Chee Soon Juan offers a listening ear to anyone who needs someone to talk to

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Secretary-General Dr Chee Soon Juan gave some encouragement to his followers on Facebook on the issue of youth suicide.

Dr Chee shared about a recent report that revealed the alarming rate of youth suicides in Singapore.

The report detailed that 71 people between the ages of 20 and 29 killed themselves in the year 2019. Additionally, the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) said that the number of suicide rates in Singapore had gone up 10%, with suicide cases among boys between the age of 10 and 19 at a record high. SOS is a suicide prevention agency in Singapore.

SOS also reported that there was an increase in the number of suicides in all age groups except those aged 60 and older.

Dr Chee shared that his own children were between 20 and 29, and said that he is unable to imagine the pain felt by the families of those that have taken their lives.

He described the mental pain that the youth go through to the point of suicide as “heart-breaking”. Dr Chee added that the world beckons with excitement and wonderment and therefore emphasised that life is “way too precious to be snuffed out like this”.

Acknowledging the pain and the suffering that young people feel, he wrote that the hopelessness and despair felt is “real” and cannot be talked or medicated away. Following which, he encouraged the young to dig deep to “manufacture the will to press on ” for a “brighter and more hopeful day”. Dr Chee conceded that mental strength is easily recommended but extremely difficult to achieve and sustain. However, he wrote that although it may be hard, the good part is that it is “not impossible”.

Sharing some methods, Dr Chee wrote that “it starts with knowing who you are and what you are”. He adds that having pride in yourself is extremely important too. Additionally, Dr Chee stressed the importance of parents in this process.

Dr Chee admitted that he does not know how much he can do to help, but writes that if anyone should need someone to talk to, they can drop him a note at [email protected] to let him know.

Ending the post, Dr Chee stressed that “You’re worth more than you think”.

Helplines:

Samaritans of Singapore (24hrs): 1800-221-4444

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019