Survey: 24% of Malaysians Thought of Taking Their Own Lives & 26% Engaged In Self-Harm

This is a very concerning survey!

The latest survey by YouGov has suggested that 24 per cent (just short of a quarter) of Malaysians have thought about taking their own lives. Oh dear, this doesn’t sound good! 

Meanwhile, 18 per cent of Malaysians “rarely” have thoughts of committing suicide and one in 20 (five per cent) of them experience suicidal thoughts all the time. However, younger citizens, aged 18 to 24, reportedly have suicidal thoughts more than older Malaysians (55 years old and above).

The percentages of both age groups having suicidal thoughts are as shown below:

• Youngsters – 32 per cent 
• Older people – nine per cent 

On the other hand, a worrying 26 per cent (quarter) of Malaysians have participated in self-harm and this concerning behaviour is more common with youngsters, with 32 per cent of them harming themselves deliberately.

Adding to the data, almost one in 10 (nine per cent) Malaysians frequently harm themselves. This is scary!

Source: daily mail

Suicidal thoughts and self-harm are both linked to mental issues, so at least 10 per cent Malaysians have personally faced mental issues so long as they have lived.

Even though not everyone is keen on talking about their own mental health, 11 per cent of younger Malaysians is more likely to speak about their mental health compared to older citizens (two per cent). That means youngins are five times more likely to share their mental health issues as compared to oldies! 

Besides that, YouGov also ran the survey on different types of earners (salary-wise) and their mental health. They found that high earners face more mental problems compared to the low earners. The percentages of earners facing mental health problems are as follows:

• Higher earners (RM7,000 a month and above) – 13 per cent 
• Low earners (RM3,000 a month and lesser) – 6 per cent 

Source: nbc news

The most common disorders among Malaysians are:

• Depression (73 per cent) and;
• Anxiety (53 per cent).

Sadly, not a lot of them would seek professional help according to the poll, as only 43 per cent (two in five) of them will look for help. That said, men (50 per cent) are more likely to get help compared to women (40 per cent).

On another note, high earners (47 per cent) are more likely to get professional help than low earners (35 per cent). The reasons why some Malaysians don’t get help are shown below:

Source: yougov

Statistics from Befrienders show that many Malaysians – 65 per cent females and 35 per cent males – have been calling in to seek for professional help. Well, it’s good that people are taking the necessary steps to be mentally healthy. 

Take a look at the tweet below:

Statistics by Befrienders (Suicide Hotline Malaysia) is alarming. @hannahyeoh pic.twitter.com/NhB38SAG74

— Dato' Sri Sanjeevan (@SanjeevanSS) June 17, 2019

That said, nine in ten Malaysians reckoned that employers should give their workers medical leave for mental health issues and 85 per cent of them felt that this health issue (mental health) should be covered by insurance. Do you agree with them? 

Overall, 93 per cent of Malaysians agreed that mental health must be taken as seriously as we do with physical health. Head of Omnibus APAC at YouGov Omnibus, Jake Gammon was quoted as saying,

“Many people with mental health issues suffer in silence, as seen by the significant amount of people who choose not to seek help.

“An alarming number of Malaysians experience damaging behaviour like suicidal thoughts and self-harm, particularly prevalent among young adults. We hope this survey sheds light on the topic of mental health, and how it affects people differently.”

On that note, it’s very crucial to take care of our mental health and ensure that we lead a happy as well as a healthy life. So, remember to always take some time off your busy schedule in order to focus on yourself and your mental health.

But, if you think you need professional help, you can always contact Befrienders KL at 603-7956 8145 or visit their website for more information. 

Also read: Health Minister: At Least 4.2 Million Malaysians Are Struggling with Mental Health Issues