MEDIA STATEMENT
IDEAS and Relate Mental Health Malaysia:
Urgent Action Needed to Stem Rise of Youth Suicide in Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur, 18 February 2021 – Suicide is the leading cause of death among young people in Malaysia, with the economic cost of suicide estimated to be RM 346.2 million in 2019, according to a new report, Youth Suicide in Malaysia.
The report was published by Relate Mental Health Malaysia in association with the Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), co-authored by Dr Chua Sook Ning and Vaisnavi Rao.
Despite the high emotional and economic costs, suicide still remains a criminal act in Malaysia under section 309 of the Penal code. Evidence shows that the criminalisation of suicide reduces help-seeking behaviour, hinders the collection of accurate data, and restricts the development and implementation of effective suicide prevention strategies.
An interrelated set of factors increases the risk of suicide, including age, gender, ethnicity, mental health issues and unemployment, emphasising the need for prevention strategies to adopt a holistic social and public health approach.
The COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on Malaysia’s socio-economic landscape have been drastic. Lockdowns, physical distancing measures, economic breakdown, the surge in job losses and education-related changes for children and young people have increased the level of distress amongst Malaysians, evident through the rise in suicide cases since March 2020. The challenge of youth suicide has also been highlighted by the Ministry of Health.
IDEAS and Relate Malaysia call on relevant stakeholders to urgently implement practical measures to address this public health crisis. Some key policy recommendations provided in the report include:
- The government should build on the existing Guidelines for Suicide Prevention, with the development of a suicide prevention guideline or strategy specific to youths should be a collaborative effort between key stakeholders including Ministry of Education, Ministry of Human Resources, and Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, as well as non-governmental organisations, with Ministry of Health as the lead
- The National Suicide Registry should be resumed and information on age, gender, ethnicity, state, and methods of suicide should be included.
- A comprehensive needs assessment on the availability and gaps in suicide prevention and treatment services should be conducted.
- Implement regulations to limit access to means of suicide, such as toxic substances.
- Assess the accessibility and effectiveness of existing mental health services available to youths, such as counselling in educational settings.
- Awareness campaigns should equip individuals with practical and useful resources. Regular evaluations of the effectiveness of programs should also be carried out.
- Guidelines for media reporting should be strengthened and more strictly enforced in close collaboration with regional and national media as well as psychosocial experts (e.g. psychologists, social workers) to increase “buy-in” and implementation of the guidelines.
The uncertainties of this global crisis are far from over, comprehensive prevention strategies are needed to safeguard the wellbeing of the young people in our country and curb the rising silent epidemic of suicides.
Relate Malaysia founder and clinical psychologist, Dr. Chua Sook Ning, said, “The rising trend of suicide among young people in Malaysia has made it a moral imperative for the country’s policymakers to take swift action and address this crisis.
“Given that Malaysia is an ageing population, we must provide quality support and services that provide much-needed assistance to young people who are struggling – and this includes the decriminalisation of suicide. Current laws are preventing people from seeking the help they need for fear of being shamed and charged with a crime.
“Policymakers and the mental health community must work together to ensure much-needed changes are made. Raising awareness is not enough – we need to take urgent action if we hope to reverse this worrying trend.”
IDEAS CEO Tricia Yeoh added, “It is our fervent hope that our policymakers will recognise the urgency of the phenomenon of youth suicide in Malaysia and take seriously the recommendations that our paper puts forward, including the need to decriminalise suicide. This is becoming even more crucial given the isolation and stress related to COVID-19. We also look forward to IDEAS contributing towards public policy on mental health more generally in the near future.”
The policy report can be downloaded at https://www.relate.com.my/youth-suicide-in-malaysia or http://bit.ly/youthsuicidemsia.
