Why suicide is a silent crisis for men – and it’s time to talk about it

[glockman]

Anthea Rowan
Published: 6:00pm, 9 Oct, 2019

• Men are at greater risk of suicide because they struggle to address their mental health problems, and don’t talk to others about them
• Experts outline ways to help them lead a healthier and happier life

Experts say men are at greater risk of suicide today because they still struggle to talk about their mental health issues. Photo: Alamy

In Canada, suicide is the leading cause of death for men under the age of 44. In the UK, men account for three-quarters of suicides. When Hong Kong experienced economic turmoil in the 1990s, the suicide rate of men aged 30 to 59 almost doubled. After 2007, as recessions took over Europe, male suicide rates also spiked.

Men, according to doctors, are probably at greater risk of suicide because they still struggle to talk about their mental health. Keeping silent often means men are unable to deal with their issues and are much more likely to commit suicide because their worries overwhelm them.

In the UK, one in three men feel they cannot talk to their friends about their mental health, according to Gerard Barnes, CEO of Smart TMS. (TMS stands for transcranial magnetic stimulation, a new treatment that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate the brain and relieve symptoms of mental health conditions.)

A Smart TMS survey in 2017 found that 39 per cent of UK men feel less confident than they once did, one in three men feel more social anxiety than they used to feel, and 27 per cent of men regularly cancel plans to avoid interaction with others.

In Canada, suicide is the leading cause of death for men under the age of 44. Photo: Alamy

The UK’s mental health epidemic, Barnes says, has been widely publicised, with many prominent figures speaking out about their experiences with mental health issues.

“However, while many of the same difficulties are experienced by both men and women, some difficulties and influences on mental health born of societal expectations may be especially detrimental to men,” he says.

Why, though? For men, societal expectations about how they “should” behave and what masculinity is, reinforce the idea that men should be the breadwinners of their family, while exhibiting strength, dominance and a “just get on with it” attitude, Barnes says.

Men account for three-quarters of suicides in the UK. Photo: Alamy

Minal Mahtani, founder of OCD and Anxiety Support Hong Kong, a registered mental health charity in Hong Kong, agrees that “men are less likely to talk because of how they feel they are going to perceived”.

Gay and bisexual men are more vulnerable to mental health disorders than heterosexual men, she adds. She also agrees that risk factors for poor mental health in men include feeling overwhelming responsibility for family, difficulty with work or finances, a relationship breakdown, or significant trauma or setbacks.

“Many men believe they have to tough it out and struggle alone,” Mahtani says.

“Culturally, it is believed that men must not show their emotions as it is a sign of weakness. In Asia, mental illness is sometimes viewed as a choice and denied as a real condition, making it harder for men to seek help for this real medical condition.”

Rob Stephen, former chairman of Irish mental health charity GROW similarly articulates concern for mental health among men – Ireland has one of the highest rates of male suicide in the world. Every week, an average of 10 Irish people die by suicide, eight of them men.

“There’s a saying we use in GROW in relation to mental health,” Stephen says. “‘You alone can do it, but you cannot do it alone.’ The first bit means it is our own responsibility to look after our mental health; the second phrase reminds us that we will often also need help. You only have to think how reluctant men are to seek directions when lost to realise the challenges posed when seeking help for bigger issues, such as in relation to physical or mental health.”

What’s more, he adds, many men probably devote more time to looking after their car’s health than their own.

“There is widespread acknowledgement of the idea that men talk ‘shoulder to shoulder’ rather than face-to-face – whether that is running or cycling side by side, sitting in the car or working at a bench – and maybe that’s the key to getting men to open up to each other?” Stephen suggests.

Because men generally do not reach out for help, they only make their mental health issues worse. Photo: Alamy

He refers to the global Men’s Shed movement, which describes itself as community spaces for men to connect, converse and create. The activities are often similar to those men do in garden sheds, but for groups of men to enjoy together. They help reduce loneliness and isolation, but most importantly, they’re fun, safe spaces then where confidences can develop and be shared organically, he adds. People often feel better able to confide, divulge, offload when walking side by side with a friend or family member, as face-to-face can be intimidating.

As Barnes observes: “Given that one in three men find themselves more anxious in social situations and 27 per cent of men regularly cancel plans to avoid interaction, it is now more important than ever to ensure that men are made to feel comfortable and able to speak without pressure or judgment, because it is clear that many are simply struggling in silence.”

