• Experts warn of dangers ahead, chart way forward
By Cosmas Omegoh
These are arduous times for many Nigerians currently going through various forms of hardship. Many are experiencing severe mental health challenges that are forcing them to sink into the miry waters of depression, teetering at the brink. Most cannot help themselves.
Meanwhile, experts on mental health-related issues are focusing discussions on the scourge and what the citizenry can do now to stay safe.
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What the issues are
Recently, the Chairman, Board of Fellows (BOF) Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) Mr Uche Apakama, raised the alarm that “approximately 40 million Nigerians or 20 per cent of the population are affected by mental illness.”
He told our correspondent that an estimated one in four Nigerians or over 50 million people experience mental health issues at some point in their lives.
He warned that some of the severe mental health conditions Nigerians are facing, some of which come in the form of depression, anxiety, drugs and substance abuse are on the rise.
Meanwhile, writing in Medtigo Journal Network, Abba Shuaibu Abubakar and Sanusi Abubakar informed that “depression is a mental health disorder characterised by a persistent feeling of sadness, emptiness, and a lack of interest in or pleasure in activities.”
The duo noted that depression can also lead to various physical and cognitive symptoms, such as changes in appetite, sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating, and feelings of worthlessness or guilt.
They added that “depression can range in severity from mild to severe, and can significantly impact a person`s daily life, relationships and overall well-being.”
Equally providing their perspective to the challenge, Nnaemeka Chukwudum Abamara and Onyinye Ezinne Ozongwu, in a recent Consortium Psychiatricum journal, noted that “suicide (which is), the deliberate act of ending one’s life, often serves as a desperate escape from unbearable suffering.”
Both observed that “the current situation in the country has exacerbated the already high rate of preventable deaths witnessed in the country.”
Our correspondent learnt that every now and then, some Lagos residents attempt death by plunging into the Lagos Lagoon. While some are rescued alive, some die before help can reach them.
Across the country, there are often reported cases of individuals dying either by hanging themselves on the tree or ingesting deadly substances.
In the recent past, some youths have reportedly either gone into depression through drug abuse, or committed suicide for obtaining poor grades or recoding failure in their examinations.
Even law enforcement agents are not left out. Some have been reported to have turned their guns on themselves for some undisclosed reasons.
Causes of mental health/depression challenges
According to investigations, the harsh economic challenges in the country are major contributors to the burgeoning plight of many.
Millions of families these days are barely able to cope with their many life challenges. Many heads of families can no longer provide for their households. Some have stretched their goodwill sources to the limit. With nowhere to turn to, and no one else to lend them a helping hand, they conclude that their lives have come to a screeching halt. They become mentally challenged. Some fall into depression and end up killing themselves.
A sociologist, Chike Onumajuru, while outlining the major challenges many now face, acknowledged that “a vast majority of our people is indeed passing through severe hardship.
“Most youths don’t have jobs,” he said. “So they take to crime, while some get depressed having resorted to drugs.
“Then what is the worth of the country’s currency, the naira,” he asked. “Its value is now next to nothing. That in itself is a big challenge to all.
“Then look at the cost of living. It is going through the roof right now. Most people are not able to access healthcare anymore. There is insecurity in the land; the daily news of corruption and the reckless lifestyle of politicians echo across the land; each one of them inspires depression in everyone.”
Onumajuru expressed sadness that “most people are waking up to hopelessness. The mere realisation that they cannot cope with life is crazy. So they get depressed; some gravitate towards suicide.”
According to him, “the end result is that many are succumbing to their challenges. These challenges show nobody any guns or knives, yet they kill.”
He warned that the issues affect people of every age, tribe, creed or gender, recalling that they are broad-based challenges that confront people in every walk of life.
How people kill themselves
Drawing from his Igbo truism, Onumajuru remarked that: “Every thought that ends in suicide was never entertained in just one day. It must have begun at the point someone started having mental health; they graduate to depression and then suicide.
