‘Suicide is preventable tragedy,’ says Prof. Sheikh at Vanguard’s 3rd Mental Health Summit

The Continental Representative for Lifeline International, Prof. Taiwo Sheikh, has called for urgent nationalist attraction to the increasing complaint of termination successful Nigeria, describing it arsenic a preventable calamity that has reached a situation level.

Speaking arsenic the keynote talker astatine Vanguard’s 3rd Mental Health Summit held connected Friday astatine the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, Prof. Sheikh said: “I’m lasting present contiguous arsenic an advocate. Suicide everyplace is simply a preventable tragedy; it refers fundamentally to self-inflicted death. It is simply a concern 1 is compelled to extremity one’s beingness due to the fact that of the value 1 is experiencing, believing that erstwhile 1 exits, things volition beryllium better. If you look astatine the fig of those which are intentionally self-inflicted measures successful 100,000 people… If we look astatine the scope of the problem, termination has attained a planetary crisis.

“The UN has declared it a planetary crisis. It takes 16,000 lives yearly — nary different information takes specified lives, not Boko Haram, others — and yet Nigeria has not declared it arsenic a crisis.”

Prof. Sheikh noted that globally, 1 successful each 100 deaths is caused by suicide, with Africa signaling the highest complaint successful the world.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), termination is the 3rd starring origin of decease among radical aged 15 to 29 worldwide, and the 2nd starring origin successful Africa, lone down roadworthy accidents, with astir 15 cases per 100,000 people.

In Nigeria, WHO estimates suggest that astir 15,000 radical dice by termination annually, though the existent fig is apt higher owed to wide underreporting and criminalisation of termination attempts.

Citing a caller tragedy, Prof. Sheikh said, “For each 1 termination death, astir 20 to 25 others person attempted and failed — and if they failed once, they mightiness effort it again.”

Experts astatine the acme urged the Nigerian authorities to decriminalise attempted suicide, grow entree to intelligence wellness care, and put successful aboriginal involution systems to forestall avoidable deaths.

The station ‘Suicide is preventable tragedy,’ says Prof. Sheikh astatine Vanguard’s 3rd Mental Health Summit appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.