Minal Mahtani, CEO and founder of OCD and Anxiety Support Hong Kong. Photo: Edmond So

Minal Mahtani’s mental health tips for a happier life
1. Do more of the things that make you feel good and help you to destress, such as playing sports, hiking or being around nature.
2. Spend time with friends, to release happy chemicals in the brain such as oxytocin, making you feel valued and connected.
3. Share what’s going on, especially if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Everyone struggles, and you are not alone. To struggle is human.
4. Incorporate mindfulness, meditation and yoga into your life to help you relax.
5. Find a support group for mental health sufferers. This will make you feel supported and not alone.

Feeling overwhelmed at work creates anxiety for many men. Photo: Alamy

https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/heal...ntal-health-day-suicide-silent-crisis-men-its

 

[UltimaOnline]

Qn : "What happens after a person commits suicide? Is it really an unforgivable sin resulting in eternal damnation?"


1stly, the idea of sin is itself a delusion (as is the case with most religious precepts).

2ndly, there is no eternal damnation.

3rdly, what happens after suicide, and how negatively it is perceived by the guides & helpers and those on the other side, is on a case-by-case basis (obviously & naturally).

Indeed, for a majority of suicide cases, it is perceived negatively, not so much with judgement & condemnation, but more with sympathy & regret. Because every physical incarnation is incredibly precious, and so much team effort has been invested behind every single individual and every single physical incarnation, for the lifetime's carefully laid out plans to be cut short prematurely is viewed as a terrible waste of effort & opportunity.

However, in a minority of suicide cases, and in most euthanasia cases, due to sympathetic circumstances, eg. severe incurable medical conditions, or if the 'suicide' is clearly an act of self-sacrifice, etc, the suicide (and/or euthanasia) is viewed with complete understanding & acceptance.

A quick note about depression (the major motivation underlying most suicides), a question could be asked "Does depression come from the physical body or the soul?"

The answer (obviously & naturally), is case-by-case. But as with all complex conditions, in almost all cases, it is a combination of both. It's more a matter of the % composition (eg. 50% from body + 50% from soul), and how they work in concert with each other, from a karmic perspective.

For instance, say a soul has committed suicide many times in his past lives, even when circumstances were not considered that dire. In other words, this particular soul has become imbalanced with a propensity to 'take the easy way out' a little too often, resulting in much wasted team effort behind each lifetime cut short by suicide.

This results in an imbalance within the soul, both the propensity to 'take the easy way out' and consequent or associated regret or sadness within the soul (because the individual soul is always the harshest judge of itself) who yearns to do better in future lifetimes, to learn and grow as a soul (one of the principle objectives of physical incarnation).

So there is a seed of depression coming from the soul into the lifetime. But at the same time, to karmically facilitate this setup for this upcoming lifetime to be suicidal, the soul will select (voluntarily or otherwise, depending on the soul's willingness to work with counsel from the guides & helpers) to be born into an upcoming available physical body whose genetics & biochemistry, and/or family upbringing & local environment, would have a high risk of suicide.

So psychiatrists are correct when they say severe clinical depression and suicidal tendencies are the result of biochemical imbalances in the brain, and psychologists are also correct when they say depression and suicidal tendencies are the result of exposure to risk factors such as family upbringing and local environment and one's own willingness to deal with personal challenges.

However, and herein lies the pity, that generally, psychiatrists & psychologists, and society in general, do not see the bigger complete pieced-together picture, which is the coordinating role of the soul and its own karmic learning needs.

So again to address the question, the source of depression can come primarily or initially from either the physical body (ie. genetics & biochemistry), or be experienced & felt directly from the soul to the incarnated personality, but in most cases (as with all complex conditions being multifaceted & multi-dimensional), ie. orchestrated by the soul and his guides & helpers based on karmic needs, both by choice of physical body genetic predispositions, as well as by orchestrated specific life events (eg. a painful relationship breakup, a devastating job loss, etc) that would trigger or precipitate the suicidal motivations, thus giving the soul the much valued opportunity to make up for its failures (ie. suicides) in past lives, by allowing the soul to make the decision in this lifetime instead, to take the challenges head-on instead of the suicide way out, and thus consequently the soul learns & grows in strength & wisdom, if it chooses correctly or wisely this time round.

If anyone reading this post has further questions, feel free to ask.

