2 out of 3 suicide deaths are men, a psychiatrist explains why

**Natasha Ann Zachariah** (0:07)
Hi, everybody, welcome to another episode of The Usual Place, the podcast where we have real conversations about the headlines. Just a content warning about today's episode. We'll be discussing data on suicide, so listener discretion is advised. Mental health has become a national conversation in Singapore, and there are many initiatives, such as a National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy in 2023 But the recently released data from the Annual Report on Registration of Births and Deaths show that there were 441 suicide deaths in Singapore in 2024
One statistic stands out. Suicide among adults in their 30s rose by 50%.
What's affecting millennials, and are there concerns that may currently be overlooked?
I'm Natasha, and to join me in this very necessary conversation, I have Dr. Jared Ng, a Psychiatrist and Medical Director at Connections Mind Health. And you have a lot of experience in the mental health space. So you're also a Director with the Samaritans of Singapore, or SOS. And before that, you were the Founding Chief of the Department of Emergency and Crisis Care at the Institute of Mental Health, or IMH. And even before that, you were a Military Psychiatrist for the Singapore Armed Forces. Okay, welcome to The Usual Place. And next to you on the couch, I have Anthea Ong, the Founder of SG Mental Health Matters, which is a civic initiator focused on advancing mental health policy, literacy and public participation. Now, out of this came Project Hayat, and Hayat means life. And in Malay, and you are the co-lead for Project Hayat, and there's a white paper for a National Suicide Prevention Strategy. And you're also a former Nominated MP, and you continue, and while you were in Parliament, you championed for mental health, and today you continue to champion mental health support in Singapore across various spaces. And just to bring Jared into that, you're also a co-lead on Project Hayat as well. So both of you are very well placed to talk to us about suicide today. But I want to start with the statistic that I highlighted, which is the report by the Immigration Checkpoint Authority of Singapore involved 99 suicide cases for adults between 30 and 39 in 2024 Now, there were 66 cases for that age group in 2023 Jared, I want to start with you. Are we able to tell why there's a significant increase in that age group particularly?

**Dr Jared Ng** (2:30)
I think the statistics tell us a certain picture. We know how many people died from suicide. We know the age group of those who died, but they actually don't tell us why. I think, to answer that question, we do need to look at the individual cases a little bit more carefully. I think this rise in 50% is a significant number.
We always talk about wanting to look at the rates, but this increase in 50%, if the population rise is not 50%, that means that there is a significant increase in the number of people in this age group who died.

**Natasha Ann Zachariah** (3:02)
Anthea, looking at the numbers.

**Anthea Ong** (3:04)
Yeah, I think Jared is right, I agree with him, but I also think that we must remember that the people we lost in 2024 in this group did not just get distressed in 2024 I think the numbers, the 50% increase, but also just looking at the numbers at large, is inviting us to ask, especially for this group, the millennials, to ask what was the ecosystem or what has been the ecosystem of care that this generation has lived through, has grown up with.
It's not a snapshot of that time or that year, but it's to look into the ecosystem, so going more upstream to find out the reasons, the conditions that support their well-being or not. But can I also offer one thing? I think, I mean, I'm just looking back when I was in my thirties, and that's when I had my own experience, you know, my lived experience with my depression, and also I went to a deep dark place, and I was in my late thirties at the time, right? Of course, it was accumulated. I would say that if I remember, I mean, now I'm of course 20 years later, but if I recall, that age is where you get a bit of what I call a role congestion. You know, like everything you need to do is there, right?

**Natasha Ann Zachariah** (4:33)
You could be a parent, you're building a career, then you're starting your family.

**Anthea Ong** (4:37)
Exactly, and then you have to care give.

**Natasha Ann Zachariah** (4:40)
Or then you become a caregiver at some point.