The number of suicides is at its highest level in 22 years in Singapore
The number of suicides in Singapore rose 26% last year to its highest level in more than two decades, reflecting, according to a local NGO, a “hidden psychological problem” in the community.
The Samaritans of Singapore Center for Prevention, in its annual press release that includes statistics on this issue, expressed concern about suicide rates among young people between the ages of 10 and 29 and individuals between the ages of 70 and 79.
World Health Organization: Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide in the 15 to 29-year-old group
The statement stated that the number of suicides, which reached 476 in 2022, “is the highest (…) since 2000,” noting that 378 cases were recorded in 2021.
Psychiatrist and mental health consultant Jared Ng pointed out that “the unprecedented increase in the number of suicides (…) indicates the presence of a hidden psychological problem hanging over (Singapore) society, especially among the youth and the elderly,” stressing the need to “be vigilant about issues Stress that still greatly affects mental health, such as social isolation and loneliness.
The statement stated that suicide “was for the fourth year in a row the main cause of death for young people between the ages of 10 and 29,” representing 33.6% of all deaths in this age group, with 125 deaths in 2022.
According to the World Health Organization, suicide is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide in the 15 to 29 age group.
Also in Singapore, 48 people between the ages of 70 and 79 committed suicide, up 60% from 2021, according to the Samaritans of Singapore Centre.
Singapore, which has one of the lowest fertility rates in the world, is experiencing rapid population aging, as it is expected that one in four Singaporeans will be sixty-five or older in 2030, compared to one in six three years ago.
The number of suicides annually around the world is more than 700,000, according to the World Health Organization.
(AFP)
2023-07-01 13:16:18
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