For a better & deeper (non-religious) understanding of life, death, reincarnation etc, download the 'Books on Reincarnation' for your reading pleasure :
https://files.fm/u/wch8duex

 

[glockman]

Qn : "What happens after a person commits suicide? Is it really an unforgivable sin resulting in eternal damnation?"


1stly, the idea of sin is itself a delusion (as is the case with most religious precepts).

2ndly, there is no eternal damnation.

3rdly, what happens after suicide, and how negatively it is perceived by the guides & helpers and those on the other side, is on a case-by-case basis (obviously & naturally).

Indeed, for a majority of suicide cases, it is perceived negatively, not so much with judgement & condemnation, but more with sympathy & regret. Because every physical incarnation is incredibly precious, and so much team effort has been invested behind every single individual and every single physical incarnation, for the lifetime's carefully laid out plans to be cut short prematurely is viewed as a terrible waste of effort & opportunity.

However, in a minority of suicide cases, and in most euthanasia cases, due to sympathetic circumstances, eg. severe incurable medical conditions, or if the 'suicide' is clearly an act of self-sacrifice, etc, the suicide (and/or euthanasia) is viewed with complete understanding & acceptance.

A quick note about depression (the major motivation underlying most suicides), a question could be asked "Does depression come from the physical body or the soul?"

The answer (obviously & naturally), is case-by-case. But as with all complex conditions, in almost all cases, it is a combination of both. It's more a matter of the % composition (eg. 50% from body + 50% from soul), and how they work in concert with each other, from a karmic perspective.

For instance, say a soul has committed suicide many times in his past lives, even when circumstances were not considered that dire. In other words, this particular soul has become imbalanced with a propensity to 'take the easy way out' a little too often, resulting in much wasted team effort behind each lifetime cut short by suicide.

This results in an imbalance within the soul, both the propensity to 'take the easy way out' and consequent or associated regret or sadness within the soul (because the individual soul is always the harshest judge of itself) who yearns to do better in future lifetimes, to learn and grow as a soul (one of the principle objectives of physical incarnation).

So there is a seed of depression coming from the soul into the lifetime. But at the same time, to karmically facilitate this setup for this upcoming lifetime to be suicidal, the soul will select (voluntarily or otherwise, depending on the soul's willingness to work with counsel from the guides & helpers) to be born into an upcoming available physical body whose genetics & biochemistry, and/or family upbringing & local environment, would have a high risk of suicide.

So psychiatrists are correct when they say severe clinical depression and suicidal tendencies are the result of biochemical imbalances in the brain, and psychologists are also correct when they say depression and suicidal tendencies are the result of exposure to risk factors such as family upbringing and local environment and one's own willingness to deal with personal challenges.

However, and herein lies the pity, that generally, psychiatrists & psychologists, and society in general, do not see the bigger complete pieced-together picture, which is the coordinating role of the soul and its own karmic learning needs.

So again to address the question, the source of depression can come primarily or initially from either the physical body (ie. genetics & biochemistry), or be experienced & felt directly from the soul to the incarnated personality, but in most cases (as with all complex conditions being multifaceted & multi-dimensional), ie. orchestrated by the soul and his guides & helpers based on karmic needs, both by choice of physical body genetic predispositions, as well as by orchestrated specific life events (eg. a painful relationship breakup, a devastating job loss, etc) that would trigger or precipitate the suicidal motivations, thus giving the soul the much valued opportunity to make up for its failures (ie. suicides) in past lives, by allowing the soul to make the decision in this lifetime instead, to take the challenges head-on instead of the suicide way out, and thus consequently the soul learns & grows in strength & wisdom, if it chooses correctly or wisely this time round.

If anyone reading this post has further questions, feel free to ask.

For a better & deeper (non-religious) understanding of life, death, reincarnation etc, download the 'Books on Reincarnation' for your reading pleasure :
https://files.fm/u/wch8duex

So we are encouraged to live our lives fully and avoid suicide. Unless it is because of severe incurable medical conditions, or a clear act of self-sacrifice.

I don't really understand what is said about depression and suicide.

 

[UltimaOnline]

So we are encouraged to live our lives fully and avoid suicide. Unless it is because of severe incurable medical conditions, or a clear act of self-sacrifice.

I don't really understand what is said about depression and suicide.

Depression is the no. 1 cause of suicides, naturally.

