08/09/2024
“I have been witness to a su***de, I have lost a friend to su***de, and I struggle with suicidal ideation. It cost me my university education, landed me in tens of thousands of debt, and left me with little means to earn enough to pay back my study loan and survive on my own. I will likely never be able to earn more than $1,000 a month, and will likely take my life rather than die of other causes in the near future.”
This was the sad account of one of the 400 respondents to a public consultation in 2020 by SG Mental Health Matters, a ground-up initiative seeking to educate the public on mental health policies. We are part of this diverse community group which includes mental health practitioners, public health researchers, government agencies and advocates with lived experience.
Together, we are co-leading Project Hayat (“life” in Malay) – a White Paper on a national su***de prevention strategy which will be launched on World Su***de Prevention Day, Sept 10, at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore.
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A Good Space co-owners Anthea Ong & Dr Rayner Tan co-wrote this article with Dr Jared Ng.
We need to take into account social, economic and cultural factors as well for a more effective su***de prevention strategy. Read more at straitstimes.com.
