As the country joins in tomorrow’s celebration of the World Mental Health Day, aimed at raising awareness about mental health and well-being, the much painful news has emerged that the number of suicides registered in these islands between in the first nine months of this year exploded to 26 when compared to the total of nine suicides reported in the whole of 2009.
Statistics provided in Parliament by Justice and Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici, in reply to a question by Labour MP Charles Buhagiar, show that no suicides were registered between January and September last year. Two were registered in October, five in November and two in December. The picture for this year, though, is completely different. There was one suicide in January, three in February, five in March, two in April, three in May, one in June, three in July, three in August and five in September.
Moreover, the number could perhaps be higher because it is not always possible to determine with certainty whether people who die after consuming harmful liquids or from drug overdoses did so by accident or wilfully.
The situation presents a number of crucial and fundamental questions that cannot go unaddressed: Why is the silent killer of suicide all of a sudden having such a field day in our midst? How is it that following nine months free of such tragic deaths, suicides started to be registered one month after the other? What age groups are involved?
What kind of information is being gathered regarding the reasons leading people to take their own life? Is there any study indicating where the main risks are with regard to Maltese society and what kind of new action might be required to better address the causes that make people vulnerable?
Suicide is a very complex phenomenon that affects all countries in every corner of the world. Every year, nearly one million people die from suicides around the world. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorder or poor mental health, such as depression, personality disorder, alcohol dependence or schizophrenia. They also include some physical illnesses, such as neurological disorders and cancer. However, very often, reasons are also linked to the kind of environment where people live and the day-to-day trials they have to face.
Therefore, one needs to study the problem according to the circumstances prevailing here and from a Maltese perspective.
Certain much valuable new action is already being taken. At government level, this includes the decision to establish a Crisis Intervention Team composed of professional people able to take immediate action on behalf of people with mental health problems in moments of crises, including when they become suicidal. The service of professionals such psychiatrists and psychologists with the necessary training and facilities to be able to take immediate and effective care of persons in a critical state will surely help to save lives.
Moreover, there is the commendable work being carried out by the Mental Health Association aimed at easing the stigma towards mental health problems. This is surely a very positive feature considering that stigma is one of the main reasons why people with problems related to mental health fail to seek help and, at times, even take tragic decisions.
A professional study of the prevailing realities in connection with the phenomenon will surely amount to further investment for the prevention of suicide.