Intensify Education On Suicide In Ghana

Suicide is an act of intentionally causing one's own death . Paramount among the risk factors is untreated depression.

Many persons ( especially the adolescent classes ) , terminate their lives without substantial reasons .

It is becoming an alarming cause of death in the Ghanaian society of late , as many out there opts for suicide as the end of challenges in life .

In a statement issued by the Mental Health Authority ( M.H.A ) , on September 2015 , it could be deduced that the rate of suicide in Ghana can be be reduced if the society and counselling centres ( mostly in schools ) play their roles with efficiency.

Attempted suicide is not in any case a criminal issue , neither is it a moral or spiritual problem but a cry for aid just to help resolve psychosocial issues .

It will interest you and I know that , the World Health Organization ( W.H.O ) revealed list of suicide rates by countries in 2015 , which was updated in April 2017 and Ghana placed 79th out of 186 countries .

In 2016 , twenty-eight ( 28 ) males and forty( 40 ) females committed suicide .

In the same year , a ten year old boy hunged himself after failing exams .

From my careful analysis , I found out that , Ghana placed 38th on the African continent , with our neighboring country , Ivory Coast in the lead as far as suicide in Africa is concerned . Having further narrowed it down to West Africa , Ghana placed eleventh ( 11th ) out of 18 countries as victimised countries of suicide .

Globally , one person commits suicide every forty ( 40 ) seconds ,ending up in eight hundred thousand ( 800 , 000 ) suicides every year .

Ghana , from the above analysis stands at high risk of suicide rampancy in the absence of intensified education .

Lecturers , students , teachers , doctors and all manner of personalities stands the risk of this canker if not properly addressed .

A child as low as ten ( 10 ) years in age committed suicide in 2016 after failing exams ,

a teacher as high as 36 years in age committed suicide , and a lecturer ( University of Health and Allied Sciences , UHAS , Ho ) did the same .

This indeed , is an obvious and an undeniable indication of the gradual breakdown in our guidance and counseling services in our dear nation .

INDICATIONS OF POSSIBLE SUICIDE
1. Talking about feeling hopeless and / or having no purpose .

2. Someone feeling trapped or being in unbearable pain

3. Being a burden to others
4. Withdrawing or feeling isolated .
5. Financial loss
6. Loss of relationship
7 . Absence of social support
8 . Cultural and religious belief
Permit Me To Highlight Few Causes of Suicide .
1. Failure of being each other's keepers .
We have individually , as friends failed to help solve each others' problems leading to suicide as the only means of finding an end to social challenges

2. Poor advertisement of suicide- related issues on the social media .

We have as a nation , not done enough or gone far in respect of advertisements revolving around suicide-related issues which would have otherwise yielded solution to problems of the citizenry .

3. Youth unemployment
Youth unemployment in Ghana , causes many youth to involve themselves in this act since they underestimate themselves in trying to compare themselves to others even after education.

4. Being isolated in the form of stigmatisation
People intensionally cause their own death in a bid to find solutions to their loneliness . This mostly happens in schools and social places of endeavor .

5. Marital instability
Married couple have problems in their marriage .
It is therefore the responsibility of marriage counsellors to prepare the minds of would-be couple prior to their marriage to control the alarming rate of the canker .

6. Poor parental communication
Many parents of late , do not take the time and the pain to comprehend their wards in petty issues . This affects negatively , the child's reaction towards the problem and push the child to do what life has not offered him / her to do .

7. Emotionally unsupportive family
Some families do not support their members on emotional grounds . This makes these members feel less important in the family and choose to terminate their lives .

8. Financial loss
Many people make lifetime investments ,in anticipation of hoping to reap the output in high hopes , some encounter financial losses with least expectancy .

Most of these persons tend to commit suicide since they have no other alternatives of rising .

9 . Poor / absence of recreational facilities
Some recreational facilities are meant for stabilising the mental conditions of people in stressful times .It makes them reflect over good things ahead of them and in turn give hope to the hopeless .

10. Lower levels of education .
People who do not go higher in life by reason of one or two obstacles tend to attach low significance to their personality as they watch their colleagues climb the academic ladder ahead of them .This sentiments discourage them and make them feel worthless . As this persists deviod of counselling services , the individual commits himself / herself to suicide .

What We Can Do To Curb This Alarming Canker
1. School - based programs including culture to help students develop social , emotional , and behavioural skills to establish positive and healthy relationships .

2. Age - appropriate infant and toddler care
3. Post school programmes to provide tutoring just to improve academic performance .

4. Activities that improve knowledge and. Understanding of healthy dating relationships

5. Classroom - based health curriculums that teach ways of coping with loss and disappointments , and studying signs of depression .

6. Establishment of business improved / favoured environment to increase community employment opportunities that are available .

7 . Schools must create , implement , monitor and carefully evaluate policies to check and prevent bullying behaviour .

Let us join hands against suicide and our country , Ghana will be a conducive place for us all when we institute guidance and counseling centres in place . It takes you and I , to prevent that friend from perishing .

Thank you .......
Your Humble Servant
BEDZRA OSCAR KOMLA
UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION WINNEBA (CAGRIC) LEVEL 300
BSC. AGRICULTURE SCIENCE EDUCATION