KUALA LUMPUR: The government has been urged to ramp up efforts in providing mental health and psychosocial services, as well as training more professionals in the field.
Befrienders KL patron Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye emphasised the urgent need for this following the proposed amendment to the Mental Health Act 2001 (Act 615), which mandates that crisis intervention officers who have apprehended a suicidal person send them for psychiatric assessment within 24 hours.
In a statement today, he said as a suicide attempt is an emergency high-risk behaviour, it is essential for the person to be given immediate treatment.
"It is, therefore, crucial to spruce up our mental health facilities, as well as train more mental health professionals. Apart from psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, counselors and social workers play an important role in providing continuous treatment."
Up to 2018, there were only 410 psychiatrists in the country, with an average national psychiatrist to population ratio of 1.27 to 100,000, which is significantly lower than the World Health Organisation's recommended ratio of one psychiatrist per 10,000 people.
On April 4, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said tabled the Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2023 for first reading at the Dewan Rakyat.
Among others, it allows crisis intervention officers to apprehend any person attempting to commit suicide. The officers mentioned include policemen, social welfare department workers and members of the Civil Defence Force.
Lee stressed that the relevant ministry should look into providing proper mental health training for crisis intervention officers and first responders, such as firefighters and police officers, so they are better equipped to manage suicidal individuals.He also emphasised the importance of researching ways to retain skilled professionals in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Lee hailed the government's decision to decriminalise suicide as a "step forward for Malaysia" in reducing the stigma surrounding suicide and curbing the increasing number of suicides in the country.
He further expressed his support for the government's proposal to impose a moratorium on Section 309 of the Penal Code, which penalises suicide attempts.
"Criminalisation of suicide stigmatises suicide itself. Decriminalising suicide can encourage more open conversation, and this can help reduce the judgment and discrimination faced by people with mental disorders. By doing so, we can encourage more people to seek the help that they need."
Lee added that it was time to reinstate the long-defunct National Suicide Registry. With accurate and reliable data on suicides, stakeholders will be able to design effective and targeted suicide prevention strategies and policies, he said.
He also urged academicians and experts in the mental health field to conduct more research and studies to create suitable evidence-based interventions and rehabilitation programmes.
Lee reminded those in need that help was available, sharing the contact numbers of Befrienders KL at 03-76272929 (24 hours) and Talian HEAL at 15555 (8am to 12am).
Calls to decriminalise suicide began in 2020. The following year, the Health Ministry backed these calls, as the Covid-19 pandemic had led to mental anguish among people around the globe, including Malaysians.
During the height of the pandemic and when the country was under lockdown, police had received 638 reports of suicide between January and July 2021 -- an increase of 143 per cent from the 262 cases reported in the same period in 2020.
