Suicide support services Only half of Singaporeans know how to get help: Survey

More efforts needed to raise awareness of helplines and resources, says advocacy group

- Syarafana Shafeeq

At 22, James (not his real name) spent most days cooped up in his room.

Knocks on the door from his family went ignored, and plates of food left on the dining table for him were uneaten.

His mother chalked it up to his adjusting to being unemployed after finishing his national service and failing to get into university. She did not know her son was on the other side of the door thinking about ending his life.

James said: "I knew I needed help, but I did not know who to turn to. Plenty of websites and hotlines popped up on the internet when I searched, but I just could not make the call. I felt too awkward to reach out to a professional helpline, but at the same time, ashamed to confide in someone I knew."

He found the courage to open up only when a friend, who was worried after James ignored his messages for weeks, went to his house to check on him. His friend referred him to a social service agency for intervention.

A new survey has found that only about half of Singaporeans know how to access support services for suicide. The other half of respondents said they are either uncertain or do not know how to get help.

With such a gap in knowledge about support services, especially in an emergency, more efforts are needed to spread awareness of suicide-related helplines and resources, said advocacy group SG Mental Health Matters.

The study is part of a new White Paper, titled Project Hayat ("life" in Malay), that it launched on Sept 10 calling for a national suicide prevention strategy in Singapore.

The report is a community-led effort, guided by a working group that comprises suicide experts, researchers, community workers and those whose lives have been impacted by suicide.