Suicide research organisation urges Nigerians to speak out about challenges, seek help

Nigerians have been urged to always seek help when faced with challenges to avert suicide tendencies.

The Training Coordinator, Suicide Research and Prevention Initiative, Ms. Titilayo Tade, who is also a mental health advocate, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Wednesday.

According to her, people can contact a professional therapist for advice for help when faced with mental health challenges.

She said there was a need to prevent suicide tendencies among Nigerians by creating avenues where they could speak out and seek help concerning their challenges.

According to her, “With the free line, people can easily call in respect to the challenges they are facing at any point and we will give them the necessary counselling or even direct them to appropriate mental health facility for medical attention.

“When one is emotionally disturbed, finds it difficult to sleep, depressed, anxious or loses interest in what normally gives him joy, it is important that such individual seek for the advice of a counsellor or therapist.

“In the past, we’ve had calls concerning people on the verge of suicide or even people that drank substances to terminate their lives. But through the calls, SURPIN came in and rescue their lives.”

Tade decried the fact that the country was being plagued by numerous challenges – economic challenges and hardships, which could make people consider suicide, resort to drug abuse or even engage in immoral behaviours.

She identified depression, poverty and frustration as major risk factors of suicide, regretting that some people in difficult situations had considered suicide rather than speaking out or seeking for help.

“We are dealing with a lot of issues in the country; businesses are falling, things are expensive, cash is hard to come by and the basic amenities are lacking.

“This is taking a toll on the mental health of Nigerians. It makes people vulnerable to becoming suicidal, aggressive, violent, corrupt, and other anti-social behaviours.

“The statistics may not be there, but by observations, people are bottling up their emotions and challenges, instead of speaking out.

“There is a need for people to speak out; let us not be intimidated to bottle up our anxieties, challenges and frustrations. Considering suicide should not be an option for life challenges of any sort.

“We should learn to share our worries, speak out and seek help because a problem shared is half-solved,” said Tade.

According to her, some other causes of suicide include the loss of a loved one, unemployment, difficulty with developing an identity, and disassociation from the community or other social groups.

She advised Nigerians to always create time for relaxation and look beyond the economic situation of the country and focus on the positive in every bad situation.




Punch