S1E105: 2 out of 3 suicide deaths are men, a psychiatrist explains why

Millennials are the generation that changed the conversation around mental health. They normalised mental health talk, encouraged self-care and made going to therapy less taboo. So what caused the 50 per cent jump in suicide deaths among adults in their 30s in 2024? Recently released data from the annual report on registration of births and deaths by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority showed there were 441 suicide deaths in Singapore in 2024. Suicide among adults aged between 30 and 39 increased from 66 cases in 2023 to 99 in 2024. In this episode, Natasha speaks with Dr Jared Ng, a psychiatrist and medical director at Connections MindHealth, and Anthea Ong, co-lead for a white paper for national suicide prevention strategy Project Hayat, about what’s affecting this group. We also talk about why men are still reluctant to seek help, and whether AI chatbots are valid sources of mental health support. Watch the previous TUP episode on how to help someone having suicidal thoughts: https://str.sg/3KHRV Highlights (click/tap above): 2:28 Why did millennial suicide deaths spike by 50 per cent in a year? 6:14 “I failed at something.” vs “I’m a failure.” 11:08 The challenges of living in a pressure-cooker society 13:23 The “treatment gap” problem 16:48 Do you feel safe in your workplace? 20:38 Why staff don’t trust Employee Assistance Programmes 25:13 The gender paradox about suicide 29:53 Why do men stay suicidal 34:32 Where AI chatbots can help, and where they don’t 39:57 Struggling isn’t the same as being suicidal 41:30 Not all helpline callers are in distress Helplines Mental well-being: National Mindline: 1771 (24 hours) / 6669-1771 (via WhatsApp) Samaritans of Singapore: 1-767 (24 hours) / 9151-1767 (24 hours CareText via WhatsApp) Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019 Silver Ribbon Singapore: 6386-1928 Chat, Centre of Excellence for Youth Mental Health: 6493-6500/1 Women’s Helpline (Aware): 1800-777-5555 (weekdays, 10am to 6pm) The Seniors Helpline: 1800-555-5555 (weekdays, 9am to 5pm) Tinkle Friend (for primary school-age children): 1800-2744-788 Mindfull Community HQ (for caregivers, families and persons in recovery): 6460-4400 (weekdays, 9am to 5pm) Counselling: Touchline (Counselling): 1800-377-2252 Touch Care Line (for caregivers): 6804-6555 Counselling and Care Centre: 6536-6366 We Care Community Services: 3165-8017 Shan You Counselling Centre: 6741-9293 Clarity Singapore: 6757-7990 Care Corner Counselling Centre: 6353-1180 Online resources: mindline.sg/fsmh eC2.sg chat.mentalhealth.sg carey.carecorner.org.sg (for those aged 13 to 25) limitless.sg/talk (for those aged 12 to 25) Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah ([email protected]) Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://str.sg/8KNT Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN Filmed by: Studio+65 Edited by: Eden Soh & Natasha Liew Executive producer: Danson Cheong Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah, Elizabeth Law & Zachary Lim Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday: Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast Feedback to: [email protected] --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX -- #tup #tuptrfSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.