A former President of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN), Professor Taiwo Lateef Sheikh, is not a mental health condition itself said that suicide cannot be separate from mental health, but suicide itself is not a mental health condition.
Professor Sheikh, who spoke at the National Suicide Prevention Conference with the theme “Decriminalising Attempted Suicide in Nigeria: Long Overdue,” declared that suicide doesn’t carry a mental disorder diagnosis but a standalone diagnosis, even though mental health is over-represented in conditions that lead to suicide.
Sheikh, also the convener of the Nigeria Suicide Prevention Advocacy Working Group, declared that deaths from suicide are unfortunate because they are preventable if suicide attempts are decriminalised and not stigmatised in Nigeria.
“Criminalising a suicide attempt itself is the foundation of stigma, as nobody wants to be regarded as a criminal. The law that makes suicide attempts a crime in Nigeria does not allow them to be able to seek help and for people to help them. This needs to be removed,” he added.
Professor Sheikh stated that suicide in youths is a huge problem and a lot of mental health conditions related to suicide.
“The prevailing suicide rate in Nigeria, based on the 2023 WHO atlas, is about 6.9 per 100,000 population of Nigeria. It translates to 15,000 deaths by suicide every year, which is more than death from banditry or even terrorism.
And the average suicide rate for youths 15 to 29 in Nigeria is above the global average rate. It’s up to 15.4 per 100,000. So you can imagine how much percentage of those 15,000 people that die are youths,” he added.
The don declared that mental health conditions are common in Nigeria even though they are not sick.
According to him, “So when you hear 40% of Nigerians have a mental health condition, they are not sick. Those who are sick within them are less than one third. The majority of the people we see that we say have mental illness are in the distress zone. When you are in the distress zone, you don’t need tablets. You only need psychosocial support.”
He, however, decried poor access to care for mental health disorders, stating that about 85 percent of people who have severe mental health disorders lack access to care.
Speaking, former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Senator Dr. Ibrahim Oloriegbe, who chaired the conference, provided a legislative perspective, detailing the process behind the creation of the National Mental Health Act in Nigeria that marks a critical turning point for mental health in Nigeria.
Oloriegbe reiterated the need to decriminalise suicide attempts as a logical extension of the Act, which seeks to protect and support individuals dealing with mental health crises. He affirmed his unwavering commitment to this endeavour.
Also, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, represented by Ted Inyang, reinforced the importance of decriminalising attempted suicide, particularly in vulnerable regions, where economic pressures and societal challenges often contribute to mental health crises.
He expressed his commitment to championing mental health reforms in the Senate, calling for greater federal attention toward mental health services and suicide prevention programmes in marginalised communities.
Also, the Minister of Youth Development, Dr. Jamila Ibrahim Bio, focused on the importance of engaging Nigerian youth in the conversation about mental health and suicide prevention, being the group disproportionately affected by mental health challenges and suicide.
She reaffirmed the Ministry of Youth Development’s commitment to working closely with organisations and stakeholders to create more youth-centred mental health support systems, as well as called for increased awareness and the decriminalisation of suicide attempts to foster a supportive environment for Nigerian youth.
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