Adesanmi Akinsulore, a professor and consultant psychiatrist at Awolowo University and the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, says Nigeria ranks sixth globally among countries with the highest suicide rates.
According to Punch, Akinsulore made the claim during a lecture at an event organised by The Still Waters Mental Health Foundation, held at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Ogbomoso, Oyo state.
He said there is an urgent need for collaborative efforts to address the issue, especially among students.
“There is one suicide for every 25 attempts. In 2021, suicide was the third leading cause of death among 15 to 29-year-olds globally,” he was quoted as saying.
“Navigating the storm is a collective responsibility. We must work together to create a supportive and inclusive environment that promotes student well-being and resilience.”
BACKGROUND
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 700,000 people die by suicide every year with an estimated 20 suicide attempts for each suicide.
The organisation said suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds (for both sexes) globally, adding that 73 percent of all suicides happened in low- and middle-income countries.
Risk factors for suicide include depression, alcohol use disorders, loss, loneliness, discrimination, relationship disputes, financial problems, chronic pain and illness, violence, abuse, and conflict or other humanitarian emergencies.
There have been reports of suicide in Nigeria in recent times.
In October, Omolayo Bamidele, a 58-year-old man, reportedly committed suicide in Igburowo town, Odigbo LGA of Ondo.
Residents of the community said Bamidele’s body was found on a dusty road with a bottle of a chemical substance suspected to be “Sniper” beside him.
In September, Gabriel Magaji, a 38-year-old resident of Masaka in Karu LGA of Nasarawa, committed suicide over alleged infidelity by his wife.
DOES NIGERIA RANK SIXTH IN GLOBAL SUICIDE RATES?
TheCable reached out to Akinsulore but he was unwilling to share the source of his data.
However, checks by CableCheck found that according to WHO data on suicide mortality rate which the organisation said was last updated on January 8, 2024, Nigeria ranks 158th on the list with 3.5 suicides per 100,000 people.
The top 10 countries by ranking are Lesotho (72.4 suicides per 100,000 people), Guyana (40.3 suicides per 100,000 people), Eswatini (29.4 suicides per 100,000 people), Republic of Korea (28.6 suicides per 100,000 people), Kiribati (28.3 suicides per 100,000 people), and Micronesia (28.2 suicides per 100,000 people).
Others are Lithuania (26.1 suicides per 100,000 people), Suriname (25.4 suicides per 100,000 people), Russian Federation (25.1 suicides per 100,000 people), and South Africa (23.5 suicides per 100,000 people).
This data shows that Micronesia ranks sixth globally among countries with the highest suicide rates.
VERDICT
Nigeria does not rank sixth globally among countries with the highest suicide rates.
