Only a massive reorientation and investment in mental health education can help in curbing the rising tide of suicide in Nigeria, some Consultant Psychiatrists at the Federal Neuropychiatric Hospital Yaba has said.
They made the call on Friday in Lagos, in commemoration of the 2019 World Mental Health Day, celebrated across the world on Thursday.
Dr Abdur-Rasheed Awesu, said mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. It affects how we think, feel, and act.
It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
According to Awesu, there is need to change the mindset of everyone on how to maintain a good health.
He said that family
and neighbours need to be up and doing, and as well be up to the task of
curbing the tide.
Also, Dr Veronic Nyamali, a psychiatrist, said that life should be seen from mixed
angles of good, sweet and bad.
Nyamali said suicide should not be an option to end one’s life, noting that the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s statistics show that one million people across the world die of suicide annually.
According to her, every 40 seconds, someone die and at every two seconds, someone is somewhere attempting to commit suicide.
Nyamali said that factors associated with suicide include: biological, medical, social, genetic and psychological.
She said that when these factors occurred, attention should be given to the families of the bereaved, not to be hammering on what the victim used in taken his or her life, such that we all know sniper now.
The psychiatrist enjoined the governments to put up a unit in the hospital environment to be dealing with cases of suicide as it was being done in accident emergency at all hospitals.
Nyamali said the media also have great role to play in the surge and should always help in the areas of information and keeping hope alive for whoever was passing through one challenge or the other.
