KUCHING: The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has called for whole-of-society action as economic stress and psychological distress drive family tragedies.
Its president, Datuk Dr Thirunavukarasu Rajoo, said doctors have warned that financial hardship, insecurity and untreated mental distress are fuelling suicides and violence, urging stronger social protection and earlier mental health intervention.
MMA, he said, is deeply saddened and disturbed by reports of a recent murder case where five family members were killed in a house.
He cautioned that the incident is a stark reminder of a wider and worrying trend of rising suicides and severe psychological distress in our society, especially among working-age individuals facing intense economic and social pressures.
“From our front-line experience, doctors are increasingly seeing the impact of job loss, overwhelming debt, the inability to provide for one’s family, and a deep sense of hopelessness presenting as depression, anxiety, family conflict and, in the worst cases, suicidality.
“Public health evidence consistently shows that only a fraction of our health is determined in hospitals and clinics. Roughly forty per cent of a person’s health and wellbeing is shaped by socio-economic conditions such as income security, decent housing, food security, education and safe communities.
“When these basic needs are not secure, mental health can deteriorate rapidly, often long before a person seeks professional help,” he said in a press statement today.
Dr Thirunavukarasu noted that socio-economic policy is therefore, in effect, health policy.
He said MMA acknowledges the government’s efforts to introduce targeted subsidies and intensify poverty-eradication programmes, saying these are important steps to protect vulnerable households amid cost-of-living pressures.
He, however, said their concern as doctors is what happens when families still cannot meet their most basic needs despite these measures – when there is insufficient income for food, rent, children’s schooling or essential medicines.
“In such situations, the strain on mental health and family relationships can become overwhelming and may contribute to acts of extreme desperation. Preventing such tragedies requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society response.
“There must be closer coordination between the health, finance, economy, education and social welfare sectors so that severe psychological distress and suicide are recognised not only as medical issues but also as outcomes shaped by socio-economic realities.
“Social welfare outreach should be strengthened to proactively identify households facing sudden income loss, heavy debt burdens or caregiving pressures, with fast-tracked assistance that secures food, housing and educational stability,” he said.
He suggested that mental health screening and clear referral pathways should be embedded within such outreach efforts.
At the healthcare level, he said, accessible and stigma-free mental health services must be expanded at primary care and community settings.
He believed that routine distress screening in clinics, shorter referral pathways to psychologists and psychiatrists, and greater use of tele-counselling services can help detect suffering earlier and provide timely support.
He suggested that employers should also be guided to create psychologically safe workplaces with confidential pathways to counselling and early intervention for employees experiencing distress.
“Responsible media reporting on suicide and family violence is equally important to avoid sensationalism and reduce the risk of copycat incidents, while consistently directing the public to available crisis helplines and support services,” he added.
Dr Thirunavukarasu said MMA stands ready to work with the government, welfare agencies, civil society and community leaders to address the deeper roots of such tragedies.
He noted that stabilising incomes, ensuring food and housing security, and strengthening social protection are not merely economic objectives – they are essential health interventions that can save lives and protect Malaysian families.
“As doctors, we treat illness. As a nation, we must prevent despair,” he said.
