PERCEPTIONS OF SUICIDE PREVENTION
The research by Project Hayat also found over 80 per cent of respondents feel that suicide prevention is of national importance.
However, less than a quarter said the country is doing enough to prevent suicide, while just over half said they know how to access support services.
The majority of respondents also believe more efforts are needed in schools and workplaces.
Project Hayat comprises several groups like policymakers, suicide experts, researchers, community workers and helping professionals, religious leaders, corporate leaders, representatives from the media, and people whose lives have been impacted by suicide.
SUICIDE IN SINGAPORE
Although Singapore saw its lowest recorded number of suicide deaths of 322 last year, the country cannot afford to be complacent about its efforts to further prevent suicide, Project Hayat said.
It noted that suicide has remained the leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 29 for five consecutive years, making up about 30 per cent of all deaths within this age group.
Suicide survivor Reshii Verma, who joined a focus group conducted by Project Hayat, said that he started having suicidal thoughts at the age of 18.
“The feeling of hopelessness, like nothing I did was ever good enough, left me emotionally exhausted. Losing close friends and family members to suicide only deepened those thoughts,” the 24-year-old told CNA.
“It was difficult to find mental health resources quickly, and even when I did, there was a lot of stigma attached to asking for help. Society needs to make it easier for people to reach out without feeling like they are doing something shameful,” he added.
He said what helped him was seeking professional help and the realisation that he did not want his family to go through the same pain he had witnessed in others who lost loved ones to suicide.
Both Dr Tan and Mr Verma stressed that suicide is not only about mental health issues.
“Not every person with a mental illness is suicidal, and not every person who is suicidal has a mental illness underlying it,” Dr Tan added.
Source: CNA
