Changing the Narrative on Suicide: Promoting Understanding and Reducing Stigma
By Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye – Patron Befrienders KL
KOTA KINABALU: Suicide is not an easy subject to talk about. Avoiding the subject does not make it go away. If we want to prevent suicide, we have to be willing to talk about it.
The theme for World Suicide Prevention Day 2026 is “Changing the Narrative on Suicide”, with the call to action “Start the Conversation.”
I believe this is something we should take seriously in Malaysia.
Royal Malaysia Police recorded 1,114 suicide cases in 2024, an increase from 1,087 in 2023. The National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023 also found that about one million Malaysians aged 16 and above were experiencing depression, twice the prevalence recorded in 2019.
These figures should make us stop and think about what is happening around us. There may be people we know who are struggling but have never told anyone.
One of the biggest obstacles is still stigma.
People who are going through emotional difficulties may be afraid of being judged or seen as weak.
Some worry about what their family, friends or colleagues might think. Others may not even recognise what they are experiencing as something for which they can seek help.
When people are afraid to talk, they are less likely to seek help.
This is why we need a better understanding of suicide. We need to be able to have conversations about emotional pain without judging the person or trying to tell them to simply “be strong” or “think positive”.
Asking someone if they are struggling, or even asking directly if they have thoughts of suicide, does not put the idea into their head. It can instead give someone permission to talk about something they may have been carrying alone.
I am encouraged by the decriminalisation of suicide, which came into force on 10 September 2025. It was an important step in moving our response away from punishment and towards care.
But we also need to look at what happens after someone reaches out.
If we tell people to seek help, there must be help available. And it must be affordable. Mental health services in Malaysia have expanded, but the demand continues to grow.
We need more mental health professionals and more accessible services, particularly at the community and primary-care level. People should not have to wait until they are in serious crisis before they can get help.
Cost is another real barrier.
Private counselling, psychological and psychiatric services can be expensive, and many Malaysians simply cannot afford regular treatment.
Government mental health services therefore need to be adequately resourced so that people can receive timely and appropriate care regardless of their financial circumstances.
Organisations such as Befrienders KL play a vital role in suicide prevention. For someone who is in distress, sometimes the most important thing is simply having someone who will listen; without judgement and without telling them what they should or should not feel.
That is the support Befrienders KL has provided to people in Malaysia for more than five decades.
But listening support must also be accompanied by access to appropriate professional care for those who need it.
We therefore need a stronger, better resourced and more affordable mental health system, so that people can move from reaching out in a moment of crisis to receiving the support they need for as long as necessary.
There is also something each of us can do. We can learn to notice when someone is not themselves. We can ask how they are doing and, more importantly, take the time to listen. Most times, being willing to listen without judgement is the first step in helping someone feel less lonely.
This World Suicide Prevention Day, I hope we can become more comfortable talking about suicide and less comfortable with the stigma surrounding it.
If you are struggling, or worried about someone close to you, please reach out.
For free and confidential emotional support, you can contact Befrienders KL at 03-76272929 (24 hours) to talk in a safe space.
There is also Talian HEAL by the Ministry of Health at 15555 (8 am – 12 midnight).
World Suicide Prevention Day 2026
Changing the Narrative on Suicide: Promoting Understanding and Reducing Stigma
By Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye – Patron Befrienders KL
KOTA KINABALU: Suicide is not an easy subject to talk about. Avoiding the subject does not make it go away. If we want to prevent suicide, we have to be willing to talk about it.
The theme for World Suicide Prevention Day 2026 is “Changing the Narrative on Suicide”, with the call to action “Start the Conversation.”
I believe this is something we should take seriously in Malaysia.
Royal Malaysia Police recorded 1,114 suicide cases in 2024, an increase from 1,087 in 2023. The National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023 also found that about one million Malaysians aged 16 and above were experiencing depression, twice the prevalence recorded in 2019.
These figures should make us stop and think about what is happening around us. There may be people we know who are struggling but have never told anyone.
One of the biggest obstacles is still stigma.
People who are going through emotional difficulties may be afraid of being judged or seen as weak.
Some worry about what their family, friends or colleagues might think. Others may not even recognise what they are experiencing as something for which they can seek help.
When people are afraid to talk, they are less likely to seek help.
This is why we need a better understanding of suicide. We need to be able to have conversations about emotional pain without judging the person or trying to tell them to simply “be strong” or “think positive”.
Asking someone if they are struggling, or even asking directly if they have thoughts of suicide, does not put the idea into their head. It can instead give someone permission to talk about something they may have been carrying alone.
I am encouraged by the decriminalisation of suicide, which came into force on 10 September 2025. It was an important step in moving our response away from punishment and towards care.
But we also need to look at what happens after someone reaches out.
If we tell people to seek help, there must be help available. And it must be affordable. Mental health services in Malaysia have expanded, but the demand continues to grow.
We need more mental health professionals and more accessible services, particularly at the community and primary-care level. People should not have to wait until they are in serious crisis before they can get help.
Cost is another real barrier.
Private counselling, psychological and psychiatric services can be expensive, and many Malaysians simply cannot afford regular treatment.
Government mental health services therefore need to be adequately resourced so that people can receive timely and appropriate care regardless of their financial circumstances.
Organisations such as Befrienders KL play a vital role in suicide prevention. For someone who is in distress, sometimes the most important thing is simply having someone who will listen; without judgement and without telling them what they should or should not feel.
That is the support Befrienders KL has provided to people in Malaysia for more than five decades.
But listening support must also be accompanied by access to appropriate professional care for those who need it.
We therefore need a stronger, better resourced and more affordable mental health system, so that people can move from reaching out in a moment of crisis to receiving the support they need for as long as necessary.
There is also something each of us can do. We can learn to notice when someone is not themselves. We can ask how they are doing and, more importantly, take the time to listen. Most times, being willing to listen without judgement is the first step in helping someone feel less lonely.
This World Suicide Prevention Day, I hope we can become more comfortable talking about suicide and less comfortable with the stigma surrounding it.
If you are struggling, or worried about someone close to you, please reach out.
For free and confidential emotional support, you can contact Befrienders KL at 03-76272929 (24 hours) to talk in a safe space.
There is also Talian HEAL by the Ministry of Health at 15555 (8 am – 12 midnight).
