Say No to Suicidal feeling: Thousands die every day of suicide, a thing one can avoid

Stop committing suicide

Life is precious and it wise to protect every aspect of it whether consciously or unconsciously. Sharing your problems with trusted people such as counsellors, psychological experts, medical experts, good religious leaders are good remedy to suicidal feelings.

The World Health Organization (WHO) in a 2023 report estimates that over 700 000 people every year commit suicide world wide.

In Ghana, it is estimated that about "1500 suicide cases are reported annually", and in every reported case of suicide, four out of such as cases are unreported, summing the number of unreported cases to 6000 yearly according to an Iranian Journal Public Health report 2019.

Suicide is a crucial public health problem with far-reaching social, emotional and economic consequences. It is a feeling that can affect anyone of any age, gender or background and at any time.

Most people commit suicide on different basis. Some of the reasons attributed to the cause of suicide globally are suggested to be a feeling of hopelessness, worthlessness, lost a of dear one, isolation, rejection, amongst others.

Ig-Tech Media Network in an interview with some people within the Ga North Municipality to ascertain their knowledge on suicide had these responses;

Enock Yaw Boateng, a taxi driver at Ofankor said, "To me suicide is a mental problem. People who commit suicide maybe mentally ill".

According to Enock, he would consider suicide as a mental health problem because he doesn’t believe a normal human being would commit suicide.

Introducing a new angle to the conversation, Baba Ali, a Kola nut trader, suggested that loneliness could cause someone to kill himself.

"We are all born from families and everyone needs one another. When people feel rejected in a family it can lead them to suicide", he said.

"Assuming people in your family repeatedly describe you as a witch or wizard and they decide to cut ties with you, just like in the case of persons in the Gambaga dedicated Witches Camp, it is sad. Such predicaments can lead one to commit suicide", he added.

Yaa Donkor who is a trader inside Amamorley township said some parents are the cause of the mental problems their children face. According to her, some parents pamper the children too much so in their absence or dead, the children become desperate, and when they can do anything, the last resort is suicide.

"I have a younger sister whose son hanged himself to death because of the training my sister gave to the boy. He did everything for him including washing when he was 27 years. Even choosing a life partner, my sister told him there was no need. 'She's alive so the boy should not worry'. The boy got to 30 years. The mother opened a store and they were working together. Unfortunately, she passed away and the young man felt his world has come to an end because he had no friends to talk to and mingle due to the fact that my sister did not allow that. Sampson Yeboah hanged himself few days after the mother passed on", she narrated.

Information gathered from www.mind.org.uk on the causes of suicide, stated that, "bullying" can lead one to commit suicide. This can happen through insult, assault, prejudice or stigmatisation especially with race, gender, disability and an ailment.

Furthermore substance abuse can lead to suicide. The use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual and others.

According to a Citinewsroom online report, "Divorce and breakups" are some of the leading causes of suicide in Ghana". This was contained in a report of the Mental Health Authority in Ghana. In the report the authority also added that "graduate unemployment and financial distress" are factors which can be considered as the leading causes of suicide in Ghana.

The report according to the Authority said, "people between the ages of 16 and 35 years have been the most affected in recent times".

Preventing Suicide

The Criminal Offences Act of 1960, since its inception criminalized any attempt to commit suicide in Ghana.

However, this law was repealed and replaced with Act 29 which now decriminalizes suicide and proffer better solutions to suicide attempts.

The Association for Suicide Prevention Ghana (GASP) is of the view that suicide as government has recognised as a "mental health problem" and decriminalised it, was the right direction, but "that alone cannot necessarily lead to drastic reductions of the cases, unless there is the political will to equip health facilities and help centres with the needed logistics and personnel to be able to receive and support the increasing numbers of people who might want to go there to seek help.” GASP made this appeal in a statement commemorating World Suicide Prevention Day in a Joy Online report.

According to those visited in the Ga North Municipality, they were of the view that the awareness creation by health services and government is very minimal.

They argued that there is the need for government do well in the promotion of mental health and prevention of suicide, compared to the way they invest into political campaigns and other programmes of less national importance because many people are in mental trauma which can lead suicide if not properly handled.

"There should be more emphasis on mental education and pay attention to people suffering from mental or other issues related to marriage, relationships and cases of stigmatisation", Boahen Addo said.

"The economic situation in the country is too hard. Government should do something about it. We need jobs so that we can get a daily bread to support our family. And parents should allow their children to explore with guidance in order not to be misled", Yaa Donkor said.

To prevent suicide whether in Ghana or the world, it is a collective efforts by everyone. As governments do the needful to support health systems with the needed tools and personnel to address mental challenges and other issues related to depression, stress, drug abuse, marriage, isolation and rejection, racism and tribal, and culture discriminations; individuals with such challenges should visit the nearest medical centre or a proper counsellor for advise on difficult behaviours or interpersonal, family, marriage and relationship issues for solution.