In the face of Nigeria’s growing economic instability, marked by a depreciating currency, soaring inflation, and rising unemployment, a health crisis is escalating.
Beyond the daily struggles for survival lies a deep impact on mental health, pushing many Nigerians to the threshold of despair.
These economic inequalities, poverty, poor living conditions, limited access to healthcare, and workplace stress are becoming a major determinant of mental health conditions, contributing to higher rates of suicide, depression, and anxiety among many Nigerians, regardless of their social status.
A report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) reveals that suicide is the third leading cause of death globally, with more than 720,000 people dying annually.
Sadly, Nigeria records an estimated 16,000 suicide deaths each year, with a high rate among those aged between 15 and 29.
For every recorded suicide, there are at least 20 more attempts—a health challenge that demands urgent legislative and societal action.
Similarly, in a data from a 2018 global report by World Population Review, Nigeria ranks 71 out of 177 countries, accounting for 9.9 suicides per 100,000 people annually.
Providing insight into the issue, the President of the Association of Psychiatrists of Nigeria, Prof. Taiwo Obindo, agrees that a lack of food, insecurity, and the increasing number of unemployed and underemployed people have left many Nigerians frustrated, a development that later leads to depression and suicidal ideations.
While Obindo affirms that the economic situation in the country is not favourable, particularly, to the common man, he laments that the masses are suffering, of which can leave one with suicidal tendencies.
The psychiatrist, identifying poverty and frustration as one of the main causes of suicide, regrets that some people in difficult economic situations have considered suicide rather than speaking out or seeking for help.
He explains that individuals with a genetic predisposition to mental health disorders in poor socio-economic situations stand a higher risk of succumbing faster to mental health changes like depression and anxiety.
“The economic crisis is a social determinant of suicide.
“Social determinants of suicide include everything that challenges an individual’s psychological patterns, mental health patterns, position in the house, ability to pay school fees, ability to afford mental health care, and so on.
“A lot of people struggle to provide for their families and themselves on a daily basis in Nigeria today. There are unfulfilled dreams of young people, adults, and families. And these are the things that are driving people to the brink,” he said.
He, therefore, urges Nigerians to keep hope alive, speak out and always seek help even in face of the biting economic hardships in the country.
“The situation of things in the country is very disturbing. Virtually everyone is affected, even though some may seem to be comfortable, but the truth remains that the masses are suffering.
“People should not give up hope of a better tomorrow; they should keep hope alive for a better Nigeria because nothing lasts forever; it will get better someday,” he said.
A Mental Health Advocate, Dr Veronica Nyamali, advises that no amount of life’s challenges will justify any human to commit suicide.
Nyamali, also the National Vice-President of APN, advises that life should be seen from a mixed angle of good, sweet and bad.
According to her, suicide should not be an option to end one’s life in the face of any kind of life’s challenge, because challenge is what makes up life.
She laments that the country is filled with a lot of challenges—economic downturns and hardships—which cause some people to consider suicide, resort to drug abuse, or engage in immoral behaviors.
According to her, Nigerians should learn to take life easy and develop positive coping mechanisms rather than considering negative thoughts like committing suicide when faced with challenges.
The psychiatrist calls for mental health education to make people understand that life generally comes with challenges, saying that life can be good at one time and bad at others.
“Since life is never free of challenges; so long there is life, there must be challenges.
“Therefore, there’s no amount of challenges that will worth anyone taking away his/her life.
“There is need to change the mindset of Nigerians toward life; making them to understand that life itself is full of challenges and the challenges are what will make way for the success stories.
“Constantly surrounding yourself with positive people, sharing worries, speaking out and seeking for help are options that can help in time of challenges,” she advises.
A Suicide-Attempt Survivor, Mr Joshua Folaranmi, describes the circumstances that led to his suicidal ideation and how he survived suicidal attempt.
Folaranmi says the family support and care he received led to his survival and helped him find purpose and drive.
“I now live a purposeful life”.
He advises people that people who have not tasted drug abuse before should not attempt tasting it, because “it might be difficult to get out of it”.
According to him, he suffered drug addition and mental ill-health which made him to attempt suicide.
He explains that his involvement in drugs were necessitated by his attempt to get over the effects of some life’s challenges ranging from financial inadequacy, business breakup and the inability to meet family and daily needs.
“Unfortunately, coming out from the drug dependency was a big challenge because I was already an addict.
“One needs a strong support system to be able to come out of mental illness, because the support I received from my family members and other loved ones facilitated my recovery from the mental health and drug addiction challenges.
“When I struggled with mental illness and even when I attempted suicide and was rushed to a hospital, it was my parents, other family members and religious leaders who helped me come out of it.
“They were readily available to rally around me, giving me all the needed care and support,” Folaranmi says.
Lending voice, Prof. Taiwo Sheikh, a psychiatrist at the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, says deaths from suicide will be largely preventable if suicide attempts are decriminalised and not stigmatised in Nigeria.
Sheikh, also the Convener of the Nigeria Suicide Prevention Advocacy Working Group, reiterates 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.
Sheikh laments that suicide is a criminal offence in Nigeria, saying that the existing laws in the criminal code and penal code states that a person who attempts suicide has committed an offence and is liable to one year imprisonment or a fine.
According to him, these laws have led to a gross under reporting of suicidal attempts and deaths.
The don reinforces the importance of decriminalising attempted suicide, particularly in vulnerable regions where economic pressures and societal challenges often contribute to mental health crises.
He decries poor access to care for mental health disorders, stating that no fewer than 85 per cent of people who have severe mental health disorders lack access to care.
He calls for greater federal attention toward mental health services and suicide prevention programmes in marginalised communities.
According to him, suicide prevention is not just about awareness, it requires systemic change.
He notes that the law criminalising attempted suicide has become a major barrier to seeking help in the country.
“When you criminalise attempted suicide, you stigmatise people who are already vulnerable.
“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 law needs to be removed.
“To save lives, government needs to decriminalise suicide so that people in crisis are met with compassion, love and care, not punishment.
“There is need to implement and resource national suicide prevention strategies that are evidence-based and community-driven, ensuring fund accessible, with affordable mental health care so that support is available when and where it’s needed,” he adds.
All in all, the experts agree that most people who commit suicide or attempt suicide do so as a result of a mental health problem or a psycho-social problem.
They note that suicide can be 100 per cent preventable if suicide attempts are decriminalised and not stigmatised in Nigeria.
They also suggest that there are a number of measures that can be taken to prevent the triggers of suicide.
Some of these measures are government interventions like decriminalisation, , reducing access to the means of suicide like pesticides, firearms, certain medications, early identification/treatment and care of people with mental and substance use disorder.
The psychiatrists, therefore, appeal to governments at all levels to urgently address the economic hardship in the country and revive the economy to reduce poverty, improve living standards, consequently, reduce suicide arising from socio-economic triggers.(NAN)
