World Suicide Prevention Day was commemorated around the world last Thursday, as experts and practitioners in the mental health sector, and those affected by suicide and matters related to mental health come together to speak about this sensitive topic.
Malta recorded 30 suicides in 2025 - just over one person who passes away every two weeks. 28 suicides were reported in 2024, and 27 were reported in 2023. The pattern is consistent, and the rate is among the lowest in Europe - yet losing any person to suicide remains one too many.
The absolute majority of those who commit suicide in Malta are also men - and Malta has one of the highest percentage in this regard when compared to other countries in Europe.
The question 'Are we doing enough?' is one often posed to various sectors that affect the country. Usually, it is a question that is framed towards the country's institutions, especially the government, with the angle of exposing and speaking about their shortcomings.
But when it comes to suicide prevention, this question must be framed much more broadly.
In an event organised by the National Mental Health Services under the patronage of the President of Malta Myriam Spiteri Debono last week marking World Suicide Prevention Day, Health Minister Ian Borg spoke about government investments in the mental health sector.
He mentioned investments such as the development of the Acute Psychiatric Care Centre at Mater Dei Hospital and the refurbishment of additional wards at Mount Carmel Hospital, saying that this investment is linked to ensuring that people in crisis have access to care and that professionals receive the support they need.
These are indeed important investments on an infrastructural level that will make a difference. But suicide prevention is a far more complex topic, that goes beyond just having the right physical infrastructure in place.
Indeed, the most important element of this topic is society itself. That's why when we ask the question of 'are we doing enough?' - this time it refers to every member of society.
We need to stop and think about what we are doing to support those who are going through a tough time in life. Do we as individuals do enough to support those close to us when they are going through tough periods? Do we encourage them to seek the assistance they need? Do we help reduce the stigma that surrounds mental health issues and therefore make them more comfortable speaking out about what they are facing?
These are all questions to reflect upon.
Society as a whole still does not fully appreciate the struggles that people go through in their own minds. Too many people are still willing to beat a person while they are down on the pavement, rather than offer them a hand to lift them up. Too many people are still willing to trivialise mental health issues. Perhaps they don't know any better, or do not understand.
We hear a lot about the need for more awareness - and that is the case for both the services that are offered to support people going through a tough time, but it is equally the case for getting society to understand that mental health issues can happen to anyone, and that the first hug of support must come from those close to a person.
Society needs to create spaces where people can talk about their thoughts and the challenges they face without fear of being judged - as it is the fear of judgment that is a chief actor in why people do not get the support that they would need.
The fact that the vast majority of suicides in Malta are men amplifies this point even more. Malta remains something of a traditional society: men are expected to be strong, and to suck it up and keep working. That's just not how the world should work.
World Suicide Prevention Day comes around once a year - but the question of whether we are doing enough to support those who are going through tough periods must be asked by each and every one of us every day.