Suicide in Nigeria

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Nigeria has one of the highest suicide rates in Africa. [1] According Deputy Director, Medical Social Services, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, and training coordinator, Suicide Research Prevention Initiative, SUPRIN, Dr. Titilayo Tade, the suicide rate in Nigeria in 2019 is 6.9/ 100,000, which is higher than 6.5 rate in 2012; but under-reported or miscoded. [2] Nigeria has the highest rate of suicide and depression in Africa, the current rate of suicide in Nigeria is 9.50% out of 100, 000 people [3]

Contents

Legislation

For every 100,000 people in Nigeria, according to the World Health Organization, there are 9.5 suicides. [4] Suicide is a crime in Nigeria, according to Section 327 of the Criminal Code Act, punishable by one year in prison. Section 326 of the same Criminal Code states that a person will be charged with a felony or liable to life imprisonment if he or she aids, counsels, procures another to kill himself. [5] [6] [7] [8] On February 15, 2022, House of Representatives made a strong move to replace one-year jail term with community service and counselling as punishment for attempted suicide [9]

Prevention

The Nigerian government has banned Sniper, an insecticide commonly used for suicides. [10] [11] Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, in March 2017 established the Suicide Research & Prevention Initiative and Staff Emotional Care Services, SURPIN/SECS in response to the increasing spate of suicide in the country. [12] A day has been set aside to observe the mental health and reasons for suicide. 10 September marks "World suicide prevention day", a series of programs line up to strengthen the need for preventing suicide globally. [13] The media has an important role to play in circulating information regarding health especially as it known to promote health literacy [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copycat suicide</span> Emulation of another suicide

A copycat suicide is defined as an emulation of another suicide that the person attempting suicide knows about either from local knowledge or due to accounts or depictions of the original suicide on television and in other media. The publicized suicide serves as a trigger, in the absence of protective factors, for the next suicide by a susceptible or suggestible person. This is referred to as suicide contagion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide prevention</span> Collective efforts to reduce the incidence of suicide

Suicide prevention is a collection of efforts to reduce the risk of suicide. Suicide is often preventable, and the efforts to prevent it may occur at the individual, relationship, community, and society level. Suicide is a serious public health problem that can have long-lasting effects on individuals, families, and communities. Preventing suicide requires strategies at all levels of society. This includes prevention and protective strategies for individuals, families, and communities. Suicide can be prevented by learning the warning signs, promoting prevention and resilience, and committing to social change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Lagos</span> Public research university in Lagos, Nigeria

The University of Lagos, popularly known as UNILAG, is a public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria and was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the first generation universities in Nigeria and is ranked among the top universities in the country in major education publications. The university presently has three campuses in the mainland of Lagos. Whereas two of its campuses are located at Yaba, it's college of medicine is located at Idi-Araba, Surulere. Its main campus is largely surrounded by the Lagos lagoon and has 802 acres of land. The University of Lagos currently admits over 9,000 undergraduate students annually and enrolls over 57,000 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide legislation</span> Laws concerning suicide around the world

Suicide is a crime in some parts of the world. However, while suicide has been decriminalized in many countries, the act is almost universally stigmatized and discouraged. In some contexts, suicide could be utilized as an extreme expression of liberty, as is exemplified by its usage as an expression of devout dissent towards perceived tyranny or injustice which occurred occasionally in cultures such as ancient Rome, medieval Japan, or today's Tibet Autonomous Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicidal ideation</span> Thoughts, ideas, or ruminations about the possibility of ending ones life

Suicidal ideation, or suicidal thoughts, is the thought process of having ideas, or ruminations about the possibility of committing suicide. It is not a diagnosis but is a symptom of some mental disorders, use of certain psychoactive drugs, and can also occur in response to adverse life events without the presence of a mental disorder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Jos</span> Public university in Jos, Nigeria

The University of Jos, abbreviated as Unijos, is a federal university in Jos, Plateau State, central Nigeria.

Youth suicide is when a young person, generally categorized as someone below the legal age of majority, deliberately ends their own life. Rates of youth suicide and attempted youth suicide in Western societies and other countries are high. Youth suicide attempts are more common among girls, but adolescent males are the ones who usually carry out suicide. Suicide rates in youths have nearly tripled between the 1960s and 1980s. For example, in Australia suicide is second only to motor vehicle accidents as its leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 25.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide</span> Intentional act of causing ones own death

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse are risk factors. Some suicides are impulsive acts due to stress, relationship problems, or harassment and bullying. Those who have previously attempted suicide are at a higher risk for future attempts. Effective suicide prevention efforts include limiting access to methods of suicide such as firearms, drugs, and poisons; treating mental disorders and substance abuse; careful media reporting about suicide; improving economic conditions; and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT). Although crisis hotlines are common resources, their effectiveness has not been well studied.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide in the United States</span> Statistics and causes of suicide in the U.S.

