A Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Shehu Sale, has attributed the rising suicide cases in the country as a global concern caused by lifestyle endurance rather restricting it to mental health challenges.
Sale, the Medical Director of Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Kware in Sokoto state, emphasized the need for a holistic approach to address causes of suicide in Nigeria.
He stated this on Saturday at 2019 World Mental Health Day celebration tagged “Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention as a Global Challenges” organized by the hospital.
According to Sale, “the increasing rate of suicides should be a source of concern for stakeholders including governments, families, policy-makers and organisations to look at the causative factors of suicide with a view to addressing them”.
The Associate Professor of Psychiatry and certified Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist with both subspecialty post fellowship qualification in Child and Adolescent psychiatry from the College of Medicine of South Africa (CMSA).
He also holds an M.Phil degree in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
He disclosed that suicide was more common among adults and young adolescents between 15 and 39 years of age.
He said, “suicide should not be viewed as only mental health problem because the menace is becoming a global concern.
” Suicide is the commonest cause of death among young people nowadays,” he said.
The medical expert said the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that about 800,000 people die annually from suicide worldwide.
” WHO indicated that over 78 per cent of suicide occurred in low and medium-income countries in 2015, and that 1.4 per cent of all deaths worldwide is attributed to suicide.
”Nigeria ranked high among suicide-prone nations in the world, and that 80 Nigerians committed suicide between April 2017 and May” He noted.
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He, however, identified depression, emotional trauma, economic challenges, neglect, financial imbalance, joblessness, among others, as some possible causes of suicide.
According to him, peer group rejection, low self-esteem, academic and relationship failure, family discords can lead to suicide among young people.
Sale, also a Master Trainer with the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and a focal person as well as International Certified Addiction Professional (ICAP), described mental health education as a tool to curb the rising tides of suicide in Nigeria.
He explained that substance abuse constitute a high percentage cause to mental health disorders and appealed for more attention to mental health as being given to other areas such as HIV/AIDS, maternal health and others.
“The rate of suicide incidence in Nigeria today is no doubt alarming and very disturbing.
”Indicators revealed that younger ones are not excluded from the worrying trend,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Medical Director has urged parents, teachers and guardians to train their teenagers on emotional management skills.
He advised people to always try to live in simple lifestyles and equip themselves with strategies for coping with challenging situations that pose a threat to their mental wellbeing.
” The government have their crucial role to play in collaboration with community groups in the society including individuals with the sole responsibility of working together to prevent suicide” Sale added.
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