[UPDATED] Suicides in Jan-May more than 70% of annual cases in last 2 years

KUALA LUMPUR – A total of 1,099 suicides have been recorded in Malaysia from January 2020 – shortly after Covid-19 hit the country – until May this year.

Most of the victims were women and below 40 years old.

Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Abd Jalil Hassan in a statement said 468 suicides were recorded nationwide in the first five months of 2021.

This constitutes nearly 77% of the total logged throughout 2019 (609 cases) and 74% seen in the whole of 2020 (631).

In total, 1,708 cases were recorded from 2019 to 2021.

“From 2019 to 2021, 281 of the victims were men, while 1,427 were women,” said Jalil.

“Of these, 872 involved individuals aged between 15 and 18 years old, while 668 involved those aged from 19 to 40.”

For the period between January 2019 and last December, Johor saw the most suicides at 101.

From January to May this year, Selangor had the highest number at 117.

“Investigations found that the three main causes of suicides are family problems, and emotional and financial distress,” said Jalil.

“Based on statistics, a majority of the cases involved hanging (75.1%), jumping off buildings (13.6%) and consumption of poison (5.7%).”

There has been a spate of reports and accounts of attempted suicide on social media and in mainstream news in recent weeks, as anxieties heighten due to economic hardships made worse by the pandemic and the lockdown enforced to control its spread.

Yesterday, the Malaysian Human Rights Commission called on the government to revive the National Suicide Registry Malaysia to provide the public with access to nationwide case data.

It said suicides in the country are often recorded as “accidental death”, leading to a lack of psychosocial support for victims’ families.

This could also trigger suicidal ideation in these family members, it cautioned.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Employers’ Federation (MEF) said many cases of depression today are linked to financial and business woes due to the lengthy virus lockdown.  

President Datuk Syed Hussain Syed Husman in a statement said opening up the economy with strict standard operating procedures in place will protect against “economic suicide”.

“MEF is of the position that opening up areas that are not in red zones will greatly alleviate this depressing situation.”

He said staff’s health and safety is a major concern for employers, and companies should designate officials to address stress among their workers.

“We must treat the suicides caused by economic problems as a major wake-up call, because every life is sacred and needs to be protected. The loss of a human life is a loss to the nation.”

Those seeking support can reach out to Befrienders at 03-7627-2929 or [email protected]. The Talian Kasih hotline is 15999. – The Vibes, July 1, 2021