Suicide is a major national public health issue in the United States. The country has one of the highest suicide rates among wealthy nations. In 2020, there were 45,799 recorded suicides, up from 42,773 in 2014, according to the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). On average, adjusted for age, the annual U.S. suicide rate increased 30% between 2000 and 2020, from 10.4 to 13.5 suicides per 100,000 people. In 2018, 14.2 people per 100,000 died by suicide, the highest rate recorded in more than 30 years. Due to the stigma surrounding suicide, it is suspected that suicide is generally underreported. In April 2016, the CDC released data showing that the suicide rate in the United States had hit a 30-year high, and later in June 2018, released further data showing that the rate has continued to increase and has increased in every U.S. state except Nevada since 1999. From 2000 to 2020, more than 800,000 people died by suicide in the United States, with males representing 78.7% of all suicides that happened between 2000 and 2020. In 2022, a record high 49,500 people died by suicide, while the suicide rate in 2022 reached its highest level since 1941 at 14.3 per 100,000 persons. Surging death rates from suicide, drug overdoses and alcoholism, what researchers refer to as "deaths of despair", are largely responsible for a consecutive three year decline of life expectancy in the U.S. This constitutes the first three-year drop in life expectancy in the U.S. since the years 1915–1918.

A suicide attempt is an act in which an individual tries to kill themselves but survives. Mental health professionals discourage describing suicide attempts as "failed" or "unsuccessful", as doing so may imply that a suicide resulting in death is a successful or desirable outcome.

Researchers study Social media and suicide to find if a correlation exists between the two. Some research has shown that there may be a correlation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lagos University Teaching Hospital</span> Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria

Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) is a tertiary hospital established in 1961 and is located in Idi-Araba, Surulere, Lagos State, the administrative division of Nigeria. The teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Lagos College of Medicine established in 1962. The University of Lagos College of Medicine educates students and LUTH provides them with experience through placement and work experience.

Child sexual abuse in Nigeria is an offence under several sections of chapter 21 of the country's criminal code. The age of consent is 18.

The Lagos State Ministry of Housing is the state government ministry, charged with the responsibility to plan, devise and implement the state policies on Housing.

Solomon Ehigiator Arase is a retired Nigerian police officer. He is currently the Chairman of the Nigeria Police Service Commission. He was appointed Chairman in January 2023 by President Muhammadu Buhari. Arase also served as the 18th Inspector-General of Nigerian Police (IGP) after Suleiman Abba was sacked. Before his appointment as IGP, Arase was head of the topmost intelligence gathering unit of the Nigerian police, the Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau.

In 2014, the WHO ranked Nepal as the 7th in the global suicide rate. The estimated annual suicides in Nepal are 6,840 or 24.9 suicides per 100,000 people. Data on suicide in Nepal are primarily based on police reports and therefore rely on mortality statistics. However, the burden of suicide in communities is likely to be higher, particularly among women, migrant workers, and populations affected by disasters.

Folasade Tolulope Ogunsola OON(born 1958) is a Nigerian professor of medical microbiology, and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos. She specializes in disease control, particularly HIV/AIDS. Ogunsola was provost of College of Medicine, University of Lagos and is reputed as being the first woman to occupy the position. She was also the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the institution between 2017 and 2021. She was acting vice chancellor of the University of Lagos for a short period in 2020 when the university was plunged into crisis as a result of the removal of the Vice Chancellor by the University Council.

The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) is a government agency that is responsible for facilitating a clean environment in Lagos, Nigeria and to enforce notices such as 'Seal up Notice', 'Demolition Notice' etc.

References

  1. ↑ "Suicide and Suicidal Behavior in Nigeria: A review". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  2. ↑ "Nigeria's suicide rate under-reported, says Dr. Tade". Vanguard News. 2021-08-26. Retrieved 2022-07-01.
  3. ↑ Iwalaiye, Temi (2021-09-14). "The unnoticed prevalence of suicide in Nigeria". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 2022-07-01.
  4. ↑ "Nigeria's growing suicide crisis and law". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2019-05-24. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  5. ↑ "Criminal Code of Nigeria" (PDF). Laws of Nigeria. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  6. ↑ Stephanie Busari. "Locked up for trying to take his own life, in a country where it's a crime to attempt suicide". CNN. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  7. ↑ "THE NIGERIAN LAW ON SUICIDE: A TRAGIC RESPONSE TO A CRY FOR HELP". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  8. ↑ "Nigeria's growing suicide crisis and law". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2019-05-24. Retrieved 2022-07-01.
  9. ↑ "Imposing jail terms for attempted suicide will worsen suicidal rate – Experts". Punch Newspapers. 2022-03-13. Retrieved 2022-07-01.
  10. ↑ "Suicide: Nigeria bans 'sniper' chemical | Premium Times Nigeria". 2019-06-21. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  11. ↑ "Students top list as 42 Nigerians commit suicide in 6 months". Daily Trust. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  12. ↑ "SUICIDE: Nigeria lacks National prevention strategy". Vanguard News. 2019-12-31. Retrieved 2022-07-01.
  13. ↑ "Suicide prevention in Nigeria: Offering hope through action". Businessday NG. 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  14. ↑ "World Suicide Prevention Day: How the media can help prevent suicide - Premium Times Nigeria". 2020-09-10. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
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