Suicide: Measuring our Wellbeing with Pseudo Scales
An attempt to kill one’s self in response to a tragic or stressful situation, is termed ‘attempted suicide’ while a success in such attempt is referred to as ‘Suicide.’ This has profound effect on families especially when such attempt is successful, and when one survives, he or she battles other mental disorders.
For suicide not to be seen only as a storm in teacup, the International Association for Suicide Prevention in conjunction with world Health Organisation in 2003 slated 10th of september to annually commemorate what it termed ‘World Suicide Day’, where issues surrending suicide is discussed with the hope of ending the horrendous act.
This years event got me reminiscing on an incident that took place in my neighbourhood 3 years ago where a young girl, 9 years of age in Primary 4 sent herself to the grave by hanging. What would have prompted her? This question continues to resonate the minds of those unfortunate to see her hanging lifeless.
Seven hundred thousand people commit suicide yearly according the world health organisation (WHO) with 70% occurring in low and middle-income countries. WHO’s country representative to Nigeria, Dr Walter Mulombo said: “for every suicide, twenty (20) other people are making attempt and many more have the thought to commit same.”
Ingestion of pesticides, hanging and firearms are said to be the most common method of committing suicide globally. In high income countries, suicide has been associated with mental disorders like depression and alcohol use disorder while in low-income countries, life problems like financial crises, relationship break-ups, chronic pain and illness take credit – these are mostly associated with adults.
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Children on the other may become suicidal due to poor performance in school, coupled with pressure at home to do better, bullying, lossing friends and so forth.
Thanks to civilisation and technological advancement, people have become more and more isolated, while other try to emulate the more often pseudo lives of those on television set or social media site on computers and mobile phones. Mr A wants his child to be as smart as the child of Mr B, Mrs X wants her husband to be provide the sort of luxury Mr Y is providing for his family, Mr M wants his wife to be as dazzling as the wife Mr N, the list goes on, while still battling financial crisis and others.
While the authority is setting up mental healthcare centres, and organisations are trying to do same at work places, families need to start being the safe haven they ought to be for their members, parents should understand that failure for children is just okay when they have given their best while helping them to be the best version of themselves in the process.
Generally speaking, marriages, relationships, education, intelligence, social status and all that encompasses life should not be measured using the yardstick we see on the media, for as the saying goes, not all that glitters is gold.
Nigeria is a place where religion is held in high esteem therefore, religious leaders could take it upon themselves during sermons to discourage the Suicide, the haves remain humble and thankful for their possessions while the have nots should not despair, for whatever position they find themselves, there are others aspiring to get there.
Dale Carnegie, an American writer stated in one of his publications, “It is not what you have, who you are, where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.” Understanding this will go a long way in curtailing Suicide.
When all hands come on deck, then we would actually be “Creating Hope Through Action.”
Lawal Dahiru Mamman writes from Abuja and can be reached via [email protected]
