News

Young women top suicide risk group

March 20, 2026 7:24 am

[Photo: FILE]

Young women aged 18 to 25 represent the highest number of attempted suicide cases handled by Empower Pacific.

Counsellor Reshmi Singh reveals the organisation responded to 3,629 attempted suicides and 124 incidents of deliberate self-harm between 2023 and November 30, 2025.

She adds that young women accounted for 35.6 percent of these cases, the highest among all demographics.

“With deliberate self-harm, we had a total of 124 cases. And my message is, like, when we’re talking about this grievous issue, and we do understand this is a very serious and painful issue, but it is also one where early intervention, counselling, and community support can really make a life-saving difference.”

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For men, the most affected group was those aged 26 to 35 years, who represented 34 percent of attempted suicide cases.

Singh says these figures highlight the growing emotional pressures faced by young adults.

“So there’s a lot of work being done around this area of mental health and psychosocial support. But one thing that we have noted consistently is there’s still a lot of fear, there’s still a lot of stigma and shame attached to the belief in terms of reaching out for support.”

Singh stresses that early intervention, counselling and community support can play a life-saving role when individuals seek help before a crisis escalates.

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