Some think depression is 100% about chemical imbalance in the brain, ie. it's all a medical disease like cancer, victims are not responsible for being depressed.

Others think that depression is 100% about your own feelings and how you choose to deal with adversity, ie. it's all in the mind, victims are 100% responsible for being depressed.

Both are only partially correct. The real truth behind depression, is that the soul has chosen and/or has a karmic need to work with depression. Thus it will coordinate with both factors above (ie. choosing to be born into a physical body with genetics controlling biochemistry imbalances in the brain that predispose to depression; as well as orchestration by guides & helpers to manifest key events in life, eg. relationship breakup, marriage breakdown, loss of child or family member, loss of job devastating self-esteem, etc), to challenge itself.

Many souls who have a high rate of suicide in past lives, thus have urgent karmic needs (ie. for its own sake of growing stronger) to challenge itself. Thus it will karmically setup circumstances and scenarios in the present lifetime (including both genetic biochemistry predisposition to depression, as well as traumatic events in life orchestrated to trigger depression), to challenge itself.

Each lifetime it fails to surmount the challenges of depression and commits suicide, the next lifetime will be even harder (both in terms of intensity of trauma & depression, as well as being harder to resist the urge to suicide). This is not punishment, but a natural process of needing to do even better next time round to prove to yourself that you've truly overcome your weaknesses.

 

[glockman]

Depression is the no. 1 cause of suicides, naturally.

Some think depression is 100% about chemical imbalance in the brain, ie. it's all a medical disease like cancer, victims are not responsible for being depressed.

Others think that depression is 100% about your own feelings and how you choose to deal with adversity, ie. it's all in the mind, victims are 100% responsible for being depressed.

Both are only partially correct. The real truth behind depression, is that the soul has chosen and/or has a karmic need to work with depression. Thus it will coordinate with both factors above (ie. choosing to be born into a physical body with genetics controlling biochemistry imbalances in the brain that predispose to depression; as well as orchestration by guides & helpers to manifest key events in life, eg. relationship breakup, marriage breakdown, loss of child or family member, loss of job devastating self-esteem, etc), to challenge itself.

Many souls who have a high rate of suicide in past lives, thus have urgent karmic needs (ie. for its own sake of growing stronger) to challenge itself. Thus it will karmically setup circumstances and scenarios in the present lifetime (including both genetic biochemistry predisposition to depression, as well as traumatic events in life orchestrated to trigger depression), to challenge itself.

Each lifetime it fails to surmount the challenges of depression and commits suicide, the next lifetime will be even harder (both in terms of intensity of trauma & depression, as well as being harder to resist the urge to suicide). This is not punishment, but a natural process of needing to do even better next time round to prove to yourself that you've truly overcome your weaknesses.

OK I think I get it. Thanks. Despite the depression, souls are strongly encouraged to take the challenges head-on, instead of committing suicide. So that the soul can learn and grow in strength and wisdom.

 

[glockman]

Personally, I despise the christian doctrine that says suicide is a mortal sin, and the person goes straight to hell.

 

[UltimaOnline]

Personally, I despise the christian doctrine that says suicide is a mortal sin, and the person goes straight to hell.

While there are many who still require the use of organized religion for their spiritual learning purposes, but for those already in religion who are ready to start questioning the helpfulness of their religion's precepts, doctrines & dogma, become disturbed over them and are seeking a deeper understanding; it is such seekers, whom we can be of service & assistance to, by helping them to remember their own inner spiritual truths.

 

[glockman]

While there are many who still require the use of organized religion for their spiritual learning purposes, but for those already in religion who start to question the helpfulness of their religion's precepts, doctrines & dogma, become disturbed over them and are seeking a deeper understanding; it is such seekers, whom we can be of service & assistance to, by helping them to remember their own inner spiritual truths.

Yes I agree, and you have put it across clearly. I hope more of them will question their religious beliefs and yearn for spiritual truth. When a chance arises, I always like to subtlely tell them to perhaps consider an alternative approach and thinking. Then I bring in reincarnation, with lots of perhaps this, perhaps that. And speaking of suicide, the worst ones I can think of are the misguided suicide bombers and their promise of "paradise and virgins".

 

[UltimaOnline]

Then I bring in reincarnation, with lots of perhaps this, perhaps that.

For those ready, remember to freely share with them the 'Books on Reincarnation' pdf files, very convenient to do so, simply message them the download link.

