Groups call for better mental health awareness following Instagram poll suicide in Kuching
KOTA KINABALU, May 24 ― Two groups today called for changes in the national policy to improve public attitude towards suicide and mental health issues after a teenage girl in Kuching killed herself after posting a poll on Instagram recently.
Mental Health Association of Sarawak and Befrienders Kuching said that it was time for the country to inspect its role in building a nation that was more supportive and aware of mental health issues and one of the ways was to decriminalise attempted suicide.
“The current law, underlined in Section 309 of the Penal Code, states that a suicide survivor is liable to one year imprisonment or a fine or both. This archaic law is not only inhumane and counter-productive, it is likely to drive those who attempt suicide to succeed on their first attempt.
“Standard Operating Procedures should be set up within the police force and other related agencies to provide immediate help for people thinking of committing suicide,” the two group said in a joint press statement.
It also proposed that mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are recognised under insurance policies in Malaysia.
“This would have three immediate benefits: encourage people to seek help from private facilities without worrying about the financial burden, ease heavy demand on public healthcare facilities, and destigmatize mental health conditions,” they said.
The groups added that mental health awareness was not the job of the government alone and in order to move forward, society needs to recognise that mental health awareness is a collective responsibility that needs a holistic approach across all sectors.
They said open conversations and support was needed to help people recognise and know how to deal with mental health problems instead of dismissing or belittling the issues as “attention-seeking behaviour.”
“We believe that ignorance and stigma is the root cause of how some responded when presented with the Instagram poll. Mental illnesses are inherently very isolating conditions because of this low level of awareness and high level of stigma in society.
“Open conversations about mental well-being and mental health conditions that are non-judgmental and non-stigmatising are crucial to foster an environment that allows people going through mental health issues to speak up, be understood and feel supported,” they said.
The groups suggested that social media platforms should also have an alert system in place that could immediately report instances related to suicidal plans and ideas and offer help immediately to prevent tragedies.
“In addition, all media professionals and agencies should be trained in responsible reporting on suicides according to guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP). There is extensive evidence that shows that media reports on suicide have a significant impact in enhancing or weakening suicide prevention efforts,” they said.
Last week, a 16-year-old girl in Kuching jumped to her death from a building after posting a poll on her Instagram story asking people whether she should choose life or death.
In her poll, she asked “Really Important. Help me to choose D/L -” ― with “D” standing for death while “L” meant live. 69 per cent of people responding chose “D” ― although possibly not knowing what it meant.
Police later said she was suffering from depression.
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