Letters | Suicide does not mean someone failed, it means the system failed them

Suicide means that someone in distress suffered long enough without getting appropriate support

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Dates written in chalk and trainers mark the lives cut short in Hong Kong, as demonstrators appeal for more government support on World Suicide Prevention Day, in Admiralty on September 10, 2018. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 3:00pm, 5 Apr 2019Updated: 3:00pm, 5 Apr 2019

The Samaritans, as an organisation providing a 24-hour multilingual suicide prevention service to those experiencing distress and depression, welcomes the recent concerns voiced by social leaders after a series of sad cases of suicide in our community.

Suicide prevention definitely requires much greater awareness from society, and people in distress deserve more support and resources to assist recovery from their difficult situations.

However, from our years of experience in listening to those struggling to find the hope to go on living, as well as existing research by numerous scholars, we would like to reiterate that suicide does not reflect that a person is not strong enough, but that they have suffered long enough without getting appropriate support.

The World Health Organisation advocates a multisectoral approach in suicide prevention where the concerted efforts and appropriate understanding of the issue from all members of society, especially policymakers, are essential in leading to improved mental health care and support for the vulnerable.

Suicides truly take a heavy toll on society and it’s high time all of us recognised our important roles in suicide prevention, instead of blaming the victims who deserve appropriate support and services.