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SINGAPORE – There were 166 suicide deaths from January to September this year, up from 304 during the same period last year, State Minister for Home Affairs Desmond Tan told Parliament on Wednesday (November 4).
He gave these preliminary figures in response to Mr. Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok), who asked how many suicide cases were recorded and how many attempted suicide cases had been intervened by the Singapore Police and Civil Defense Force since he was decriminalized.
Mr. Murali also asked how the decriminalization of suicide attempt has improved the situation for those who are tempted to kill themselves.
The suicide attempt was decriminalized by the Criminal Law Reform Act in 2019, and the amendments went into effect earlier this year.
The law change was met with mixed reactions at the time it was proposed. Some, such as the Samaritans of Singapore suicide prevention center, had felt that decriminalizing the suicide attempt would encourage suicidal people to seek help as they would no longer fear prosecution.
Others, like Murali, had expressed reservations, saying that keeping suicide a crime would allow police to intervene in suicide attempts by arresting and placing the person in a safe environment, such as a jail cell, to stabilize their condition.
On Wednesday (November 4), Tan said police were called in to help with some 1,800 cases of suicide attempt or suicidal ideation from January to September this year.
From 2017 to 2019, the police received around 1,200 reports of suicide attempts a year.
However, Tan noted that the two figures cannot be compared, as the 1,800 cases so far this year include cases of suicidal ideation – people who had suicidal thoughts but did not actually act on it.
He said: “The criminal justice system is not the best way to deal with people who have attempted suicide. These people are often in great distress.”
Tan added that decriminalizing suicide attempt reduces stigma and encourages suicidal people to seek help early.
“The reasons for suicide are multifaceted and complex. Therefore, the Government has continued our efforts to prevent suicides and we will continue to monitor the situation and adjust our approaches to better help suicidal people,” he said.
Dr Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah (Jalan Besar GRC) asked if mental health services in polyclinics could be open to walk-ins rather than relying on appointments or referrals to reduce treatment delay.
In response, the Minister of State for Health, Janil Puthucheary, said that people with mental health problems admitted to polyclinics will receive a preliminary evaluation from doctors. They will be referred to mental health services if necessary.
In addition to the polyclinics, more than 220 general practitioners have also been trained under the Mental Health General Practitioners Association Program to identify, diagnose and treat people with mental health problems in the community.
Dr Janil added that a network of 43 community outreach teams also provides basic emotional and psychosocial support and service liaison for people with mental health issues throughout Singapore.
Dr. Wan Rizal also asked what the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) had done to ensure the well-being of emotional and mental health in the workplace.
State Minister for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad said that in addition to a notice on supporting the mental well-being of workers under the Covid-19 labor agreements earlier this year, MOM will publish a Tripartite Notice to guide employers on good labor practices to promote workers’ mental well-being later this year.
It also highlighted a number of existing programs and resources employers can take advantage of, including the iWorkHealth online self-assessment tool to identify common workplace stressors.
“MOM will continue to work with our partners to educate and enlist the support of employers to further promote the mental well-being of workers in the workplace,” he said.
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