By; MATTHEW UKACHUNWA, Lagos
Every country across the globe has been advised to initiate a multi-sectoral suicide prevention strategy..
World Health Organization (WHO) made recommendation in expression of concern over rising suicide rate globally, stressing that suicide is preventable.
“Suicide is a serious public health problem, however, suicides are preventable with timely, evidence-based and often low-cost interventions. For national responses to be effective, a comprehensive multisectoral suicide prevention strategy is needed, WHO stated.
In its March 2017 fact sheet, the world’s health organ, disclosed that close to 800,000 people die due suicide every year. It said that for every suicide there are many more people who attempt suicide every year. “A prior suicide attempt,” WHO stressed, “is the single most important factor for suicide in the general population.”
WHO also declared that suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-29-year olds.
According to it, 78 per cent of global suicide occur in low- and middle-income countries.
Ingestion of pesticide, hanging and firearms are among the most common methods of suicide all over the world, WHO said.
“While the link between suicide and mental health disorders (in particular, depression and alcohol use disorders} is well established in high-income countries, many suicides happen impulsively in moments of crisis with a breakdown in the ability to deal with life stresses, such as financial problems, relationship break-up or chronic pain and illness,” WHO explained while highlighting those at risk of suicide.
In addition, experiencing conflict disaster, violence, abuse or loss and a sense of isolation are strongly associated with suicidal behavior, WHO asserted.
“Suicide rates,” it narrated, “are also high among vulnerable groups who experience discrimination, such as refugees and migrants, indigenous peoples, lesbians, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, intersex (LGBTI} persons and prisoners. By far the strongest risk factor for suicide is a previous suicide attempt.”
A Nigeria psychiatrist, Dr. Adegboyea Ogunlusi, expressed view regarding Nigeria’s handling of attempted suicide patient, saying that criminalization of the act compounds the problem.
He said that decriminalization of attempted suicide has become necessary, and therefore, recommended a sympathetic approach in handling patients of attempted suicide.
“Attempted suicide remains criminalized by virtue of Section 327 of the Criminal Code and the hapless victim risks imprisonment for one year, Ogunlesi said.
He declared that evidence abounds that a significant number of those who make attempt to terminate their lives may have a wide range of psychological (and social) pathologies that push them tom cliff of mental disequilibrium, such that they resort to such a seeming absurdity.
“For some of these, the attempt on their lives is a cry for help or attempt bt their disturbed minds to draw attention to their distress, a refklection of poor coping strategies, impulsive personality traits, a failed suicide attempt by a hopeless depressed patient and morbid self-punishment.”
He asked: “What sense does it make, for example, sentencing to prison an accused who in a bout of depression makes an attempt to terminate his life as a consequence of his depressive gloom, but fails to succeed in his mission?”
Ogunlesi, a retired Provost/Chief Medical Director, Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, pointed out that attempted suicide has been decriminalized “in other psychologically sophisticated jurisdictions.”
He argued that the ideal is that Nigeria’s legislation should be amended so that those who attempted suicide “should merely be diverted from the penal route to the medical route. They should be taken to hospitals where it should be mandatory that they see a mental health professional in addition to any need to see any other medical specialist.”
