ID :
51143
Wed, 03/18/2009 - 13:45
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/51143
The shortlink copeid
RELIGION A PROTECTION AGAINST POSSIBLE SUICIDE BID
By Melati Mohd Ariff
This is the second a three-part series on suicide.
KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 (Bernama) -- Suicidal crisis may happen to
individuals who feel emotional or physical pain that they believe is
intolerable, inescapable or interminable, according to the National Suicide
Registry Malaysia (NSRM) principal investigator Dr Nor Hayati Ali.
The consultant psychiatrist and head of Kajang Hospital's Department of
Psychiatry and Mental Health said 'intolerable' means when the emotional or
physical pain exceeds the person's threshold while 'inescapable' is when the
person believes that there is no way out to solve the particular problem that is
producing the pain.
As for 'interminable', it means the individual expects that the situation
producing the intense pain will not change on its own accord.
This reflects on the attitude of 'hopelessness', which is a strong predictor
of suicidal risk, she said in an interview with Bernama here.
Dr Nor Hayati said religion and spiritual faith appears to have a protective
effect on possible suicide cases.
"Religion promotes righteous conducts and the belief that God will not
forsake us, which acts as an antidote towards hopelessness. However if a patient
is inflicted by mental disorders or an overwhelming life event, this might
affect the person's ability to make a choice," she said.
According to Dr Nor Hayati, at this stage the role of family members, close
friends and the society is of utmost importance to ensure that the person does
not feel isolated and given assistance.
GATEKEEPER TRAINING
Dr Nor Hayati further explained that studies had shown that one of the most
promising methods of suicide prevention is what is called as the 'gatekeeper'
training.
Gatekeepers are people who may come into contact with suicidal individuals
in their daily work, such as police officers, religious officers, custodial
(prison officers) personnel, teachers and school staff, social workers and
doctors.
Very often, these individuals receive little or no specific training in the
identification of suicide risk and how to help suicidal individuals.
Gatekeeper training involves not only information about assessing risk and
intervening with suicidal people, but generally provides information on referral
and help available from other services within their community, including
treatment for depression, alcoholism and drug abuse.
Dr Nor Hayati also said the Health Ministry has taken measures towards
suicide prevention, one of which is to encourage responsible reporting by the
media.
"Individuals who may have previously contemplated suicide but rejected it as
a course of action on the grounds of its negative consequences, might be
inclined to inhibit the behaviour if they witnessed a model whose suicide was
presented as acceptable by the media," she said.
This phenomenon is called "copycat suicide" or the "contagion effect."
According to her, it is pertinent for the newspapers to refrain from making
sensational or too-detailed reports on cases of attempted or committed suicides.
YOUR MIND YOUR HEALTH
World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as a state of complete
physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease.
Hence, Dr Nor Hayati said mental health, which refers to the function of the
mind, is a vital component of an individual's health. "
"Individuals with good mental health always feel good about themselves. They
also feel comfortable with others including in their personal relationships and
are able to meet the demands of life," she explained.
She explained that individuals with poor mental health tend to be unhappy,
vulnerable, and uncertain about their present life or future and have low
self-esteem apart from feeling isolated from the society.
Such individuals also have feelings of being overwhelmed by adverse life
events and often feel that life pressures are uncontrollable.
"Depression is a physical disease that affect the brain, causing chemical
imbalance in areas controlling our biological and social functions," she said.
According to her, studies in "quality of life" showed that depression has a
more serious impact on one's ability to function, namely remembering things,
making decisions or going to work when compared to other chronic diseases.
Dr Nor Hayati said if a person is too ill to recognise his or her
difficulties, the individual's family and friends are encouraged to assist in
getting the necessary treatment.
ACCESS TO TREATMENT
Dr Nor Hayati also acknowledged that the negative perception on people with
mental health difficulties might cause them to be reluctant to ask for help.
However the situation is expected to change gradually as more scientific
evidences have shown that mental disorders have a biological basis in the brain,
and is not just 'spiritual weakness'.
"In most cases, they can be diagnosed and treated. And there is a wide range
of medications that are available in health facilities in Malaysia that can be
used to treat depression. Left untreated, it can cause suffering to the
individual, family and community," she said.
Dr Nor Hayati said: "If a suicidal person turns to you for help, it is
likely that the person believes that you are more caring, more informed about
coping with misfortune, and more willing to protect the individual's
confidentiality. No matter how negative the manner and content of the talk, the
person has a positive view of you.
"There are hundreds of modest steps we can take to improve our response to
suicidal people and to make it easier for them to seek help. Taking these modest
steps can save many lives and reduce a great deal of human suffering," said Dr
Nor Hayati.
EVERYONE HAS A ROLE
Dr Nor Hayati believes that everyone has a role to play and she supports the
Health Ministry's efforts in collaborating with other agencies that offer help
to suicidal people such as the 'Befrienders'.
"With more data produced by the NSRM, hopefully we can disseminate a basic
understanding of the factors that heighten a person's risk of becoming mentally
ill and factors that increase a person's risk of attempting suicide in
Malaysia', she said.
She said specific knowledge must also be provided on where to send people
who are at high risk for further assessment and treatment, and the importance of
the follow-up.
