Let's talk about suicide - Mental Health Awareness Month
This artice discusses suicide and intervention measures as well as risk factors ans warning signs to look out for.
This topic makes several people cringe at the thought of talking about it, yet it’s a global phenomenon. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 800,000 people die by suicide every year. Suicide refers to the act of killing oneself and is not attributed to a single cause. It is the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year-olds globally. Those who experience suicidal thoughts and feelings often report suffering from tremendous emotional pain, intense feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, intolerable mental anguish, despair, and overwhelming sadness. The majority of people who consider suicide usually feel like the pain they’re experiencing will never end, and therefore, the only way to stop their suffering is by committing suicide. The WHO ranks Kenya as position 114 among 175 countries with the highest suicide rates.
Factors that could contribute to suicide
1. Loss of a loved one, income, relationship, status(either health or lifestyle status)
2. Addiction. Various drugs such as cocaine and marijuana. According to the National Institute on Drug abuse (NIDA), cocaine use can lead to paranoia or full-blown psychosis, in which users may experience auditory hallucinations, which may include prompts to kill themselves. Marijuana, also known as bhang or weed, has been linked to increased risk for developing psychiatric disorder s like psychosis (schizophrenia), depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders in those with a preexisting genetic or other vulnerability . R esearch depicts that smoking high-potency marijuana daily could increase the likelihood of developing psychosis by five times compared to people who have never used ma rijuana.
3. Childhood trauma or other traumas. Trauma refers to a deeply disturbing or distressing experience.
4. Depression
5. Serious physical changes
6. Major life changes such as divorce.
NB/ It’s not necessarily the nature of the loss or stressors contributing to suicide but the individual’s experience of these things feeling unbearable.
Although there’s a correlation between suicide and depression, each suicide occurs in a unique mixture of complex interconnected individual, biological, environmental, historical, spiritual, and cultural factors.
Risk factors for suicide
1. Previous suicide attempts. This is the strongest risk factor.
2. Family history of suicide.
3. Repeated physical or sexual abuse
Signs that might indicate a plan of suicide
Suicide is rarely a spur-of-the-moment decision. In the days and hours before people commit suicide, there are usually clues and warning signs.
1. Suicide posts. These are equivalent to suicide notes and may be posted on social media pages.
2. Verbal indications such as “I can’t go on anymore.” Or “It would be better if I were dead.”
3. Isolation from everyone. This can be spotted in a change of daily routines, such as staying in the room/ house all day, not picking phone calls, or responding to messages intentionally.
4. Reckless behaviour such as binge drinking or driving recklessly. This is not usually a one-time occurrence, but it’s something continuous.
5. Getting affairs in order and giving away valuable possessions.
6. Showing a significant change in behaviours, attitude or appearance.
7. Starting to abuse drugs or alcohol or an increase in the same.
8. Preoccupation with suicide such as reading only books or articles on suicide, watching movies that are only about suicide, talking mostly about committing suicide or how other people committed suicide or keeping on researching about suicide.
Interventions for family and loved ones
1. Help the person experiencing these suicidal thoughts connect with ongoing help such as a psychiatrist or counsellor or take them to a referral hospital.
2. Keep them safe when they get back home by reducing any access to lethal means such as guns, medication they can use, and ropes.
3. Stay connected to them and follow up on how they’re doing.
4. Create an environment where they can talk about what happened. (The suicide attempt and what prompted them to try to commit suicide.
Interventions for self
1. Let others assist you.
2. If you live alone, consider going to stay with a friend for some time till you feel better.
3. Follow the doctor’s advice and take any medication they have prescribed.
4. Adhere to appointments with doctors and counsellors.
5. Remove lethal things like ropes that you could use to harm yourself.
6. Avoid using drugs or alcohol as they can impair your judgment or make you feel worse.
7. If people are trying to be helpful, acknowledge and respond to them. If you’re not ready to talk, let them know you will talk when you’re ready.
8. Consider calling a helpline such as The Kenya Redcross helpline, which is 1199.
Benefits of talking to others
1. Allows people to be there for you.
2. It helps you work out where to go from there.
3. Reduces gossip and speculation.
This article was written and published on 3/5/2021 by counsellor Harriet Maina.
H is a qualified Psychological Counselor, based in Nairobi, Kenya.
With a commitment to mental health, Ms W provides services in English and Kiswahili, including Consultation, Counselling, Group Therapy, Individual and Couple Therapy and Training (Life Skills).
Ms W has expertise in Adjusting to Change/Life Transitions, Anger Management Issues, Anxiety Disorders, Attachment Issues, Depression, Mental Health, Relationship Counselling, Stress Management, Suicide Ideation / Survivor and Trauma Counselling.
Click here to schedule a session with Ms W.
Important:
TherapyRoute does not provide medical advice. All content is for informational purposes and cannot replace consulting a healthcare professional. If you face an emergency, please contact a local emergency service. For immediate emotional support, consider contacting a local helpline.
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