The mental health sector should be given the importance it deserves through the appointment of a parliamentary secretary, so as to have an individual who can solely focus on Malta’s mental health issues and suicide prevention, advocates for mental health wellbeing said.
In recent months, Malta has seen a surge in the number of suicides, and while media reports refrain from publishing the cause of death in this regard, in a close-knit community, it is easy to have known or heard of that person. Posts on social media often unwittingly expose such happenings.
There are several statistics which show that this phenomenon seems to be growing. Late last year, the Commissioner for the Rights of Persons with Mental Disorders said that an average of two suicide deaths per month occurred in Malta for the past 11 years.
The Malta Independent on Sunday spoke with the dean of the Faculty for Social Wellbeing Andrew Azzopardi, who said that the mental health sector in Malta has been completely ignored.
Azzopardi said that police statistics have shown that the number of successful, as well as attempted suicides, is higher this year as compared to the last.
He also pointed out that there are also between 5% to 30% of unreported suicides, so the number could be higher.
“There seems to be a gradual increase in these numbers. An easy way to get out of that is the population increase, however a study done in the faculty in 2019, as well as in 2022, showed a large portion of people experiencing loneliness, as well as increase in anxiety and people asking for help,” Azzopardi said.
He said that the studies also showed increases in eating disorders in children, and the discomfort and anxiety in people seems to be growing.
“The problem of suicide is that it is very personal and the reasons why they do it are also personal,” he said.
Azzopardi said it is difficult to identify a common trend in suicide increases. He said that much more research is needed, especially with people who have attempted suicide, who can share insight on the reasons why.
He said that the current state of the island has undoubtedly impacted people’s mental health due to a degenerating quality of life and increasing cost of living.
“If I struggle with each paycheque to make ends meet, it will start affecting me mentally,” Azzopardi said.
Acknowledging increasing loneliness during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, Azzopardi said that while the government addressed the economic situation, people’s mental health was ignored completely.
“What measure did government take for mental wellbeing? Businesses were shutting down, some individuals had to live with people they wanted to get away from,” Azzopardi said.
He said that the country suffers from an extremely expensive economy, growing demands to live up to people’s expectations, increasing traffic, lack of open spaces to enjoy and overpopulation.
“There is a tapestry of issues which is creating anxiety in the population and will not help with mental sanity in terms of depression and anxiety. Indications are that this will possibly lead to many more people contemplating suicide,” he said.
Azzopardi also said that conducting research for the data we do not have on suicides costs a lot of money, the waiting lists for treatment are endless, and it seems that “the entire mental health sector has been abandoned”.
“The mental health hospital is the epitome of that situation,” he said, describing the situation as dramatic.
Azzopardi said that mental health should also include social and educational aspects.
He also said that he has spoken to psychiatrists who say that the current quality of medication to treat mental health problems has decreased.
“There’s also a sense of chaos in public health we do not speak about. I expected the chairman of Psychiatry to speak out about it, the Minister. But it has been completely ignored,” Azzopardi said.
He said that a lot can be done, especially research into suicide and its prevention.
“It should become a priority for public health, such as what we had with the Superintendent of Public Health during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Azzopardi said, adding that mental health should be “pulled out of the health sector and put into a separate Parliamentary Secretariat”.
He also said that there needs to be a proper national strategy for mental health.
Former politician and avid speaker on mental health issues, Mario Galea, said that there’s still a lot to understand on mental health and suicides. Galea also spoke out about his experiences with suicide and mental health struggles in Parliament.
“There are many false myths on suicides, one of which is that if you talk about it, it encourages more people to attempt suicide,” Galea said.
He said that it is in fact, the opposite, as the more one talks about the subject, the greater the chances of prevention.
Galea said that the World Health Organisation has long warned, even before the pandemic, that problems around mental health and suicides will probably double, and that the current global rate is that one person dies by suicide every 40 seconds. Five persons die by committing suicide every four minutes, Galea said.
