PETALING JAYA: Sending someone to jail for trying to kill himself is ironic and self-defeating.
Rather than address the root of the problem, it could only make it worse for the person who has already lost his way, according to an interest group and a politician.
Criminalising suicide attempt only deters and delays help to those in crisis, according to the Mental Health Aid Organisation (Nyawa).
“People who opt to take their lives will avoid seeking mental health support for fear of legal repercussions,” Nyawa director Farihin Ufiya told theSun.
The Health Ministry recently announced that it would push for the decriminalisation of suicide in Malaysia. Its director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said it is key to preventing suicides in Malaysia. “Recognising that suicide is not a crime is a step forward in getting more people to seek treatment early,” he said.
The suicide rate in Malaysia has risen sharply this year, and many have attributed it to the economic losses suffered as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Within just the first five months of 2021, a total 468 suicides have been recorded. In comparison, there were 609 cases throughout 2019 and 631 in 2020.
In the period from January to May, Selangor recorded 117 suicides, the highest among all the states. In comparison, Johor recorded a total of 101 suicides from January 2019 to December 2020.
Farihan said Nyawa hopes to address the problem by spreading awareness of the topic in more conversations.
Farihan, who used to work in the Health Ministry, said she and Nyawa deputy director Khair Hisham realised that many recommendations that have been reiterated in policy briefs and academic articles are acknowledged and support by the government.
“However, the red tape and lack of resources prevented us from making the changes,” she said.
The 11-man team in Nyawa is hoping to take the “empathic and empirically-grounded” message across to the masses.
Farihan said another task the team has set for itself is to empower people with awareness on mental health issues by disseminating evidence-based information through policy advocacy and non-partisan research.
Criminalising the act of attempting suicide is just assigning fault rather than addressing the “complex underlying causes of suicidal behaviour”, she pointed out.
She said these could have been poor mental health conditions or psychosocial stresses caused by financial difficulties, bereavements or difficulties in relationships.
She said criminalising the act also leads to under-reporting. “We do not have comprehensive data on the prevalence of suicides. The Suicide Registry Malaysia was active only from 2007 to 2009,” she said.
In a recent “live” Instagram session with Nyawa, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman recalled going through sleepless nights, random cold shivers at night and a great sense of hopelessness.
“The trouble is that when you open up about your mental health problems, people would just label you as a ‘drama queen’ or ‘soft’. Otherwise, you’re told that being a guy, you should man up. This restricts our ability to express our feelings,” he said.
He said he found a way to cope by sharing his feelings with family and friends. “If you have good friends or trusted family members, speak to them. Expressing your feelings may be tough at first, but it must start somewhere,” he stressed.
Syed Saddiq also advised those who have been approached to lend an ear should listen because “listening in itself is already a formal service”.
He agreed that repealing provisions that make suicide attempt a criminal offence should be done as soon as possible. “We’ve talked about this for years. Now we should just do it,” he added.
