Declare suicide national crisis, FG charged

…Don’t incorporated decriminalisation measure into Mental Health Act — Sheikh

…Criminalisation of termination successful Nigeria outdated, doesn’t prevention lives — Ekpenyong

….Hardship, insecurity, clime alteration deepening intelligence wellness situation — Deborah Omage

By Ebunoluwa Sessou, Providence Ayanfeoluwa & Cynthia Alo

A renowned psychiatrist, argumentation reformer, and world person astatine the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Taiwo Sheikh, has called connected the Federal Government to state termination a nationalist crisis, stressing the urgent request for a broad termination prevention instrumentality successful Nigeria.

Sheikh, who is besides the Continental Representative for Lifeline International, made the telephone portion delivering the keynote code astatine the Vanguard Mental Health Summit 3.0, held successful Lagos.

Speaking connected the alarming emergence of termination cases successful Nigeria, helium described the concern arsenic a preventive calamity that should ne'er beryllium trivialised.

“Nigeria indispensable state termination a nationalist crisis. Suicide is preventable, but our effect has been weak. We request a coordinated, nationalist termination prevention instrumentality and strategy that prioritises intelligence wellness and protects susceptible groups,” helium said.

Sheikh noted that portion intelligence unwellness often contributes to suicidal behaviour, termination itself is not a intelligence illness, but alternatively a analyzable result of intertwined psychological, social, and economical factors.

“Mental unwellness is portion of suicide, but termination is not intelligence illness. It is linked to multiple, intricate, and intersecting psychosocial conditions,” helium explained.

Citing caller data, Sheikh revealed that a termination occurs each 33 minutes successful Nigeria, informing that the concern could worsen without contiguous argumentation involution and concern successful intelligence wellness infrastructure.

“There are galore young radical moving astir with untreated intelligence wellness conditions successful our communities. Mental wellness is the instauration of bully wellness — without it, you cannot marque viable choices,” helium said.

He lamented the lack of a national fund enactment for intelligence health, noting that lone Lagos, Ekiti and Kaduna States presently person directorates dedicated to intelligence wellness care.

“Nigeria has nary nationalist fund for intelligence health, which is unacceptable. Only a fewer states person taken the initiative. This neglect is costing lives,” helium said.

The psychiatrist urged policymakers to leverage exertion successful engaging young people, pointing retired that galore youths are reluctant to talk openly astir intelligence wellness struggles.

 “We request to make harmless integer platforms wherever young radical tin explicit themselves freely. They don’t similar to talk out, and that soundlessness is deadly.”

“We indispensable bring termination retired of the shadows. It’s clip to look it arsenic a nationalist exigency that affects families, communities, and the aboriginal of our nation,” helium concluded.

Don’t subsume termination decriminalisation  measure into Mental Health Act — Sheikh

In a related development, Sheikh cautioned against moving the termination measure that is earlier National Assembly and subsume it into the National Mental Health Act, saying it is wrong.

Speaking astatine the Summit,  Sheikh said authorities indispensable beryllium held accountable connected policies connected intelligence health, adjacent arsenic helium argued that the nonsubjective of the National Mental Health Act is astir those who person intelligence illness.

“That instrumentality is for radical nether the assemblage of intelligence wellness condition.

So if you subsume termination prevention instrumentality into the Mental Health Act, it means if you bash not person a diagnosis of intelligence illness, that instrumentality volition not support you. That is what it means. And we archer those who are doing this that, that cannot work.

“We request to basal the law, a broad termination prevention instrumentality successful Nigeria that takes attraction holistically of thing astir suicide, including post-prevention.

Care for relations of those who person died of termination oregon attempted termination and decriminalisation of attempted suicide.

“That is what the instrumentality should be. To acceptable up a money for termination prevention, code the societal determinants of termination among youn...