Suicide prevention requires national response

The prevalence of suicide mortality among the elderly, youth and males is a significant societal concern. 바카라사이트주소

There is a prevailing narrative that suicide remains largely a mental health problem, and organisations, including the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) and social and religious institutions, have stepped up their preventive efforts along with this understanding.

Suicidal behaviour indicates deep unhappiness but not necessarily a mental disorder. Many people living with a mental disorder are not affected by suicidal behaviour, and not all people who take their own lives have a mental disorder.

I welcome efforts by individuals such as The Straits Times copy-editor Linda Collins, who has taken us on a journey into her own experiences in the aftermath of her daughter's suicide in her book Loss Adjustment (Going briefly mad with grief, Sept 29).

It is also timely that SOS, tapping its 50 years of suicide prevention, has released a book resource, Do I Matter, for the public.

However, it is time that we work towards a comprehensive national response for suicide prevention.

This includes the enhancement of research into the local context, identifying and targeting vulnerable groups, improving the assessment and management of suicidal behaviour, increasing awareness through public education, improving societal attitudes and eliminating the stigma towards people with mental disorders or who exhibit suicidal behaviours.

The media should also play its part in adopting better policies and practices whenever it reports suicide cases.

There should also be greater support for individuals and families bereaved by suicide.

In fact, there is a need to consolidate our efforts under a government-led liaison office that addresses suicide prevention that involves non-governmental organisations, academic institutions and ministries across health, education, manpower, social and family development as well as communications and information.

Suicide prevention efforts require coordination and collaboration among multiple sectors of society. These efforts must be comprehensive, integrated and synergistic, as no single approach suffices for an issue as complex as suicide.

The first levels the playing field a little better for the LIPs, the second reduces some of the malicious delay tactics, and the third eliminates the influencing role of coached courtroom theatrics in decision-making. 안전놀이터

Indeed, divorce in our society has become a war of attrition, what with ceaseless filings of costly affidavits and lengthening of the divorce process by one party seeking to drain the resources of the other.

As Forum contributor Ian Chan Eng Kiat pointed out, attorneys should also be curbed from profiting excessively in family tragedies by fomenting acrimony between divorcing parties (Panel's recommendations for family law reforms not enough, Oct 1).

The ones who suffer the most in these wars of attrition are indubitably the children as they are left in limbo. Difficult parents who use their children as pawns will spitefully stall school and medical decisions.

Additionally, immoderate resources that could have gone to the children are wastefully diverted to a costly and lengthy divorce.

An elongated divorce also compounds the single parent's struggles by delaying both the interim maintenance and eventual division of assets; even more so if the same parent has sacrificed his or her career to care for the children.