Suicide, preventable public health emergency – Experts

The consensus at the Asido Foundation 2023 World Suicide Prevention Day celebration is that suicide is a public health emergency and that its incidence is increasing, particularly among younger people below age 30, even though it is preventable.

Founder of the Asido Foundation, Dr Jibril Abdulmalik, stated that suicide is a reality because every 40 seconds, someone intentionally takes his own life and, as far back as 11 years ago, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared suicide as a public health emergency.

Abdulmalik, a consultant psychiatrist, said a million people every year commit suicide globally, with 80 to 90 percent of the cases due to a background mental illness, especially depression, that was undiagnosed, detected, or treated.

He stated that lack of reliable national data, peer pressure, drug abuse, a low level of resilience, and poor handling of emotional relationships were challenges in stemming cases in Nigeria, despite the increasing incidence of suicide among young people and being the second leading cause of death after accidents and violence in this age range.

Dr Gbonjubola Abiri, director of women’s mental health at the Asido Foundation, described suicide as a public health concern, adding that the more people are aware and informed about it, the better they will be able to take action on its prevention.

She said people whose spirits are broken, individuals with mental health disorders not diagnosed, detected, and treated, those who are not loved, those who do not have the right support or the right information, or people around them have a risk for suicide.

Abiri said the loss from suicide is huge, adding that individuals need to know the warning signs, be aware of the issue, and know how to intervene to prevent it from happening.

“The biggest warning sign is no sign; someone can actually be suicidal, and you cannot tell because they look happy and they seem not to be having issues with anything going on in their lives. But their thought pattern, emotional state, and behaviour may also raise red flags.

“Many verbalise their desire to die, being a burden to others, feeling emptiness and hopelessness, and being withdrawn from friends and activities they once enjoyed. Some purposefully engage in activities that could bring them harm. Some display extreme mood swings, including turning to substance abuse, especially alcohol.

“So, it is extremely important that we are aware of ourselves as individuals and the people around us so that when we start to see subtle changes in their behaviour, appearance, and attitude to life and how it is that they relate with us, we know that perhaps something is going on wrong,” she said.

 

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