“At some point the victim feels they are having a rough patch; they cannot deal with it. They then begin to feel they have had enough of the challenge. If there is no timely intervention, it ends in death by suicide.”
Mental health issues/suicide trends in the country
Between 2015 and now, virtually every Nigerian has experienced some form of new levels of hardships that have forced them to throw up their hands in surrender.
In support of the claim, a report by Dr Titilayo Tade, Deputy Director, Medical Social Services, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), and training coordinator, Suicide Research Prevention Initiative (SUPRIN) suggests that “the suicide rate in Nigeria in 2019 is 6.9 per 100,000, which is higher than the 6.5 rate in 2012 but under-reported or miscoded.”
The report adds that “other available evidence suggests that Nigeria’s suicide rate of 17.3 per 100,000 stands above the global 10.5/100,000 and that of Africa’s 12.0 per 100,000 estimates. This suicide figure may even be higher than estimated if there were to be proper reporting, documentation and statistics.”
A recent similar report done by Socialist Workers League notes that “World Health Organisation (WHO) estimate places the suicide rate for Nigeria at 17.3 per 100,000 population as against a global average of 10.3 per 100,000 population.”
The report further quotes WHO as saying that “suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 15 and 44 years, and the second for adolescents between ages 15 and 19 years.”
Additionally, in a report in late 2024, a professor and Consultant Psychiatrist at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof. Adesanmi Akinsulore, revealed that Nigeria ranks sixth globally among countries with the highest suicide rates.
The expert said that men accounted for 79 per cent of suicides, noting that the women were more disposed to entertaining suicidal thoughts. He added the need to urgently address the matter especially among students, revealing that there is one suicide for every 25 attempts.
At last year’s gathering to mark World Suicide Prevention Day, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, acknowledged that “the suicide rate in Africa is 11.2 per cent, 100,000 deaths higher than the global average of 9.0 percent per 100,000, while the available data on suicide rate in Nigeria is at 12.9 per cent per 100,000 deaths.”
Speaking on the theme, Changing the Narrative on Suicide, he remarked that “suicide rates are mostly high among young people aged between 15 and 29 years, and it’s the fourth leading cause of death among young people in Africa, accounting for 40 percent of all suicide deaths.
“These data may not reflect the actual prevalence of suicide in Africa, as under-reporting and stigma surrounding mental health issues remain huge barriers against accurate reporting.”
Recipe for mental health/suicide
Concerns on how to prevent mental health and suicide in the country need to take Minister Pate’s words into account.
According to Pate, “changing the narrative means we must shift from focusing solely on the tragedy of suicide to the hope of prevention and from taboos, stigma and discrimination to empathy and positive cultural change, as well as from punishment and ostracism to lending helping hands and support. Also, we must shift from sensational reporting to sensitive reporting guided by proper ethical standards.
“By changing how we talk about suicide, we can break down the barriers that prevent people from reaching out for support. We can create a culture where mental health challenges are met with compassion rather than judgment, where every person feels valued and supported, and where the dignity of life is upheld.”
In a bid to help Nigerians stay safe, Apakama had noted that “the right thing for us to do as individuals is to begin to assess ourselves” further suggesting that “self-assessment is the best approach to resolving our individual mental health issues.
“This has to be done at very early stages before things get bad. That is why sometimes we see that young man, that young girl getting crazy. We should be able to move quickly to address and resolve the issues that affect us. We need to take personal responsibility for our individual and also collective mental health.”
Contributing to the recipe, a psychologist, Nelson Omawunmi, told our correspondent that given the debilitating challenges in the country at the moment, every Nigerian needed to be their “brother’s keeper.”
“Social media posts should not be a criterion for assessing anyone’s mental health in these austere times,” he remarked.
“Indeed, people are going through a lot. That phone call to your friend/relative can change a lot.
“That N5,000 you send to someone in dire need might mean more than a whole world to them. It might make a world of difference in their lives.”
The post How Nigerians can survive mental health, suicide scourge appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.
