Life Terminated: Suicide Trends in Malaysia

A recent study shows that 56 per cent of Malays who committed suicide do so by jumping to their death. According to Dr T. Maniam, professor of psychology at University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), this involved nine out of 16 Malay suicide cases out of the 251 surveyed in the study. Nevertheless, cases among the Malays, aged between 15 and 80 years were the lowest in the study which was conducted in 2004. While we are catching up with technology and our life seems flawless, Malaysian suicidal rate nearly equal that of the United State, as mentioned by Dr. T Maniam, a Professor in Psychology from UKM. Based on a study of 251 cases of suicide,among ethnic groups, jumping from height was the commonest method used by Chinese (49 of 120; 41%), Malay (9 of 16; 56%), and others (15 of 28; 53.4%); whereas, hanging was the commonest method of committing suicide by Indians (49 of 87; 56.3%); Muslims showed the lowest cases of suicide (18 of 251; 7.2%). In poisoning group Indian was the highest ethnic group who used this method (20 of 37; 54.1%).This research found suicides of 164 male (65%) and 87 female (35%) victims. Their age ranged from 15 to 80 years. The age group from 21 to 30 had the highest total cases of suicide (83 of 251; 33.1%). (Create few more paragraph, don t overload all the info in one paragraph) Suicides as the last resort to get away from troubled lives... have you ever thought about it? Can life be happily ever after if dealing with your problem is as easy aslogging out from your Facebook? Definitely a NO for most of us, but it is a YES for 140 Malaysian who had attempted to take their life, daily. Suicide is the act of intentionally taking your own life. Mental and emotional disorder have been known to be the main reason for suicide. Mental disorder is like a time bomb. It can explode anytime and happen to anybody. But what keeps people away from suicide is the ability to cope with stress and overcome the difficulties and hurdles. The most common underlying disorder is depression. Almost thirty to seventy per cent of suicide victims suffer from major depression or bipolar (manic depressive) disorder. The younger generations also lackthe coping mechanism to manage stress. Adolescents struggle to manage relationships, cope with the work pressure, juggle with financialdemand and deal with family issues. Most suicide cases in our country would be considered anomic suicide (emphasize on the meaning of anomic suicide). As the society becomes less connected, people will lose their sense of belonging.As society changes too quickly, institutions like religion also loses its significance and importance. Alcoholism and drug abusealso contribute to the risein suicide cases in Malaysia.

Recent reported cases involving public suicide published in local news are listed below:(Put this into essay format) 1. 13/12/2010- A 22-year-old committed suicide after recently breaking up with his girlfriend. In a farewell note on his Facebook profile page, Alviss posted one last p icture of himself tearing up before jumped off the 14th floor of their apartment building

2. 8/2/2011 - Form Five student Sally Lee Qian Chun took her life by jumping from the secondfloor of her school in Malacca. Earlier, she wrote about her desire to take her life on Facebook. 3. 9/2/11 - Tan Lee Ying, believed to be emotionally troubled, had thrown her five -year-old daughter Man Leng from the fourth floor of a flat before jumping from the 10th floor of the same building in Seri Kembangan. 4. 16/2/2011- A mentally unstable woman killed her two daughters with a cocktail of cough mixture and high blood pressure medication before attempting to commit suicide.

A healthy person does not guarantee a healthy mind. Although seeking psychiatric advice is common in developed countries, this kind of practice is considered taboo in Malaysia. We tend to keep all our problems to ourselves, without knowing that some problemsare better shared. Therefore, social supportespecially from family, friends, religious group and colleagues are crucial to people who has this suicidal tendencies. The government and authorities should play a significant role in combating this issue because this reflects the quality of life in the nation. Currently we have a hotline called Befrienders to provide support to suicide prone individuals.But not many people are aware of its existence. There is also an agency such AKPK which indirectly support in terms of financial management. A good approach is by having an awareness campaign on suicide, becausewe will never know it will happen to us or our loved ones. We would not expect that simple problems and our surrounding can lead to stress and eventually trigger suicide. Everyday routine such as travelling to work, family matters, as well as economic and political situation, may cause stress that may lead to suicidal attempt. As a conclusion, although suicide is not the main killer in Malaysia, each of us has a risk of attempting suicide, regardless of our race, gender, age and profession. Ultimately, we should have spiritual strength and make the best out of our life. It is a pity to end our life insuch a despicablemanner when many people will suffer from the loss. We are much better than what we think we are.