SEEING firsthand the utter and crushing despair of someone standing on the ledge of a tall building, ready to die, is deeply unsettling.
It is, however, not uncommon, as the statistics would tell you. From 2019 until May 2021, according to the latest statistics from Bukit Aman, 1,708 people have committed suicide in the country with suicide by jumping off a building making up 13.6% of the cases.
While family problems, depression and financial troubles are among the main culprits that have driven people off the edge, the COVID-19 pandemic depression has no doubt contributed to it as well with the movement control orders (MCOs) increasing a lot of negative feelings such as stress and anxiety.
But here is one question that doesn’t get answered too often: what do you do when you see someone attempting to take their own life by jumping off a building?
“If you encounter a someone who is attempting suicide by jumping off a potentially deadly height, the first thing you’ll need to do is to identify their location and alert the authorities,” Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) director-general Datuk Seri Mohammad Hamdan Wahid tells FocusM.
While waiting for the authorities to arrive, effort should be put into locating the despondent individual’s family members or next of kin and getting them to the scene.
“Extra care must be put into identifying the prior symptoms that had led to them taking such drastic actions. Choosing who to contact matters too – you do not want to aggravate the situation by bringing the people who are the main cause of the crisis to the scene. You’ll be doing more harm than good,” Hamdan cautions.
Rather than being passive onlookers, the Bomba director-general suggests that the public bring out old mattresses, sofas and even cardboard boxes and placing them on the ground instead.
In the event that the potential suicide victim leaps to their death before the arrival of the emergency services, this would potentially reduce the impact of the fall.
Meanwhile, it is important to also not cause additional and unnecessary panic at the scene as this could agitate the potential victim further.
“Talk to them, as this would allow them to reduce the emotional burden they are carrying and give them time to calm down. The longer you keep them distracted, the more you can take the edge off their desperation. Winding down their momentum would make it harder for them to act on their feelings,” Hamdan concludes.
Those suffering from problems can reach out to Mental Health Psychosocial Support Service (03-2935 9935 or 014-322 3392); Talian Kasih (15999 or WhatsApp 019-261 5999); JAKIM’s Family, Social and Community care centre (WhatsApp 0111-959 8214); and Befrienders Kuala Lumpur (03-7627 2929 or www.befrienders.org.my/centre-in-malaysia a full list of numbers and operating hours). – July 6, 2021.
Photo credit: Flickr
