Suicide cases worsen among youths

 Suicide cases in the country continue to rise to crisis proportion with 42.19 percent of 1 121 registered in five years constituting those in the most productive age, Nation on Sunday has established.

The current suicide rate, which is at 11.6 per 100 000 people, is also higher than the global average of 10.5 per 100 000.

Psychologists have described this trend as a crisis and called on the government to reverse it. In response, government said it has developed a strategy to contain the situation.

Police data for January 2018 to December 2022 that Nation on Sunday analysed show that overall, more males are committing suicide with 989 reported cases, representing 88.22 percent, compared to 122 cases for females, representing 10.88 percent.

The statistics also show that most of those committing suicide are in the aged below 30.

Our analysis shows that 396 males and females aged between 31 and 50, representing 35.32 percent, committed suicide between 2018 and 2022. There were also 178 males and females, representing 15.87 percent of the reported cases, who committed suicide during the same period.

The statistics cement those from the World Health Organisation which put Malawi’s suicide rate at 11.6 per 100 000 people which is higher compared to the global average of 10.5 per 100 000.

However, there were 74 others who police failed to establish their ages. These constitute 6.60 percent of the cases.

The police, however, did not provide Nation on Sunday with a breakdown of figures for the first half of 2023, except for the overall figure of 256 suicide cases, comprising 226 males and 30 females; hence, our analysis focused on the period between 2018 and 2022.

Psychotherapist Cecilia Shamim Saidi, who runs Vintage Health Wellness Centre which offers mental and emotional health services in Blantyre, attributed the trend to pressure among youths to become what they are not ready to be.

She said the problem results in financial stress, failure to handle life and life’s manageable challenges; hence, leading to suicide.

Saidi also blamed the prevailing culture that men are not supposed to speak out and express emotions when they face challenges.

She said: “Boys are oriented in this culture and assimilate the notion that they are strong, meaning not sharing and showing emotions. They bottle inside and pressured emotions come out with a thrust.”

Kamuzu University of Health Sciences clinical psychologist Professor Chiwoza Bandawe attributed the rise in suicide cases to high unemployment, lack of hope, lack of socialisation and opening up due to the masculinity element.

“Most people actually don’t want to die. They just want the pain and anguish they are going through to stop.

“So, there is a need for better coping strategies, for instance, talking about issues, seeking professional help and not being ashamed of expressing emotions which most times is perceived as a weakness [in males],” he said.

On why females commit suicide, Bandawe said most of them do so because they encounter abuse or are more introverted; hence, reserved to speak out.

The Malawi Demographic and Health Survey states that some of the major factors leading to females committing suicide include gender inequality and poverty.

The survey states that women living in poverty are likely to experience stress, depression and other mental health problems, as such, increase the risk of suicide.

According to the survey, discrimination against women in terms of education, unemployment and access to resources can lead to feelings of hopelessness and despair which  also increases the risk of suicide.

Psychologist Beatrice Chiphwanya Magombo, from Mindset Services Limited, agreed with Saidi and Bandwe.

She said: “Men go through a lot of emotional distress and pain and they encounter that alone which is dangerous. If they are not open, it means they are not supported in their struggles.”

Pastor Aubrey Chakhadza of the Presbyterian Church of Malawi expressed the need for divine intervention and that the church should play a key role to reverse the trend.

National police spokesperson Peter Kalaya stressed the need for youths facing depression and those with mental health problems to seek professional support.

Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare spokesperson Pauline Kaude in a written response said government has developed and launched an engagement strategy to address the situation.

Kaude said the strategy targets to empower men of all ages to come out once their rights are violated and seek support from service providers.

“This is because it has been discovered that the little cause of the rise in suicide is emotional abuse and breakdown of relationships,” she said.

She said the ministry has also strengthened coordination with Ministry of Health, police and the Judiciary to discuss and find solutions as regards suicide.

Kaude said such a holistic approach is trickling down to district and community levels and that mass awareness on evils of suicide, cash management and counselling is being conducted.

WHOs states that more than 700 000 people die due to suicide annually and is the fourth leading cause of death among people between the ages of 15 to 29, with 77 percent of global suicides occurring in low- and middle-income countries.

According to the WHO, hanging, ingestion of pesticides and use of firearms are the most common methods of suicide globally