Non-Governmental Organisation Samaritans of Singapore noted in a July 1 (Friday) press release that suicide is still responsible for the largest number of deaths among people in Singapore from the ages of 10 to 29.
It has remained the leading cause of death in this age group for the past three years, even as the country’s overall numbers are down.
SOS said in a press release that there were 378 reported suicides last year, which shows a decrease of 16.3 per cent from 2020.
Suicide is also decreasing among Singapore’s elderly.
In 2021, 112 people ages 60 and above died by suicide, whereas in the year before, the number had been 154.
However, “an alarming fact is that suicide remains to be the leading cause of death among youths aged 10 to 29 for the past three years,” SOS said in a July 1 Facebook post.
“Within this age group, Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) observed the increase from 22.3 per cent in 2020 to 29.6 per cent in 2021, among all suicides recorded across the nation. For youths 10 to 19, suicide has risen by 23.3 per cent, from 30 deaths in 2020 to 37 in 2021.”
Mr Gasper Tan, SOS’ CEO, called the overall decrease “deeply encouraging, a trend we hope will continue,” but urged continued vigilance in supporting people in distress.
He noted that the NGO has seen more people reach out for help. Between 2020 and 2021, SOS’ crisis hotline saw a 127 per cent increase in calls from persons aged 10 to 19, “expressing a strong cry for help that cannot be ignored,” Mr Tan added.
SOS’ text-messaging service has also seen the same rise in demand.
Dr Jared Ng, a Senior Consultant and the Chief of the Department of Emergency and Crisis Care, Institute of Mental Health underlined the serious concern over youths dying by suicide, adding that different sectors in society should work together to address this issue.
“Young patients we encountered have been reporting various stressors in their lives, such as interpersonal issues with their family and friends, academic stress, achievement stress, and future job stress.
Preventing youth suicides thus needs coordination and close collaboration between several relevant sectors of society, including education, social services, and health.
Certainly, support and guidance from family members and friends remain integral in helping young people navigate through the issues and crises they face in their lives.”
SOS has launched a number of youth-oriented programmes to help support the youth, as it makes a helpline available across all demographics.
“To this end, suicide prevention is a community-wide effort that involves the support of everyone,” SOS wrote.
SOS’ statement may be found in full here. /TISG
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