Between 2010 and 2014, there was an average of about 400 suicides and 1,000 cases of attempted suicide each year.
These statistics were revealed by Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin in response to a series of written questions tabled by Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Gerald Giam.
Breaking down the statistics further, the minister revealed that there were “about twice as many males as females” and that the median age of persons committing suicide was 50.9 in 2014.
Mr Tan also revealed that Chinese and Indians had higher suicide rates compared to Malays. A breakdown by income was not available, he said.
Asked what the Government had done to address the issue of suicide in Singapore, Mr Tan said that Government agencies such as Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Health Promotion Board (HPB) “have funded and put in place efforts in public education, prevention and support”.
These Government agencies “have worked closely with voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) on several of these efforts,” he said.
Category(s):Mental Health in Asia
Source material from Channel News Asia