“This is how serious the situation is. In addition, with each person who commits a successful suicide, there would be 20 more attempted, unsuccessful suicides,” Galea said.
He emphasised that there is the need for a national strategy on the prevention of suicide.
Galea continued that recent studies found that people do not only resort to suicide if they have been suffering from mental health disorders, but also due to other reasons, such as litigation in court, loneliness, social isolation, financial problems and more.
On Malta’s current societal problems, Galea said that without a doubt, the country has become too crowded, people are living a rushed live, traffic has increased which adds stress and out-of-control development.
He also said that the fact that people do not have a cut-off time after work to rest, but continue seeing work emails, as well as social media, are all contributing to mental health problems.
Galea said that there is not enough awareness on how helpful exercise is to mental health.
He continued that the subject of suicide is still a taboo, adding that we must speak to people who have attempted suicide, unsuccessfully, as they are the largest campaigners who truly understand what it is like.
“People do not want to die, they just think that the only way they will escape their agony is by ending their own lives,” Galea said.
He mentioned the Golden Gate Bridge in California, notorious for suicides, recounting two tales of people who have jumped off the bridge, and regretted it.
They ultimately survived and became activists on the subject, sending the message that there is a loved one who believes they are worth it.
Galea said that every few steps along the Golden Gate Bridge, there are telephones with suicide prevention helplines.
He suggested that the same should be done in areas known for suicides in Malta, for example, the Valletta bastions.
Galea said that when somebody is “joking” about committing suicide, others should not take it lightly, as this may be a cry for help. Another sign is when noticing somebody who has written up their will.
“It is important to reach out to people in moments of despair. There’s this thing about suicides, you only hear about those who were not saved and not the ones who were,” Galea said, advocating for more awareness.
He said that millions of people around the world suffer from a mere seasonal depression as winter approaches. Unfortunately not much is being done to address this.
Galea said that politicians globally are investing less in mental health, despite the WHO referring to suicide as a global tragedy, and that it is the third cause of death in individuals aged 14 to 34.
“We need a parliamentary secretary or somebody who is solely responsible for mental health. We need a National Strategy on Suicide and Prevention,” Galea added.
He continued that untreated depression is one of the main causes of suicide and medication to treat depression needs to be updated immediately.
Galea, who served as the parliamentary secretary for Elderly and Community Care in 2012, also took care of mental health.
He said that community centres around the country’s villages have closed down. These centres enabled people who are suffering from mental health problems to gather and seek help with professionals.
Galea continued that the new mental health hospital has long been delayed and that the stigma should be reduced by having it built adjacent to Mater Dei hospital, so that if a person is admitted there, they can say they’ve been admitted to Mater Dei.
It should also not be built somewhere isolated and then proclaim that it is “state-of-the-art,” as it will still be stigmatized.
Galea said that the new hospital should also not have any metal bars, such as those at Mount Carmel hospital, as “it’s like entering a prison”.
He said that there have been people who were suicidal and were admitted to Mount Carmel for a few days and ended up losing their jobs due to the stigma.
“You cannot blame them for fearing seeking treatment,” Galea said.
Galea added that we can do more to prevent suicide and that everyone can save a life. He advised that when somebody tells a joke, they could be serious, and the individual should offer help for that person.
He spoke about his personal experiences, about how during a difficult period in his life, where he was contemplating suicide, he found something which anchored him back to the world, his dog.
Galea said that everyone should find that anchor in moments of despair and try to remember of that special someone or something.
If you are feeling depressed and need support or if you need guidance on how to help someone who is suicidal call the Richmond Foundation’s freephone helpline 1770. OLLI Chat is also Richmond’s mental health live chat service.
You can also call the government 24/7 mental health helpline with the number 1579 or the national support line 179.
One can also speak to professionals operating 24/7 in Malta through the online platform Kellimni.com, as well as the Crisis Resolution Malta, providing 24/7 crisis consultation, on 9933 9966