SG Mental Health Matters, the group behind Project Hayat, has announced two significant research initiatives on World Suicide Prevention Day, 10 September 2025, to enhance suicide prevention efforts in Singapore. The first study, led by Dr Rayner Tan from the National University of Singapore (NUS), will use the Network Scale-Up Method (NSUM) to estimate the true scale of suicides, addressing discrepancies in provisional statistics that previously suggested a 20-year low in suicides for 2023, later revealed to be a 35% increase.
The second initiative focuses on male suicide risk, as men accounted for nearly 70% of suicides in 2023. This participatory study, developed in collaboration with NUS, aims to understand the social conditions contributing to male suicide and inform more effective prevention strategies. Anthea Ong, co-lead of Project Hayat, emphasised the importance of addressing data gaps and focusing on high-risk groups to ensure prevention strategies are evidence-based and compassionate.
Project Hayat, launched in 2024, is Singapore’s first community-led initiative advocating for a national suicide prevention strategy. It previously published a White Paper calling for coordinated national action under the S.A.V.E L.I.V.E.S. framework. The initiative has secured a S$50,000 seed grant for interviews with vulnerable groups and submitted a S$1m grant proposal for the male suicide study.
The findings from these studies are expected to guide national prevention efforts, with a community report anticipated by early 2026. Project Hayat continues to advocate for transparency, compassion, and evidence in Singapore’s suicide prevention efforts.
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