Ministry to tackle suicide among children, teens

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Bullying and exam pressure are known factors which have driven children and teens to suicide. So prevention programmes will be targeted at these age groups.
Children and teenagers do not make up the bulk of suicides at present, but the Health Ministry does not want to wait for the numbers to rise before introducing prevention programmes for both children and parents.
Family Health Development director Datuk Dr Narimah Awin said the Health Ministry is bringing in a foreign consultant early next year to help identify the types of programmes needed.
"I feel upset when I read in newspapers about a girl committing suicide because she did not get 10 As or she failed an exam. Here we see one factor, unreasonable expectations of academic performance," she said.
Dr Narimah said she wants a specific programme that will help parents of children who are at risk deal more effectively with their children’s problems.
Speaking at the launch of a seminar to mark the Federal Territory’s observance of World Mental Health Day at Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) yesterday, she said a module on the prevention of mental illness in children and adolescents has been developed, and another for women will be drawn up soon.
She said the World Health Organisation is paying special attention to the rising number of child and teen suicides around the world, which is why the ministry is taking a serious view.
Bullying in school is a second factor that can lead children to think of suicide, said Dr Narimah.
"We see these trends ... the tragedy is if we as adults do nothing. To me that is irresponsible," she said.
HKL child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr Toh Chin Lee said suicide prevention programmes should take into account the education system as a whole.
"We have to relook at how we emphasise achievements. If we emphasise achievements that are going to make our children confident beings, then that is the best education system we can have," he said.
Attempted suicide, he added, must be taken seriously.
"Suicide attempts are very important. It is an early warning for us, rather than waiting for the newspapers to report that they have taken their own lives. Then it’s too late."
The Burden of Disease and Injury Study reported that in 2000, there were 1,539 suicides, of which 1,098 were men. Dr Narimah said that a pilot study conducted at three hospitals showed that between December and May, 47 people had committed suicide — 22 cases in Hospital Kuala Lumpur, 24 in Hospital Sultanah Aminah in Johor Baru and one in Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan in Kuantan.
The study was the first phase of the National Suicide Registry aimed at gauging the suicide rate in the country.
It will be expanded to major hospitals next year, before going down to district hospitals.
"Many suicides go unreported, but we estimate that there are 14 or 15 for every 100,000 people," said Dr Narimah.
One of the reasons information on the number of suicides in Malaysia is sketchy is because deaths are reported both to the police and the hospital. Other countries require a doctor to certify all deaths.