DEALING WITH SUICIDAL THOUGHTS
The authorities should do more to stem the trend
As millions of people around the world marked the 2023 Suicide Prevention Day yesterday with the theme, ‘Creating Hope Through Action’, not much awareness was created in Nigeria. Yet, reports on suicide have moved from an occasional blip to a very disturbing trend in our country. It is not restricted to any demographic group as both the young and the old are killing themselves. Marked on 10th September every year, the World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) was established in 2003 by the International Association for Suicide Prevention in conjunction with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to reduce stigma and raise awareness, with a singular message that suicides are preventable.
Unfortunately, there is nothing to suggest that there are efforts to tackle this health challenge in Nigeria. According to the WHO, one in four Nigerians suffer from some sort of mental illnesses. With only eight federal neuropsychiatric hospitals in the country, serious budget constraints, the exodus of most experts in the field for greener pastures abroad and ignorance, it comes as no surprise that suicides are on the increase. To successfully deal with this problem, the authorities must do more, including the urgent need to leverage on social media at least to address the issue of stigma while an awareness campaign is also important for the prevention of social habits that are detrimental to mental health, especially among young people.
There are many theories as to why these Nigerians take their own lives and they are traceable mostly to the emotional and financial stress as well as pervading poverty and hopelessness. It is an established fact that impoverished individuals are a major risk group for depression. The use of hard drugs (particularly Indian hemp, cocaine and even methamphetamine) are commonplace in the society and one of the adverse effects is depression. And depression, according to experts, is the most common reason why people commit suicide.
Medical practitioners under the aegis of the Society of Family Physicians of Nigeria, (SOFPON) have for years been raising concerns about the growing number of Nigerians living with depression, a major risk factor for suicide. According to a SOFPON official, Dr. Blessing Chukwukwelu, “only one-fifth of those with a depressive episode receive any treatment, and only one in 50 receives treatment that is minimally adequate.” She recommends that medical practitioners who see various cases of ailment at the Primary Health Centres should be trained on how to identify the symptoms of depression.
While the authorities must begin to deal with this problem, there are also other reasons why people take their own lives and devastate members of their family and friends with shock. For instance, underlying mental disorders such as schizophrenia, excessive alcoholism, drug abusive play significant role in triggering suicidal thoughts. Schizophrenia is a disease with a wide range of weird symptoms like hallucinations, inner voices, disordered thinking and irrational fears and “emotions that seem out of tune with reality”.
Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of. Like diabetes and heart disease, it is a medical condition which is treatable. Many people with mental health illness return to a productive and fulfilling life after promptly seeking help. But the country is not doing enough to tackle this public health emergency and it is responsible for the growing cases of suicides. Stemming the tide requires a multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary approach involving various government ministries, agencies, and departments especially that of health, labour and employment, and social services. As a forensic psychiatrist, Dr Folashade Olajubu said recently, there is need to improve awareness of the significance of suicide as a global health problem and improve the knowledge of what can be done to prevent it.
