause more harm as time goes by.
In Malaysia, the suicide rate among its people is 6-8:100,000 which means more than 2,000 people a year commit suicide in the country.
This adds to the global numbers of 800,000 suicides committed each year, which is approximately one suicide every 40 seconds and this figures prove to be extremely alarming.
But the good news is that suicide can be prevented and those battling with suicidal thoughts can seek help as there are people out there who can help them.
According to Professor T Maniam, who is a consultant psychiatrist from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, the number one cause of suicide is depression but it’s not the single cause of it.
“We have to remember that having depression by itself won’t just be enough to push someone to commit suicide as there are many other factors.
“Factors such as lack of support, not getting treatment, losing their jobs, and having a large amount of debt to pay are among the number of factors that come together that pushes someone towards suicide.
“It isn’t a single factor as it’s a combination of many, which is why it’s so complex,” he said.
Another main cause for suicide is bullying, but as pointed out by Malaysian Psychiatric Association (MPA) president Professor Nor Zuraida Zainal, the main concern is the impact it has towards the victim. “Bullying can cause distress to the victim and this, paired with depression, can create suicidal behaviour within the victim,” she said.
International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) president Professor Ella Arensmen added that when people mention ‘bullying’, it is easy to assume that it’s only cyber bullying or that it happens on social media but it can also refer to ‘traditional’ bullying (face-to-face or physical bullying).
“Bullying, together with a combination of other vulnerabilities such as lack of support or feeling trapped, can cause someone to want to commit suicide.
“What we are facing now with social media is that this process can happen and spread quickly,” said Ella.
However, World Health Organisation (WHO) Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse director Dr Sekhar Saxena is positive that with more education and awareness and intervention programmes, suicide is something that can be combated.
“There are methods that can be used to prevent suicide in all countries; it’s only a matter of applying these methods in a sufficiently large manner.
“We want to see to it that everybody is aware of the problem of suicide and that they can do something.
“Everyone has a role as every suicide is potentially preventable,” said Sekhar to reporters during a press conference after the officiating ceremony of the 29th World Congress of the IASP and 21st Malaysian Conference of Psychological Medicine (MCPM) at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here on Wednesday.
Members of the public who are going through this or know of anyone whom they suspect of having suicidal thoughts are strongly urged to seek treatment or to reach out to someone they trust such as a family member, friend, teacher, or school counselor.
They can also reach out to organisations such as Befrienders, a non-profit organisation, that helps lend emotional support to those who need it.
Befrienders KL can be contacted at their hotlines 03-79568144 or 03-79568145; alternatively they can also be e-mailed at sam@befrienders.org.my and their website is http://www.befrienders.org.my/index.html
