WORLD SUICIDE DAY 2020
Close to 800,000 people die to suicide every year¹ and nearly 3,000 people on average daily, that’s not to mention the number of attempted suicides which is twice as much as the successful ones. ³That means that one person takes his or her life every 40 seconds worldwide. ¹,²Suicide is known to be the second leading cause of death all over the world for youths aged 15-29 years. ¹,²The World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed that Nigeria had the highest suicide rate among African countries in 2016 with over 17,000 lives lost to suicide².
The figure puts Nigeria as the 6th country in the world and the leading country in Africa with the highest suicide rate (those stories you heard of students and individuals drinking sniper or jumping into the lagoon actually did happen and there are many cases that you didn’t get to see in the news or on social media); followed by Ethiopia and South Africa with 7,323 and 6,476 cases respectively.²
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. 6Suicide is not some abstract thing portrayed in movies, it happens among us and we need to know about it. It’s a public health problem. It not only affects the people taking their own lives, it affects their families and loved ones too. The good thing is that it can be avoided if people are more aware and less judgmental, but more sensitive to people showing such traits so that preventive measures can be taken. The truth is, people who are considering suicide often talk about it to someone in their lives. But these people either do not get the hints or they never take them seriously. It is important for everyone to know how to recognise the warning signs of suicidal behaviour or tendencies in people as well as quick actions that can be taken against it.
Who is at risk of suicide?
Anyone can be at risk of suicide but there are certain factors that contribute more to it including
• Previous attempts at suicide.
• Depression and other mental health disorders.
• Alcohol or drug misuse.
• Family history of a mental health disorder.
• Family violence, including physical or sexual abuse.
• Having guns in the home.
• Being in or having recently gotten out of prison or jail.
• Being exposed to others' suicidal behavior, such as a family member, peer, celebrity, or literature or movie content romanticising suicide
• News of medical illness, such as cancer
• Stressful life event, such as a job loss, financial problems or debts, loss of a loved one, a breakup of a relationship, etc.
• Self isolation
• Bullying
• Poor body or self
• Failure in exams or important venture
Signs that show that someone is becoming suicidal:
1. Saying things like, ‘No-one will miss me when I’m gone.’ This happens to be one of the most common sentences you would hear from people that are tending towards being suicidal. It isn't just a mere sentence that you should let slide. I can tell you there is more to this and whenever you hear this from a person, find an appropriate time and a quiet place to talk to the person without being judgmental or dismissive of their problems. Get them to open up to you and talk to them about getting professional help if it comes to that.
2. Saying goodbye to friends and family with statements like "You might not get to see me tomorrow." Some people back words like these with actions like giving away their personal belongings or writing a will. These things are not to be taken lightly and should be immediately acted upon. Talk to any person making such statements, remind the person of how much you love them and want to see them around.
3. Social media pattern or drastic changes in behavior and mood. I’ll tell a little story to explain this.
There’s this cousin of mine who was in a relationship with a guy but the guy ended up hurting her even after they had shared so much together. He refused to continue with the relationship, insulted, bullied and called her all sorts of names and said he was no longer interested in the relationship. She got depressed and started posting a lot of funny things on her social media pages. There was this particular day she put up a post saying, "Mummy I know you care so much and I'd miss you. Please forgive me." Immediately, I took that up and started talking to her and helped her get better.
This is just a few of many scenarios where people give hints about their suicidal tendencies and could have been helped if only people were more sensitive. People showing these hints should not be taken for granted because according to WHO4, many suicides happen impulsively. Going from suicidal thoughts to suicidal action occurs often spontaneously and unexpectedly. Therefore, you need to take action fast when you see someone tending towards this.
IS PATH WARM?
IS PATH WARM is an acronym created by the American Association of Suicidology to help counselors and the general public remember the warning signs of suicide.
Ideation: Threatening to hurt or kill self; looking for ways to die.
Substance Abuse: Increased or excessive substance use (alcohol or drugs)
Purposelessness: No reason for living; no sense of purpose in life
Anxiety: Anxiety, agitation; unable to sleep
Trapped: Feeling trapped, like there's no way out; resistance to help.
Hopelessness: Hopelessness about the future.
Withdrawal: Withdrawing from friends, family and society; sleeping all the time.
Anger: Rage, uncontrolled anger; seeking revenge.
Recklessness: Acting recklessly or engaging in risky activities, seemingly without thinking.
Mood Changes: Dramatic mood changes.
Suicide Prevention
As an individual, if you're concerned about a friend or loved one:
• Ask someone you are worried about if they're thinking about suicide. (While people may be hesitant to ask, research shows this is helpful.)
• Keep them safe. Reduce access to lethal means for those at risk.
• Be there with them. Listen to what they need.
• Help them connect with ongoing support.
• Stay connected. Follow up to see how they’re doing.8
Societally, suicide can be prevented by reducing people’s access to suicide methods or tools, depending on methods more peculiar to a population or society. This can be done by restricting access to and purchase of pesticides, building barriers on bridges, placing special regulations on individuals’ possession of firearms, etc.
Drugs, therapy and lifestyle changes are also recommended for treating and monitoring patients with mental illnesses or related emotional issues.
WSPD
World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) has been celebrated on the 10th day of September every year with various activities around the world since 2003. It is cosponsored by the World Health Organization and it aims to:
1.Raise awareness that suicide is preventable.
2.Improve education about suicide.
3.Spread information about suicide awareness.
4.Decrease stigmatization regarding suicide.
WSPD is not a public holiday but different events and activities are held on that day to create awareness, identify with those struggling with such tendencies and even remember those who died from suicide. You as an individual can use this day to take out time personally to talk to people around you who are depressed, struggling with a mental condition or just generally going through hard times.
Akinmusere Abimbola
Member NIMELSSA EDITORIAL TEAM 19/20
Sources;
1. https://www.humanium.org/en/how-can-we-help-the-youth-in-need-on-world-suicide-prevention-day/
2. https://www.icirnigeria.org/nigeria-has-highest-suicide-rate-in-africa-sixth-globally/
3. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/suicide
4. https://www.who.int/mental_health/suicide-prevention/world_report_2014/en/https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/world-suicide-prevention-day
5. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Suicide_Prevention_Day
6. Stedman's Medical Dictionary
7. https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMra1902944
8. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/suicide-prevention
9. Suicide: Suicidal Signs, Behavior, Risk ...healthline.com
10. https://unsplash.com/s/photos/suicide
11. James Donaldson on Mental Health ...
12. standingabovethecrowd.wordpress.com
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