 

[glockman]

For those ready, remember to freely share with them the 'Books on Reincarnation' pdf files, very convenient to do so, simply message them the download link.

Yes indeed. I have shared the audio book with two staunch Buddhist friends. Not sure if they have listened to it though.

 

[Leongsam]

The increase in male suicides is a direct result of libtard values being taught in schools from an early age.

The kids all told that they are all winners. Sports are conducted with no results so as not to offend anyone. Safe spaces are created in colleges so that nobody has to hear an unkind remark.

These snowflake men are then released into the real world and simply cannot handle the competition so they check out.

I say let them kill themselves. The "progressives" may think that they can run the world but nature still plays by the same rules ie survival of the fittest.

 

[knowwhatyouwantinlife]

Men usually get mental health issues because of women and/or addiction to 抽喝嫖赌 and or terminal illness and lastly being bald...all u need is a crazy female boss at work and another crazy one at home and boom suicide thoughts...the crazy female boss at work will email and msg u when u are on leave for trivia matters that has no life and death implication, have no clear demarcation of work between u and your colleagues, expect u to cover your pregnant colleague for free etc the one at home will emotional blackmail u accuse u of looking at women when out with family wants sex her way and when she wants it does minimal to zero housework bullies and out on weight to become a bespectacled dino bu...there depression for men and no amount of praying and porn can help

 

[tanwahtiu]

When a leopard died it leaves behind its skin, when a man died he leaves behind his name.
So if u committed suicide your name link u to - this idiot john Tan 自杀 leave behind his pretty wife, we go cheong his wife...

Mentioned LKY name u get load shits of his name his enemy cant wait shit shit at him....

Nowadays got GPGV...

Qn : "What happens after a person commits suicide? Is it really an unforgivable sin resulting in eternal damnation?"


1stly, the idea of sin is itself a delusion (as is the case with most religious precepts).

2ndly, there is no eternal damnation.

3rdly, what happens after suicide, and how negatively it is perceived by the guides & helpers and those on the other side, is on a case-by-case basis (obviously & naturally).

Indeed, for a majority of suicide cases, it is perceived negatively, not so much with judgement & condemnation, but more with sympathy & regret. Because every physical incarnation is incredibly precious, and so much team effort has been invested behind every single individual and every single physical incarnation, for the lifetime's carefully laid out plans to be cut short prematurely is viewed as a terrible waste of effort & opportunity.

However, in a minority of suicide cases, and in most euthanasia cases, due to sympathetic circumstances, eg. severe incurable medical conditions, or if the 'suicide' is clearly an act of self-sacrifice, etc, the suicide (and/or euthanasia) is viewed with complete understanding & acceptance.

A quick note about depression (the major motivation underlying most suicides), a question could be asked "Does depression come from the physical body or the soul?"

The answer (obviously & naturally), is case-by-case. But as with all complex conditions, in almost all cases, it is a combination of both. It's more a matter of the % composition (eg. 50% from body + 50% from soul), and how they work in concert with each other, from a karmic perspective.

For instance, say a soul has committed suicide many times in his past lives, even when circumstances were not considered that dire. In other words, this particular soul has become imbalanced with a propensity to 'take the easy way out' a little too often, resulting in much wasted team effort behind each lifetime cut short by suicide.

This results in an imbalance within the soul, both the propensity to 'take the easy way out' and consequent or associated regret or sadness within the soul (because the individual soul is always the harshest judge of itself) who yearns to do better in future lifetimes, to learn and grow as a soul (one of the principle objectives of physical incarnation).

So there is a seed of depression coming from the soul into the lifetime. But at the same time, to karmically facilitate this setup for this upcoming lifetime to be suicidal, the soul will select (voluntarily or otherwise, depending on the soul's willingness to work with counsel from the guides & helpers) to be born into an upcoming available physical body whose genetics & biochemistry, and/or family upbringing & local environment, would have a high risk of suicide.

So psychiatrists are correct when they say severe clinical depression and suicidal tendencies are the result of biochemical imbalances in the brain, and psychologists are also correct when they say depression and suicidal tendencies are the result of exposure to risk factors such as family upbringing and local environment and one's own willingness to deal with personal challenges.

However, and herein lies the pity, that generally, psychiatrists & psychologists, and society in general, do not see the bigger complete pieced-together picture, which is the coordinating role of the soul and its own karmic learning needs.

