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Sep 16, 2009
48 youth suicides in 3 years <!--10 min-->
<!-- headline one : start --> <!-- headline one : end --> <!-- Author --> <!-- show image if available --> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr></tr> <tr> </tr> <tr> </tr> <tr><td colspan="2" class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold">By Diana Othman </td></tr> </tbody></table> <!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->
FORTY-EIGHT young persons under 21 years old committed suicide over the last three years.
<table valign="top" align="left" width="200"> <tbody><tr><td class="padr8"> <!-- Vodcast --> <!-- Background Story --> <style type="text/css"> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </style> Helplines
Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221-4444
Family Service Centre: 1800-838-0100
</td></tr> </tbody></table> Fourteen took their own lives in 2008, 19 in 2007 and 15 in 2006. These figures were revealed by Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakhrishnan on Tuesday in a written reply to Madam Cynthia Phua, MP for Aljunied GRC, who had asked for the suicide figures, the main causes and the Government's plans to address them.
'Each case is unique, and we should not simplistically over-generalise the causes that lead to suicide. The medical literature indicates that multiple factors, including depression, desperation, emotional instability, anxiety or inability to deal with stress may all play a role,' said Dr Balakrishnan. He added that the main lesson learnt from such tragedies was that a person who is resilient and who is well supported by family and friends will be better able to cope with the many challenges of life.
Early detection and professional advice are also useful. Dr Balakrishnan said the government has adopted a multi-pronged strategy and a 'many helping hands' approach to prevent suicide. To build greater resilience in the young, schools try to to provide opportunities for students to acquire social-emotional skills to enable them to cope with life's challenges. Also in place is the Mind Your Mind programme for primary and secondary school students. Launched by the Health Promotion Board and the Ministry of Education, this programme covers topics such as stress and anger management, building positive self-esteem and recognising depression targeted.
The Government also works with community partners and supporting ecosystems on preventive measures to reduce suicidal tendencies.
Dr Balakrishnan stressed that that the role of families, teachers and counsellors are crucial in identifying and supporting students in distress, as do health workers and social service professionals. Another important approach is to raise public awareness of mental health issues and promote well-being. The annual Suicide Prevention Week by the Samaritans of Singapore, for instance, helps to increase public's understanding of suicidal thoughts and the
Sep 16, 2009
48 youth suicides in 3 years <!--10 min-->
<!-- headline one : start --> <!-- headline one : end --> <!-- Author --> <!-- show image if available --> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr></tr> <tr> </tr> <tr> </tr> <tr><td colspan="2" class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold">By Diana Othman </td></tr> </tbody></table> <!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->
FORTY-EIGHT young persons under 21 years old committed suicide over the last three years.
<table valign="top" align="left" width="200"> <tbody><tr><td class="padr8"> <!-- Vodcast --> <!-- Background Story --> <style type="text/css"> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </style> Helplines
Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221-4444
Family Service Centre: 1800-838-0100
</td></tr> </tbody></table> Fourteen took their own lives in 2008, 19 in 2007 and 15 in 2006. These figures were revealed by Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakhrishnan on Tuesday in a written reply to Madam Cynthia Phua, MP for Aljunied GRC, who had asked for the suicide figures, the main causes and the Government's plans to address them.
'Each case is unique, and we should not simplistically over-generalise the causes that lead to suicide. The medical literature indicates that multiple factors, including depression, desperation, emotional instability, anxiety or inability to deal with stress may all play a role,' said Dr Balakrishnan. He added that the main lesson learnt from such tragedies was that a person who is resilient and who is well supported by family and friends will be better able to cope with the many challenges of life.
Early detection and professional advice are also useful. Dr Balakrishnan said the government has adopted a multi-pronged strategy and a 'many helping hands' approach to prevent suicide. To build greater resilience in the young, schools try to to provide opportunities for students to acquire social-emotional skills to enable them to cope with life's challenges. Also in place is the Mind Your Mind programme for primary and secondary school students. Launched by the Health Promotion Board and the Ministry of Education, this programme covers topics such as stress and anger management, building positive self-esteem and recognising depression targeted.
The Government also works with community partners and supporting ecosystems on preventive measures to reduce suicidal tendencies.
Dr Balakrishnan stressed that that the role of families, teachers and counsellors are crucial in identifying and supporting students in distress, as do health workers and social service professionals. Another important approach is to raise public awareness of mental health issues and promote well-being. The annual Suicide Prevention Week by the Samaritans of Singapore, for instance, helps to increase public's understanding of suicidal thoughts and the
