KUALA LUMPUR: The government should abolish Section 309 of the Penal Code which criminalises suicide, as it is not something committed by criminals but by desperate people suffering hardship and mental illness.
Mental Health Promotion advisory council member Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said that the government should review the Section, as those who attempt suicide must be helped with psychiatric treatment and rehabilitation – not treated like criminals.
“Criminalising depressed persons or those who are mentally sick is inhumane, unthinkable and unacceptable,” he said.
In his statement to welcome the Health Ministry’s plan to revive the National Suicide Registry of Malaysia (NSRM) before the end of the year, Lee said the government and insurance companies must also play a role in ensuring that medical insurance coverage is extended to psychiatric disorders.
“Issues that revolve around mental health must also be addressed, including combatting the stigma surrounding mental illness.
“As such, there must be a holistic public health approach by the government that takes into consideration cross-sectoral collaboration and training of non-governmental organisations to address social determinants and psychosocial factors contributing to poor mental health,” he said.
Besides the Health Ministry, Lee said the Education and Youth and Sports Ministries should also collaborate to address mental health issues among youth.
Lee said the call by the Health Ministry to revive the NSRM is timely due to the lack of a comprehensive database on suicide cases in the country.
“This registry can be used to stimulate and facilitate further research on suicide,” he added.
Lee also recommended that the ministry declare 2019 as the year of mental health in order to further promote treatment and utilise all available resources for the purpose.
“More awareness campaigns on mental health, including against stigmatisation of those with mental illness, must be organised to involve employers and employees and other relevant stakeholders.
“More counsellors and psychologists must be trained to help those suffering from depression and other mental problems,” he said.
In an exclusive report by the New Straits Times last August, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (investigation/legal) deputy director Datuk Mohd Zakaria Ahmad revealed that 1,696 Malaysians committed suicide, while 625 people attempted but failed to end their own lives, between 2014 and February 2018.
Lee added that immediate action should be taken to tackle the suicide problem as the World Health Organisation has estimated that each year, approximately one million people die from suicide and by 2020, the rate of death will increase to one person every 20 seconds.
The NSRM was set up in 2007 to provide the public with access to data on suicides in the country. However, after two published reports, the NRSM’s official website ceased to operate in 2009.