'Reaching out to those who have become disconnected from others and offering them support and friendship may be a life-saving act.' - Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye
AS a member of the Health Ministry’s Mental Health Advisory Council, I wish to voice my support for calls by various non-governmental organisations to repeal Section 309 of the Penal Code under which attempted suicide is a crime punishable by up to a year in jail, a fine, or both.
In conjunction with World Suicide Prevention Day in 2014 the WHO released the World Suicide Report. The report followed the adoption of the Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020 by the World Health Assembly, which committed all 194 member states to reducing their suicide rates by 10% by 2020.
Most of the contacts came through their helpline . Calls have also increased after Aug 1, 2019, when eight main telcos in Malaysia under the initiative of Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission offered free calls to the helpline. Many of the distressed callers had thoughts about ending their lives. In 2019, 34% of them expressed having suicidal ideation. The percentage of suicidal callers in the last six years has ranged between 25% and 34%, which shows the importance of and need for suicide prevention efforts.
Social stigma and gossip surrounding the death can further alienate the affected family at a critical time when social support is most needed. It is not uncommon to read media reports of families being torn apart in the wake of the suicide of one of their members.
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