Statistics from the mental health unit of the Ghana Health Service in the Upper East Region have shown that since January 2018 to June 2021, a total of 32 persons have died by suicide in the region. Within the period, 374 persons also attempted suicide.
The breakdown shows that 8 persons died by suicide between January and June 2021. Within the same period, 50 persons attempted suicide.
Within the same period in 2019, 4 persons died by suicide while 39 attempted suicide while within the same period in 2020, 54 persons attempted suicide with 4 deaths.
Year by year figures from 2018 to 2020 showed that in 2018 116 persons attempted suicide with 5 deaths. In 2019, 101 attempted suicide cases were recorded with 7 deaths and in 2020, 107 attempted suicide cases were recorded with 12 deaths. This means from 2018 to 2020, 24 persons died by suicide. If this figure is added to the 8 deaths recorded from January to June this year, it gives a total of 32 deaths for the three-and-half years with 374 attempted cases.
Upper East Regional Mental Health Officer, Edem Quashie Ameglah revealed these worrying figures when A1 Radio’s William Nlanjerbor Jalulah sought information on suicide cases in the region which he used and produced a documentary which was aired on World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10.
Titled, “Suicide: Not an Option”, the documentary highlighted the worrying trends of suicide in the region and Ghana at large and the need to create awareness on suicide prevention.
In an interview, Dickson Baba Nsoh, the only Clinical Psychologist in the Upper East Region, working at the Regional Hospital, said causes of suicide are mainly psychosocial in nature. He explained that there are some people who would attempt or die by suicide because they have mental health related issues while there are others who would also attempt suicide or die by it because there are social underpinnings.
He said, “One most important thing that will drive people to attempt or die by suicide is depression. Depression is one of the major causes of suicide. In the extreme form of depression, people always have suicidal thoughts. In what we call severe depression, people always have suicidal thoughts and if the appropriate intervention is not given, they will end up by attempting. The other thing that will lead them to attempt or die by suicide is one mental health condition which we call psychosis. Psychosis means the person is having mental a health condition where hallucinations and dilutions are present. And mostly what happens is that, once hallucinations and dilutions are present, the person is being driven by the voices. Hallucinations are either visuals or auditory. Visual means they see things that no one else sees. Auditory means, they hear voices that none hears. Such voices sometimes can be commanding and by commanding, it can be telling the person; do this, do this; this is the right thing for you to do. So once the voice tells you to attempt, you are likely to attempt. So the psychological and the mental health perspective, these are the major two underlying reasons for which people may attempt suicide.”
Mr Nsoh said per his experience as a clinical psychologist in the region, relationship issues top the list of causes of suicide and attempted suicide. According to him, most of his clients who have attempted suicide have problems in their relationships and in the end, they have attempted suicide. Some have actually died by suicide due to problems in their relationships.
He also named gambling as a cause of attempted suicide among the youth. Majority of them have told me that they have now become addicted to gambling – that is a way of making ends meet because they are not working. To the extent that the little money they get, goes into gambling and they have also confessed that that activity is not rewarding. People use their mobile phones to engage in gambling especially what we call betting. They always tell me the go to the bet centers, the little money that is with them, they exhaust it there. Some don’t even go but the little money that is in their mobile money wallet they end up using it.
Prince Yeboah, a Mental Health Nurse at the Bongo District Hospital, said substance abuse – marijuana, tramadol, alcohol is a cause. He also named family history of suicide or attempted suicide, lack of jobs, domestic violence among others as causes of suicide in the area.
According to Mr Yeboah, most suicide and attempted suicide cases are not reported due to the stigma attached to suicide and the fact that attempted suicide is a criminal offense in Ghana.
In fact, under The Criminal Code of Ghana (Act 29 of Ghana, Section 57; Subsection II, 1960) provides that “whoever attempts to commit suicide shall be guilty of a misdemeanour.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Burden of Disease study estimate that almost 800,000 people die from suicide every year. That translates into one person dying of suicide every 40 seconds. Hallucinations are either visuals or auditory. Visuals means, they see things that no one sees. Auditory means, they hear voices that no one hears. Such voices sometimes can be commanding and by commanding, it can be telling the person; do this, do this. This is the right thing for you to do. So once the voice tells you to attempt, you are likely to attempt. So the psychological and mental health perspective these are the major two underlining reasons for which may attempt suicide.”
According to International Association for Suicide Prevention, one in every 100 deaths worldwide is the result of suicide. Globally, Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in 15-19-year-olds.
Suicide is death caused by self-directed injurious behavior with any intent to die as a result of the behavior. Suicide attempt is a non-fatal self-directed potentially injurious behavior with any intent to die as a result of the behavior. A suicide attempt may or may not result in injury.
Suicide can affect every one of us. Every suicide is devastating and has a profound impact on those around them. However, by raising awareness, reducing the stigma around suicide and encouraging well-informed action, we can reduce instances of suicide around the world.
It was against this background that the International Association for Suicide Prevention in 2003 in Sweden, teamed up with the WHO and created International Suicide Prevention Day. The goal of the day is to shine a light on the problem in hopes of reaching people who are struggling before it’s too late. Each year, World Suicide Prevention Day has a different theme. For 2021, that theme was “creating hope through action.”
The documentary was an initiative of A1 Radio and supported by Youth Harvest Foundation Ghana, a non-profit organisation based in Bolgatanga.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Ghana
