27-07-2011, 07:32 AM
Jul 27, 2011
Help I'm in debt
SOS report shows surge in helpline calls over gambling and loan-shark woes; casinos cited as factor
By Elizabeth Soh
A RISING number of people are calling the Samaritans in desperation over gambling debts or harassment by loan sharks.
Experts put the increase down to the fact that there are now more opportunities to gamble after the opening of the two integrated resorts.
Sixty per cent more callers reached out for help between April last year and March this year as they were being plagued by illegal moneylenders, according to the annual report by the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS). And the number driven to call over gambling debts rose by half compared with the figure in the same period a year ago.
'There are sadly more cases where gamblers in debt feel that the outlook is bleak,' said Mr Dick Lum, executive director of The Hiding Place halfway house, which helps compulsive gamblers. 'The increase can be attributed to a few factors - but mainly the accessibility to gambling after the casinos arrived on our shores.'
The SOS report showed 352 people called in with loan-shark problems between April last year and March this year, up from 218 cases in the same period a year ago, and 196 called in with gambling debt issues, up from 132.
A spokesman said these callers are usually in a state of anxiety and face tremendous pressure at home and at work as they struggle to deal with their debts.
'Often, the stress they are experiencing causes them to think about ending their lives as a way of ending the stress and the pain they feel,' she said.
The report said the increase is particularly worrying as the callers are deemed to be of 'medium to high suicide risk'.
It is hard for counsellors to engage them as their focus is on paying off their loans, rather than emotional or relationship problems.
Former gambler Raymond Teo, 58, called the SOS last November after his wife left him, and he was unable to stand the humiliation of loan sharks splashing paint and faeces on his flat.
'I felt like I had lost everybody important to me, and so useless because there was no way out of my problems,' said Mr Teo, who was referred to SOS after he talked to friends about killing himself.
However, there are other counsellors and suicide experts who feel that while the gamblers may sound desperate, they actually pose a low suicide risk and are more impulsive than anything else.
'There has definitely been an increase in the number of gambling addicts since the casinos came, but those in debt are seldom desperate enough to commit suicide,' said a spokesman for Christian Care Services, which provides counselling for those with gambling problems.
Dr Chia Boon Hock, a psychiatrist who has been studying suicide trends here for more than 40 years, said such callers are distressed but not suicidal.
'People really determined to die are usually those who are experiencing mental or physical suffering,' he said.
This raises the issue of whether suicidal callers are being denied help as volunteers attend to non-emergency calls.
In a Straits Times article this month, the SOS acknowledged that a volunteer shortage had left some callers unable to get through, and appealed for more volunteers.
Those facing loan-shark or gambling problems have several avenues to turn to.
The National Council on Problem Gambling has a hotline for problem gamblers on 1800-6668-668. The Tanjong Pagar Family Service Centre also provides face-to-face counselling for people with gambling problems and their loved ones.
esoh@sph.com.sg
Help I'm in debt
SOS report shows surge in helpline calls over gambling and loan-shark woes; casinos cited as factor
By Elizabeth Soh
A RISING number of people are calling the Samaritans in desperation over gambling debts or harassment by loan sharks.
Experts put the increase down to the fact that there are now more opportunities to gamble after the opening of the two integrated resorts.
Sixty per cent more callers reached out for help between April last year and March this year as they were being plagued by illegal moneylenders, according to the annual report by the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS). And the number driven to call over gambling debts rose by half compared with the figure in the same period a year ago.
'There are sadly more cases where gamblers in debt feel that the outlook is bleak,' said Mr Dick Lum, executive director of The Hiding Place halfway house, which helps compulsive gamblers. 'The increase can be attributed to a few factors - but mainly the accessibility to gambling after the casinos arrived on our shores.'
The SOS report showed 352 people called in with loan-shark problems between April last year and March this year, up from 218 cases in the same period a year ago, and 196 called in with gambling debt issues, up from 132.
A spokesman said these callers are usually in a state of anxiety and face tremendous pressure at home and at work as they struggle to deal with their debts.
'Often, the stress they are experiencing causes them to think about ending their lives as a way of ending the stress and the pain they feel,' she said.
The report said the increase is particularly worrying as the callers are deemed to be of 'medium to high suicide risk'.
It is hard for counsellors to engage them as their focus is on paying off their loans, rather than emotional or relationship problems.
Former gambler Raymond Teo, 58, called the SOS last November after his wife left him, and he was unable to stand the humiliation of loan sharks splashing paint and faeces on his flat.
'I felt like I had lost everybody important to me, and so useless because there was no way out of my problems,' said Mr Teo, who was referred to SOS after he talked to friends about killing himself.
However, there are other counsellors and suicide experts who feel that while the gamblers may sound desperate, they actually pose a low suicide risk and are more impulsive than anything else.
'There has definitely been an increase in the number of gambling addicts since the casinos came, but those in debt are seldom desperate enough to commit suicide,' said a spokesman for Christian Care Services, which provides counselling for those with gambling problems.
Dr Chia Boon Hock, a psychiatrist who has been studying suicide trends here for more than 40 years, said such callers are distressed but not suicidal.
'People really determined to die are usually those who are experiencing mental or physical suffering,' he said.
This raises the issue of whether suicidal callers are being denied help as volunteers attend to non-emergency calls.
In a Straits Times article this month, the SOS acknowledged that a volunteer shortage had left some callers unable to get through, and appealed for more volunteers.
Those facing loan-shark or gambling problems have several avenues to turn to.
The National Council on Problem Gambling has a hotline for problem gamblers on 1800-6668-668. The Tanjong Pagar Family Service Centre also provides face-to-face counselling for people with gambling problems and their loved ones.
esoh@sph.com.sg