Helping people to learn skills in problem solving, conflict resolution and
non-violent handling of disputes also contributes towards preventing suicide
bids.
-- BERNAMA
This is the second a three-part series on suicide.
KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 (Bernama) -- Suicidal crisis may happen to
individuals who feel emotional or physical pain that they believe is
intolerable, inescapable or interminable, according to the National Suicide
Registry Malaysia (NSRM) principal investigator Dr Nor Hayati Ali.
The consultant psychiatrist and head of Kajang Hospital's Department of
Psychiatry and Mental Health said 'intolerable' means when the emotional or
physical pain exceeds the person's threshold while 'inescapable' is when the
person believes that there is no way out to solve the particular problem that is
producing the pain.
As for 'interminable', it means the individual expects that the situation
producing the intense pain will not change on its own accord.
This reflects on the attitude of 'hopelessness', which is a strong predictor
of suicidal risk, she said in an interview with Bernama here.
Dr Nor Hayati said religion and spiritual faith appears to have a protective
effect on possible suicide cases.
"Religion promotes righteous conducts and the belief that God will not
forsake us, which acts as an antidote towards hopelessness. However if a patient
is inflicted by mental disorders or an overwhelming life event, this might
affect the person's ability to make a choice," she said.
According to Dr Nor Hayati, at this stage the role of family members, close
friends and the society is of utmost importance to ensure that the person does
not feel isolated and given assistance.
GATEKEEPER TRAINING
Dr Nor Hayati further explained that studies had shown that one of the most
promising methods of suicide prevention is what is called as the 'gatekeeper'
training.
Gatekeepers are people who may come into contact with suicidal individuals
in their daily work, such as police officers, religious officers, custodial
(prison officers) personnel, teachers and school staff, social workers and
doctors.
Very often, these individuals receive little or no specific training in the
identification of suicide risk and how to help suicidal individuals.
Gatekeeper training involves not only information about assessing risk and
intervening with suicidal people, but generally provides information on referral
and help available from other services within their community, including
treatment for depression, alcoholism and drug abuse.
Dr Nor Hayati also said the Health Ministry has taken measures towards
suicide prevention, one of which is to encourage responsible reporting by the
media.
"Individuals who may have previously contemplated suicide but rejected it as
a course of action on the grounds of its negative consequences, might be
inclined to inhibit the behaviour if they witnessed a model whose suicide was
presented as acceptable by the media," she said.
This phenomenon is called "copycat suicide" or the "contagion effect."
According to her, it is pertinent for the newspapers to refrain from making
sensational or too-detailed reports on cases of attempted or committed suicides.
YOUR MIND YOUR HEALTH
World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as a state of complete
physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease.
Hence, Dr Nor Hayati said mental health, which refers to the function of the
mind, is a vital component of an individual's health. "
"Individuals with good mental health always feel good about themselves. They
also feel comfortable with others including in their personal relationships and
are able to meet the demands of life," she explained.
She explained that individuals with poor mental health tend to be unhappy,
vulnerable, and uncertain about their present life or future and have low
self-esteem apart from feeling isolated from the society.
Such individuals also have feelings of being overwhelmed by adverse life
events and often feel that life pressures are uncontrollable.
"Depression is a physical disease that affect the brain, causing chemical
imbalance in areas controlling our biological and social functions," she said.
According to her, studies in "quality of life" showed that depression has a
more serious impact on one's ability to function, namely remembering things,
making decisions or going to work when compared to other chronic diseases.
Dr Nor Hayati said if a person is too ill to recognise his or her
difficulties, the individual's family and friends are encouraged to assist in
getting the necessary treatment.
ACCESS TO TREATMENT
Dr Nor Hayati also acknowledged that the negative perception on people with
mental health difficulties might cause them to be reluctant to ask for help.
However the situation is expected to change gradually as more scientific
evidences have shown that mental disorders have a biological basis in the brain,
and is not just 'spiritual weakness'.
"In most cases, they can be diagnosed and treated. And there is a wide range
of medications that are available in health facilities in Malaysia that can be
used to treat depression. Left untreated, it can cause suffering to the
individual, family and community," she said.
Dr Nor Hayati said: "If a suicidal person turns to you for help, it is
likely that the person believes that you are more caring, more informed about
coping with misfortune, and more willing to protect the individual's
confidentiality. No matter how negative the manner and content of the talk, the
person has a positive view of you.
"There are hundreds of modest steps we can take to improve our response to
suicidal people and to make it easier for them to seek help. Taking these modest
steps can save many lives and reduce a great deal of human suffering," said Dr
Nor Hayati.
EVERYONE HAS A ROLE
Dr Nor Hayati believes that everyone has a role to play and she supports the
Health Ministry's efforts in collaborating with other agencies that offer help
to suicidal people such as the 'Befrienders'.
"With more data produced by the NSRM, hopefully we can disseminate a basic
understanding of the factors that heighten a person's risk of becoming mentally
ill and factors that increase a person's risk of attempting suicide in
Malaysia', she said.
She said specific knowledge must also be provided on where to send people
who are at high risk for further assessment and treatment, and the importance of
the follow-up.
Helping people to learn skills in problem solving, conflict resolution and
non-violent handling of disputes also contributes towards preventing suicide
bids.
-- BERNAMA
