Psychiatrist weighs in on these two items pertaining to the recent MJC suicide
KUCHING: Malaysians in general, and Sarawakians in particular, still don’t really appreciate the seriousness of depression and suicidal thoughts, said Sarawak Mental Health Association chairman Dr Ismail Drahman.
During an exclusive interview with the New Sarawak Tribune yesterday regarding a recent suicide at MJC in Batu Kawa, he said, “It was indeed a tragedy. It’s sad to hear the news about the young girl who ended her life after she posted “HELP ME CHOOSE” message on Instagram.”
He believed that if the people who responded to the post understood her message well, the incident might have been prevented.
Social media is not to be blamed, he said, as it is a very important means of communication provided it is used responsibly.
In his opinion, what happened on Instagram followed by the suicide reflected the shallowness of our people and their inability to really appreciate the seriousness what the poor girl (and others alike) was going through.
He pointed out that depression is a risk factor in those who have suicidal thoughts.
He went on to explain that the word “depression” is used in many different ways, and people feel sad or blue when bad things happen.
“However, everyday ‘blues’ or sadness is not a depressive disorder as people with the blues may have a short-term depressed mood which they can cope with and soon recover from without treatment.
“The depression we are talking is a major depressive disorder which lasts for at least two weeks. It affects the ability to carry out routine activities, work and adversely affect daily functions,” he said.
A major depression varies in severity, from mild to moderate to severe.
The symptoms of a major depression are depressed mood; loss of enjoyment and interest in activities that used to be enjoyable; lack of energy and tiredness; feeling worthless or feeling guilty when the person is not really at fault; difficulty concentrating or making decisions; moving more slowly or sometimes becoming agitated and unable to settle; having sleep difficulties; loss of interest in food whereby changes in eating habits may lead to either loss of weight or putting on weight; and thinking about death or suicide a lot.
He added that sometimes people around them may think that the person who suffers from depression is getting lazy and purposely want to avoid his/her responsibilities, but these symptoms make the person depressed and interfere with his/her relationships with family members, friends and co-workers, and his/her levels of functions are slow and may not be able to complete some tasks.
The symptoms of depression affect thoughts, feelings and behaviour.
They perpetrate frequent self-criticism, self-blame, pessimism, anxiety, guilt, mood swings, neglect of responsibilities, loss of interest in personal appearance, loss of motivation, chronic fatigue, lack of energy, loss of appetite and many more.
“Therefore, it is very important for family members or people who are close with those who suffer from depression; know these symptoms and help to overcome them,” he said.
Dr Ismail further noted that there is no single cause for depression as they often involved the interactions of many diverse biological, psychological and social factors.
“In our society, depression is not always being recognised because of terms like sad and blues are interchangeable with it, and yet our society is not very aware of it yet in spite of many campaigns done by the relevant authorities such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), Ministry of Health and Mental Health Associations.
“As for the 16-year-old who committed suicide, the cause is most probably the interaction between the psychological and social issues in her life as she was not able to concentrate on her studies for at least months prior to the event.
“There must have been a change in her behaviour from being happy to being more socially withdrawn; not participating in her family event, and I presume her post on Instagram was the last effort to get help. Probably she wanted to resolve her psychological and social issues by turning to social media,” he said.
He reckoned that the girl was “crying for help” by posting her distress call on social media, and he did not believe that social media caused her to end her life. It was just that she went to a place which failed to resolve her difficulties.
Hence, Dr Ismail advised people who have mental health problems to consult counsellors, psychologists or psychiatrists because they have had the training and experience to give proper help.
The Mental Health Association of Sarawak Kuching Branch provides counselling and emotional support every Monday and Wednesday (except for public holidays) from 8.30am to 1pm. They accept any amount of donations in return of their service.
To make an appointment, call 082-231459 or send WhatsApp to 016-8082015 during office hours. Their centre is on the First Floor, Lot 2991, Wisma Keretapi, Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce, 93150 Kuching.