So again to address the question, the source of depression can come primarily or initially from either the physical body (ie. genetics & biochemistry), or be experienced & felt directly from the soul to the incarnated personality, but in most cases (as with all complex conditions being multifaceted & multi-dimensional), ie. orchestrated by the soul and his guides & helpers based on karmic needs, both by choice of physical body genetic predispositions, as well as by orchestrated specific life events (eg. a painful relationship breakup, a devastating job loss, etc) that would trigger or precipitate the suicidal motivations, thus giving the soul the much valued opportunity to make up for its failures (ie. suicides) in past lives, by allowing the soul to make the decision in this lifetime instead, to take the challenges head-on instead of the suicide way out, and thus consequently the soul learns & grows in strength & wisdom, if it chooses correctly or wisely this time round.

If anyone reading this post has further questions, feel free to ask.

For a better & deeper (non-religious) understanding of life, death, reincarnation etc, download the 'Books on Reincarnation' for your reading pleasure :
https://files.fm/u/wch8duex

 

[JohnTan]

Personally, I despise the christian doctrine that says suicide is a mortal sin, and the person goes straight to hell.

I believe that is Roman Catholic doctrine.

Protestant preachers also suffer from suicide and depression. Here's an article about a well known Christian preacher from years ago who suffered from depression.

https://www.crossway.org/articles/did-you-know-that-charles-spurgeon-struggled-with-depression/

 

[Hypocrite-The]

I believe in voluntary Soylent Green. The idea of committing suicide is a sin is too discourage such actions. If suicide is as common as flu the powers that be will be out of power as there is no one else to exploit. Just look at how euthanasia is treated. If all critical ill patients soylent Green. The medical corporations etc will go under over night. Who will spend big bucks on bs treatments etc? Keep ppl alive, exploit them more . It is said suicide is a sin. But it had morphed into a monster with alot of irrelevant BS bcos it's just about exploitation of the ppl. Tat why till date voluntary euthanasia etc is soo hard too legalise. Too many interest groups will lose out. N wats so bad about suicide? No one ask to be born. So why cant one choose death?

SOYLENT GREEN...its FOR people.

 

[tanwahtiu]

Born inside liquid, to die choose the ocean.... uhh... 3 days cruise to nowhere make sense....

 

[Bad New Brown]

The increase in male suicides is a direct result of libtard values being taught in schools from an early age.

The kids all told that they are all winners. Sports are conducted with no results so as not to offend anyone. Safe spaces are created in colleges so that nobody has to hear an unkind remark.

These snowflake men are then released into the real world and simply cannot handle the competition so they check out.

I say let them kill themselves. The "progressives" may think that they can run the world but nature still plays by the same rules ie survival of the fittest.

No worries as the millennials and Generation Z still have their parents to depend on financially or emotionally if they are losers in the real world

 

[Hypocrite-The]

If suicide was more common....there will be no one for the powers that be to exploit.

Son displeased with more than S$23,000 bill incurred for mother’s cataract operation at NUH - The Online Citizen

