Unmasking the suicide stigma in Malaysia

Yong at the Voices 3.0 programme speaking about raising awareness and educating the public about suicide prevention.

TO ADDRESS the rising cases of suicide in the country, Oasis Counselling Services organised an event called “Voices 3.0” to create awareness about the issue.

Voices has been a platform to create awareness of mental health problems faced by people from all walks of life.

The event in Kuala Lumpur was attended by the company director Kristy Yong, Muda deputy president Amira Aisya and DAP vice-chairman Teresa Kok.

Mental health has been a stigma in the community and misunderstood for a very long time, said Yong.

With the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and various lockdowns in Malaysia over the last two-and-a-half years, mental health problems had increased along with suicide cases, she noted.

“One life lost to suicide is still a life lost. The impact on the people they left behind is huge.”

“Life’s challenges are tough and it has become tougher during the pandemic.

“We cannot change this situation overnight, but I believe we can definitely do this together,” said Yong.

Amira said mental health should be treated as a clinical issue in the country.

“Three out of 10 people are affected by mental health issues, and they are mostly from Generation Z.

“I am a politician, but at the same time I am also a human with feelings. And I proudly fight against this stigma that is created among the community,” she added.

Suicide is often painted as something shameful and negative, said Kok.

“It takes years to bring people out from this depressive state. Therefore, the only way to prevent it from happening is to do what makes you happy.

“In order to help someone in need, we need to be in a healthy state of mind too,” she added.

Going with the theme “It is OK to talk about suicide”, there was also a Suicide Prevention talk and workshop presented by Raymond Lee, a licensed counsellor with the Malaysian Board of Counsellors.

There were a few booths related to mental health at the event such as live suicide risk screening, life-sized board game, expressive art therapy and emotion awareness corner. — By SHASMIETHA ELANGO