Suicide
figures up - 419 deaths last year
The number was 346 in 2003. Two age groups stand out - men in their
40s, women in their 50sBy Radha Basu, Community Correspondent
THE economy is buzzing, the future looks rosy, but more people here
are quietly ending their lives.
A total of 419 people committed suicide last year, up from 346 in
2003.
The suicide rate per 100,000 residents - a sobering indicator in
population statistics - is also on the upswing, growing from 9.3 in
2003 to 10.3 last year, figures from the Registry of Births and
Deaths reveal.
It is the fourth straight rise in as many years.
Two age groups - men in their 40s and women in their 50s - stand
out. Their suicide numbers outpaced population increases.
Mrs Tan Yoke Yin, executive director of suicide-prevention group
Samaritans of Singapore (SOS), said that interpersonal, social and
psychological pressures could be driving people over the
brink.
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Such problems were expressed by a majority of the callers to the
SOS crisis-line in recent years.
Men in their 40s are a worry for Mrs Tan. Last year, 65 such men
killed themselves, the highest for any age group in either gender.
It works out to more than one a week.
They are in the so-called 'sandwich generation' which has the
burden of caring for young children and ageing parents. Work stress
also tends to be high in this age group.
Mrs Tan said: 'Men are also far less likely to seek help than
women. If their coping mechanism is not strong, they could be in
trouble.'
More women in their 50s have also gone over the edge. Last year, 33
killed themselves, up from 16 in 2003. They too were in the
sandwich generation.
While veteran counsellor Anthony Yeo, thinks that suicide rates and
the economy's health are not necessarily co-related, the 'pressure
to perform at a time when almost everyone else is doing well could
increase the stress for some'.
Mr Yeo, consultant therapist at the Counselling and Care Centre,
added: 'This, in turn, could make them suicidal.'
National University of Singapore social work professor Kalyani
Mehta pointed out that a buzzing economy did not translate into a
decline in social problems.
On the contrary, there are 'more divorces, more bankruptcies, the
population is ageing and there is a growing sandwich generation
that is feeling the stress,' said Dr Mehta, who is also a Nominated
Member of Parliament.
A different explanation was offered by psychiatrist Chia Boon Hock,
who has been studying suicides here since 1970.
Dr Chia noted that coroner's courts were increasingly returning
more suicide verdicts rather than leaving a case as 'open' or
'undetermined'.
Whatever the reasons for the rise, seeking help early remains the
main way to try and lower suicide rates.
Mrs Tan said: 'Caregivers or even potential victims must be taught
to seek help early.'
Too often, caregivers were too preoccupied with work or family
concerns and missed the warning signs which could have led to help
from a counsellor or a psychiatrist.
Ms Mary Lee (not her real name), 32, who is being treated for
depression, knows all too well the importance of seeking
help.
A series of family-related problems - including abuse by her
stepmother - caused her to attempt suicide more than once, the
latest in December last year.
'Sometimes I felt captive to suicidal thoughts,' said the teacher
who now lives alone. 'Talking to a professional can help set you
free.'
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SOS short of volunteers
THE 24-hour crisis hotline run by suicide-prevention group
Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) is in a crisis of its own: it
desperately needs more volunteers.
The hotline has been handling about 50,000 calls - or about 135 a
day - the past couple of years, but the number of new recruits to
man the phones is falling.
According to figures from the group's annual report last week, the
number of calls handled by the hotline annually has grown from
43,255 in the year ending March 2005 to 49,025 in March this
year.
Only about one in seven callers, however, was deemed as being at
risk of actually committing suicide.
The number of new recruits, meanwhile, has fallen from 74 to 35
during the same period. Currently, the group has 175 active
volunteers to man its lines.
But that is not enough. 'With suicide rates on the rise, we really
need more volunteers,' said SOS executive director Tan Yoke
Yin.
She worries that one of the reasons for a recent dip in calls could
be that not all calls are being picked up.
Volunteers provide an important lifeline to distressed people who
call the hotline.
'I don't think anybody really wants to die,' said a 60-year-old SOS
volunteer who wanted to be known only as Rani. 'Talking to us gives
callers the time to stop and think.'
Volunteers put in three to four hours manning the lines three times
a month and do one 12-hour night shift during the same
period.
'Nights are crucial and very busy for us,' said Rani, a housewife
who has been manning the lines for nearly a decade. 'That's when
many of the calls come in.'
To volunteer, log on to www.samaritans.org.sg or call the SOS
hotline
RADHA BASU
