This topic is coming up from an experience I had about a week ago
while teaching a postgraduate class and the issue of suicide came up for discussion. There was almost a unanimous view that whoever commits suicide will
definitely end up in eternal damnation. The lesson I took from that discussion
is that the Supreme Being did not create any of us to assume the responsibility
of terminating our lives since we did not create ourselves. Even when we do not
believe there is a supreme being, we all have an awareness of a form of
supernatural essence within us that is linked to some special purpose to
fulfill. I connect to
the sense of value and worth that
the message implies such that irrespective of our experiences we should all
realize that we are not only significant but irreplaceable. However, embedded in
this same belief is the opposite that can make us complacent about folks around
us that may be on their way of committing suicide. I know that our culture abhors suicide and all
religions preach against it in a sense that confers sacred value on human life.
Suicide is never an event but a process.
Relatives of those who may have committed suicide can testify to the fact that
they were given enough signals to have prevented the suicide if they heeded them.
This is where I challenge our cultural ambassadors and religious leaders not to
wait till anyone under their watch commits suicide but to be proactive in its
prevention rather than wait for the opportunity to pronounce judgment.
Suicide ranks as the 10th
leading causes of death in the United States. Globally, an estimated 700,000
people take their own lives annually. In certain populations, such as
adolescents and young adults, suicide constitutes 1 of the top 3 causes of
death. Numerous activities are associated
with suicidal potential that include the following; Making a will, getting the
family together, unexpectedly visiting friends and family friends, purchasing a gun, hose or rope and writing a suicide
note. Some may even visit a primary care physician within 3 weeks before they
commit suicide with some vague complaints. Folks with greater risk of
committing suicide often have a strong preoccupation with death. They may engage
in philosophical or cultural or religion views of justifying death in
preference to living. Usually they may suddenly withdraw from usual activities
and abandon interesting relationships and activities. Some may even start
withdrawing from family discussions and interactions. With keen perception, one
can notice a great deal of emotional distance from others, distractible and
lack of humor as they remain in a world of their own. Some have morbid preoccupation with the past of losses,
defeats and may classically describe the future as bleak and black. They may
voice the notion that others and the world would be better off without them.
These behavioral patterns exist within the context of relationships as parents,
spouses, siblings, colleagues and boss. My concern is that the haze of culture
and religion may mask the keenness of insight to detect these signals and
appropriately intervene. Another setting is in the marital relationship where a
spouse is locked up in an abusive relationship that religion or culture perpetuates.
Even folks that experience business failures and political downturn may need to
be watched closely and subjected to some surveillance. Most suicidal cases arise from mental illness
especially depression which is usually masked in Africans. Overwhelming undue
sadness, definite plans of killing self or those who think and talk suicide,
need clinical assessment. Folks with strong family history of suicide
especially approaching the anniversary of a family member’s suicide or the age
at which a relative committed suicide may need to be closely watched.
Adolescents and young adults especially should not have guns. Adolescents that
have a severe mental illness that distract through hearing voices are more prone
to committing suicide. Drugs of abuse can also induce suicide especially when
the mood elevating effects have worn off and the consequences of loss of job,
loss of marriage or business begin to manifest. Folks who lose a friend
suddenly in tragic sense and live alone may be more prone to committing suicide
.The lesson to take home is that we should seriously take changes we notice in
our relatives, spouses or child and get them to have mental health
consultation. Such persons should not be left alone around objects that he can
use to harm himself. We should not allow
religion and culture to stop us from taking steps that can effectively prevent
the suicidal action from being completed. Life is sacred, we must all work together to
stop this menace.
Dr. Adeoye Oyewole
adeoyewole2000@yahoo.com
+234 803 490 5808 (WhatsApp Only)
Thank you Dr.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. Thanks for stopping by.
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