Stopping The Suicide Nonsense; The Responsibility Of All

The spate and the successive trend of suicide cases recorded in the country recently is alarming and needs attention asap. Indeed, taking one's own life isn't the right approach to deal with issues battling one's mind.

Individuals who normally commit these horrible crimes often have been battling with certain medical conditions and problems they find very difficult to discuss with others about. Perhaps, it is their inability to discuss these pressing issues with others that led them to take their life in such a miserable way. For this reason, the act must receive the greatest condemnation it deserve, nevertheless, we must not be quick to judge or question why people have to take their own lives.

Some few weeks ago, A first-year Chemical Engineering student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) committed suicide in her hostel leaving school authorities appalled. Miss Adwoa Agyarka Anyimadu-Antwi, took her life at her hostel room with a rope.

In a related development, Jennifer Nyarko, a final year consumer science student at the university of Ghana has also died mysteriously. She died after allegedly jumping from the fourth floor of her Akuafo Hall Annex A room 407 and was found with severe head injuries.

Of course, these two tragic deaths in Ghana's two prestigious universities have send fear among every well meaning Ghanaian. Moreover, parents having their wards in the various schools in Ghana begun to live in fear and panic due to the successive trend it is taking.

Suicide in most jurisdictions are perpetrated by psychological problems and other forms of unbearable medical conditions. Nonetheless, for the purpose of this write up, I will limit myself to some human behaviours and negligence on our part as people that push people around us to do the unthinkable.

Firstly, I would like to take on Parents. I strongly believe that negligence on the part of some Parents and their inability to have full control over their wards is a possible factor. Parents who fail in providing parental guidance to their children normally go astray, hence luck good upbringing. Some of these children refuse or luck the will power to discuss their feelings to us because we refused to allow them to get closer to us. Some Parents are just extremely inconsiderate and aggressive with their children and the people around them, thus making them feel isolated and neglected. With regards to this, children fail to open up to their Parents with the fear of being rebuked. It will shock you to know that some of these youths confide in their peers than parents. Therefore, parental irresponsibility is capable of pushing children to contemplate suicide in their quite moments as they have nobody to discuss their pressing issues with.

Again, School authorities are the next to blamed for the negative conducts by some students. You will agree that school authorities are the next group of people children spend most of their time with, apart from their parents. This is so because they spend all the days in school learning different disciplines. Despite all these time spent with the school authorities, they fail to organize effective and resilient counselling sessions to these children entrusted into their hands. Rather, they expect these children to walk personally into their offices to receive that services. In as much as I agree that these students can equally walk into the office of these school authorities, I am of the view that our educational institutions should rather be organising a compulsory counselling sessions for these students.

Also, Deppression can possibly impel one to commit suicide. Some people naturally when in a state of depression or frustration lose their sense of reasoning considering what they have been through. It could possibly be; accusing someone falsly, persecution, miserable mistakes, disappointment relating to business, being jilted etc. All the aforementioned scenarios can put somebody in a state of depression which can lead to the person ending his/her own life because there was no absolute control of the mind or the person's failure to discuss the problem with others for advice.

I can say for a fact that the above factors cannot be underestimated when it comes to the possible causes of suicide. They have the tendency of forcing depressed people to take their lives without a cause. Even though, they are minor things we overlooked.

However, Suicide has diverse effects on parents, society and country to a larger extent. parent invested and channelled so much into their children to become breadwinners for their family But some, due to what they experienced in life, will decide to end it all. Unfortunately, some of the people who lose their lives in such a mysterious way might be future leaders for this country. When this happens, every sensitive homosapien become so emotional knowing the role such people could have played for their country. As a result, family and friends of peole who "succeed" in committing suicide often suffer terribly as they struggle to believe why their beloved has to die such a mysterIous death.

I want to personally take the opportunity to applaud the Mental Health authority (MHA) for coming out with a help line for people who need psychological help or are contemplating suicide. This initiative by (MHA) is a step in the right direction, hence must be commended.

I think we have reach a stage where authorities of the various Religious Bodies must rise up to the task. Religious leaders can help curb the menace. Clearly, if Religious authorities devote a day out of every week to raise awareness and offer deep counselling session for members, these mysterious deaths might have reduced drastically.

Parents cannot be left out in the fight against suicide. Parenting is not a joke. It comes with serious responsibility. In the light of this, parents must endeavour to allow their wards to get access to them at all times to augment their communication. By this, they can open up to you when they are battling with personal issues. By offering constructive advise or counsel to their problems, you conspicuously save their soul from destruction.

In conclusion, school authorities must also join in the crusade to battle the increasing rate of suicide cases in our educational setups especially. It is often said "If Mohammed will not go to the mountain, the mountain must come to Mohammed." In effect, school authorities must not wait on the students to come under their feet for counselling, rather they (the school authorities ) can equally organize counselling sessions for the students to get deep understanding on how to handle some personal issues or mistakes they have committed.

YES! We can do better than this. Let's be proactive. By this, I mean let us find solution and eradicate the recent rampant and horrific deaths by coming up with policies and programmes that will help curb the devilish phenomenon called suicide.

Let's champion a course against this and raise serious awareness on it.

SAY NO TO SUICIDE NOW!
BY: Felix Kwaku-Dua