KUALA LUMPUR: On average, two individuals committed suicide every day since 2019 until May 2021, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigations Department (CID) revealed today.
Its director Datuk Seri Abd Jalil Hassan said investigations found that the three leading causes of suicide are family dilemma, emotional stress and financial pressure.
Most victims, he said, were women, from the age group of between 15-18 years old.
"In 2019, 609 suicide cases were reported, followed by 631 cases in 2020 and between January and May 2021, 468 suicide reports were received.
"Based on gender, 281 men and 1,427 women died due to suicide between 2019 to May 2021. Most of the victims were aged between 15-18 years old (872 people) and 19-40 years old (668 people).
"Johor reported the highest number of cases in 2019 and 2020 (101 cases), while Selangor recorded the highest number of cases (117 cases) between January to May 2021.
"The most frequently used methods to commit suicide was by hanging (75.1 per cent), jumping off buildings (13.6 per cent) and consuming poison (5.7 per cent)," he said in a statement today.
Abd Jalil called on all segments of the society to play their part to curb suicide attempts by offering moral support and assistance to individuals battling with financial and health issues, emotional stress, depression and family problems.
He also urged individuals struggling with these issues to seek help and support from their family, close friends and those offering counselling services.