Ground-up initiative proposes national suicide prevention strategy for Singapore 

SINGAPORE: A community group has urged the Singapore government to set up a national office dedicated to suicide prevention in the country.

It is part of several recommendations under a national suicide prevention strategy laid out in a white paper by ground-up initiative Project Hayat and led by advocacy group SG Mental Health Matters.

The group’s 23 recommendations include a national public awareness campaign on suicide prevention, integrating suicide prevention education into school curriculum, more training on suicide prevention, and use of tech-based interventions.

For instance, infrared beams can be used to detect unauthorised access to high-rise buildings, the report said. 

The white paper, which took a year to be completed, was launched on Tuesday (Sep 10) in conjunction with World Suicide Prevention Day. 

It takes into account interviews with experts, focus group discussions, and a public consultation with 500 respondents in Singapore. 

The paper cites a study of 21 nations with a national suicide prevention programme. All of them found that suicide rates fell after its rollout, especially among men.

In response to the paper, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said the establishment of the National Mental Health Office would “enable us to coordinate partnership efforts more effectively, and to better synergise and maximise our efforts on the ground”. 

Project Hayat had suggested that the office could be set up under MOH. This is separate from the National Mental Health Office, which is expected to be set up by 2025 to oversee the implementation of Singapore’s national mental health and well-being strategy released last year.

MOH added that many of the recommendations are aligned with its plans, and that many of the measures are already in place or in the process of being implemented.

“These measures range from upstream prevention such as public education campaigns, encouraging help-seeking and building mental resilience, to downstream interventions such as crisis support and treatment,” MOH said. 

WHY A NATIONAL OFFICE?

Based on interviews with international experts and research on case studies, a dedicated office is a key success factor in suicide prevention, said the project’s co-chair Dr Rayner Tan from the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.

“In some countries, it will be within the national mental health department or ministry, and this has dedicated resources, dedicated budgets, dedicated data monitoring mechanisms,” he told CNA’s Singapore Tonight on Tuesday.

“These (would) allow our country to monitor progress on suicide prevention and also roll out evidence-based interventions.”

Dr Tan noted the importance of equipping communities with suicide prevention skills, including identifying who is at risk and being able to develop a safety plan for those at risk. This would address gaps left by first responders who may not be available all the time, he said.

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.