‘10pc OF 5.5 MILLION YOUTHS HAD THOUGHT ABOUT COMMITTING SUICIDE’
KUALA LUMPUR: A study showed that one in 10 Malaysian youths contemplated suicide last year, said Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
The youth and sports minister said the findings of the 2017 National Mental Health Survey showed that 10 per cent of 5.5 million youths had suicidal tendencies.
He said it was a sign of the seriousness of the state of mental health faced by the people, especially youth.
“Last year’s study showed that one in 10 youths had thought about committing suicide.
“While that may not seem like a huge figure, it shows someone around us today (had contemplated suicide).
“The study shows that one in five youths is beset by depression, and one in ten youths feels pressure. It is a major issue that is not visible,” he said at the launch of the “Young Minds Take Charge” programme here yesterday.
The programme, organised by Selayang Hospital’s Psychiatry and Mental Health Department and Universiti Teknologi Mara’s (UiTM) Faculty of Medicine, aims to raise public awareness of the mental health issue.
Present was UiTM Selangor branch rector Professor Datuk Dr Abu Bakar Abdul Majeed.
Syed Saddiq urged parents, teachers and university lecturers not to treat the issue lightly as youths afflicted by mental health issues might not have the same mental fortitude as others.
He said youths had a tendency not to share their emotional mental issues openly out of fear of being stigmatised by society.
He said it was common for people to disregard issues like bullying seriously, adding that this might worsen the mental state of youths.