• 

Last Saturday (21 December), The Straits Times (ST) forum published a letter by a man named Ian Lee Chi Meng who was shocked to find out that the National University Hospital (NUH) Eye Centre charged his mother more than S$23,000 for her cataract operation and subsequent clinical follow-up.
In his letter, he explained that his mother was first diagnosed with cataract last July at Ngee Ann Polyclinic, before being referred to the National University (NUH) Eye Centre so she would be able to receive subsidised treatment.
“She was diagnosed with the condition after a visit to Ngee Ann Polyclinic last July and from then on, my aged parents obtained referrals from Queenstown Polyclinic to benefit from subsidised treatment at the National University (NUH) Eye Centre,” he said.
However, it’s important to note that there’s no such medical institute as Ngee Ann Polyclinic in Singapore, but there’s an optometry centre situated in Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
Upon receiving the bill, Mr Lee said that his father was very upset as he felt that they were being overcharged by NUH.
Mr Lee also noted that he could not come to “any resolution” with NUH about the charges, even after months of discussion.
Mr Lee said that NUH informed the family that his mother had lost her subsidised patient status after she opted to select a higher-grade lens. However, he highlighted that his mother picked such a lens because she was advised to do so as well as to avoid wearing reading glasses after the operation.
If that’s not all, the elderly woman was denied the subsidised rate because she “elected to choose her own doctor”, Mr Lee said.
“Having been referred by a polyclinic for her visit to NUH, how would my mother know which doctor to choose?” Mr Lee asked.
Additionally, NUH also told the family that financial counselling was given to them and Mr Lee’s mother signed all the consent forms correctly.
“We thought the forms signed were routine indemnity forms for the operation. My mother would not have knowingly signed forms to exclude herself as a subsidised and be treated as a full-paying private patient instead,” Mr Lee asserted.
He added, “The estimated costs to be incurred and presented to us did not come close to the full charges paid so far. What was not addressed was how much every subsequent follow-up visit to NUH would cost, and at private patient rates too.”
Seniors eligible for subsidies
In a separate ST forum dated 13 December, Chan Beng Seng, the Group Director, Subvention of the Ministry of Health (MOH), said that seniors from the Pioneer Generation (PG) and Merdeka Generation (MG) are “eligible for subsidies when they are referred to public specialist outpatient clinics (SOCs) not only by polyclinics but also by Community Health Assist Scheme (Chas) general practitioner clinics.”
In fact, these subsidised patients at the SOCs can enjoy up 75% subsidies for outpatient care. Additionally, PG and MG elderly individuals can also receive additional subsidies for subsidised services and medications.
He continued, “PG and MG seniors who are already private patients at the public hospitals’ SOCs can approach the SOC staff to apply to switch to become subsidised patients if they wish to enjoy the additional PG and MG subsidies. The quality of care provided to subsidised patients, who are assigned doctors, is no different from that for private patients.”
Mr Chan went on to say that MOH will “continue to ensure that healthcare remains affordable for Singaporeans”, and that they will not be “denied appropriate medical care due to an inability to pay.
Singapore National Eye Centre promised to reduce charges for complex procedures
Being charged high at public hospitals or centres is not something new in the country. Earlier this year, the nation was shocked to find out that Medishield Life only paid S$4.50 for an elderly man’s S$4,477 post-subsidy bill.
The elderly, Mr Seow Ban Yam received a bill that amounted to over S$12,000 for his cataract operation on both eyes at Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC). After government subsidies, the bill came up to S$4,477 and the elderly man paid S$3000 of that out of his Medisave account.
Mr Seow had an impression that MediShield Life would cover 90 per cent of the remaining S$1,477. To his shock, the national insurance only paid out S$4.50 after it said that it imposes a S$2,800 cap on the procedure he underwent.
This means that the maximum reimbursement for such a procedure each year is S$2800 + plus actual ward fees of S$205. This totals to S$3,005 and out of this amount, S$3,000 has to be taken from patient’s own CPF funds. This leaves only S$5 that is claimable by insurance. Hence, MediShield Life paid 90 per cent of that S$5 – amounting to a paltry S$4.50.
Following this incident, SNEC promised to review and make adjustments to its charges periodically for complex procedures. It noted it will cut its charges to strike a balance between cost recovery and patient affordability. The cost for most common procedures, such as cataract and glaucoma surgery, are closely monitored to ensure patients can pay with Medisave and make minimal cash outlay.
SNEC recognises that it could do more often cost reviews to close the prevailing gaps between cost burden of patients and what it charges for the hospital to survive financially.
“With the latest review of SNEC’s charges to better align a wider range of procedures with Medisave and MediShield claim limits, patients requiring complex operations of higher surgical table codes will see reduced charges, including that which Mr Seow underwent,” SNEC’s Chief Operating Officer, Ms Charity Wai, said.
In March, SNEC announced that it has reduced fees for 20 procedures by 15%-25%, and this could save people several hundred dollars.
Its spokesman told The Straits Times that the cut in fees will affect about 14,500 procedures done yearly at the eye centre.
He added that the drop in prices was possible by “reviews of care models, improvements to operational efficiency and regular adjustment in MOH funding support in accordance with changes in cost of care provision”.
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[JOKERCHEW]

So we are encouraged to live our lives fully and avoid suicide. Unless it is because of severe incurable medical conditions, or a clear act of self-sacrifice.

I don't really understand what is said about depression and suicide.

Did AhMeng commit suicide?

Until now, NpNt.




=JC=

 

[Bad New Brown]

Did AhMeng commit suicide?

Until now, NpNt.




=JC=

Maybe his china gf runaway with his money