Varsity Don Laments Nigeria’s Suicide Rate, Sixth Globally; Bad Economy As Contributor

A Professor of Psychiatrist, Adesanmi Akinsulore has lamented the high rate of suicide in the country. The University don who teaches at the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, said Nigeria ranks sixth in the  in global suicide figures.

The university don and consultant made this known on Monday at a lecture organised by The Still Waters Mental Health Foundation, held at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Ogbomoso, Oyo State, noting that suicide which is a leading cause of death globally, among teenagers and youths between 15 and 29, is a serious problem that needed to be dealt with immediately.

The event, themed, “Navigating the Storm: Unraveling the Intricacies of Suicides Amongst Students was organised to provide lasting solutions to suicide problems among students, the organisers said.

Prof Akinsulore while calling for concerted efforst to tackle the menace, stated that Nigerian men were more prone to taking their own lives, as the suicide rates among them account for 79 percent  of suicides, adding that women are mostly prone to nursing suicide thoughts.

He cited factor such as school-related challenges, difficulties in accessing psychological care, stigma associated with seeking help, discrimination due to disabilities or physical differences, academic failure, and a lack of supportive school environments, amonsgt others as reasons while people commit suicide.

Other risk factors, the psychiatrist said include,  drug abuse, depression, anxiety, previous suicide attempts, self-injury, loneliness, isolation, and chronic illnesses.

He mentioned ways to mitigate the problem in the society to include, family and parental support, mentorship and authority’s support for students with suicide risks, describing the problem as a societal one that must be tackled through “collective responsibility.”

He noted,  “Navigating the storm is a collective responsibility. We must work together to create a supportive and inclusive environment that promotes student well-being and resilience,” he said.

According to the National Library of Science, Nigeria’s suicide rate of 17.3 per 100,000 stands above the global 10.5 per 100,000 and that of Africa’s 12.0 per 100,000 estimates

It said the figure may even be higher than the estimated if there were to be proper reporting, documentation, and statistics, adding that suicide in Nigeria is often not well reported and documented because of fear of stigmatization, cultural and religious sentiments, and the criminalization of suicide by the Nigerian constitution.

Meanwhile, mental health experts insist that the current economic hardship and sufferings in the country are key areas the government should consider as key factors leading to suicide, considering the number of persons who have taken their own lives because of the struggle to make ends meet.

“Dozens of Nigerians have taken their own lives, in the past eight years, due to the serious economic hardship in the country. Many people think that the next thing to do when things are hard is to comit suicide, to avoid shame from the family and public,” said John Folami, a psychiatrist.