Chronicle EditorYvonne Ncube, Chronicle Correspondent
SEPTEMBER 10 is the World Suicide Prevention Day, a day set aside to raise awareness on suicide which has claimed many lives worldwide.
Each suicidal death is a public health concern with a profound impact on those around the deceased. By raising awareness, reducing the stigma around suicide and encouraging well-informed action, instances of suicide can be reduced.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) an estimated 703 000 people kill themselves around the world every year. For every suicide, there are likely 20 other people making a suicide attempt and many more have serious thoughts of suicide.
Also, according to WHO, Zimbabwe is ranked number 19 in the world in terms of deaths by suicide, with suicide deaths reaching 1 641 or 1,3 percent of total mortalities in the country.
Globally, suicide rates in men are more than twice as high as for women. In 2017 WHO said the global suicide rate for women was 6,3 percent of 100 000 deaths while that of men was 13,9 perent.
Me are more likely to suffer from depression in Zimbabwe due to pressure to act “macho” in a patriarchal society.
Millions of people suffer intense grief or are otherwise profoundly impacted by suicidal behaviours.
Earlier this year it was reported that in Bulawayo alone suicide cases had tripled compared to last year.
This was attributed to the fact that residents were failing to cope with stress, which drives them to the edge, leading to suicide.
Statistics from Mpilo Central Hospital showed that 58 people have been admitted after suicide attempts since January this year.
Reasons for the attempts range from failed love relationships, dispute over inheritance, economic challenges and general drug abuse.
World Suicide Prevention Day was set aside in 2003 by the International Association for Suicide Prevention in conjunction with the WHO. September 10 each year focuses attention on the issue in order to reduce stigma and raise awareness on how to prevent suicide.
This year’s commemorations are being held under theme: “Creating hope through action.” This theme is a reminder that there is an alternative to suicide and aims to inspire confidence in individuals facing challenges.
Research suggests that psychological treatment can be helpful for people affected by a mental illness. However, sometimes medications are needed, especially if symptoms are impacting significantly on the person’s life.
Research also indicates that a greater number of people do not see the importance of therapy hence many fail to find someone to talk to and resort to taking their own lives.
Chronicle spoke with mental health survivors who discussed how therapy aided in their recovery and healing.
Mr Zibusiso Munandi, a mental health champion who was last year diagonised with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after battling a trauma from childhood which he was not in a state to talk about, said therapy is important in fighting depression.
Losing his friend to suicide and struggling with an undiagnosed mental health disorder Mr Munandi initiated Abangane Platform, a platform which today is playing a key role in raising mental health issues and creating awareness.
“In September 2021 I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and one of the things I noted was the discrimination that I faced. This highlights why more people are resorting to bottling the issues and committing suicide. Our environment doesn’t permit people with mental health conditions to voice out.
“It’s even harder for boys and men because we are not expected to show our weaker side, society requires men to be bold and it’s even harder when people think of masculinity. People think men have no emotions. I think this is the reason why there are more male suicide victims than women. The reason why I had to get my diagnosis done was the problems that I was now facing which include hallucinations and insomnia and it was now affecting my school work,” said Mr Munandi.
He said therapy helped him to take a step forward in his process of recovering.
“When you have mental health problems, you’d think that today it’s bulimia, tomorrow it’s bipolar and the next day it’s another problem altogether. Self-healing processes are misleading. It’s better when you are under therapy because they give you recommendations,” said Mr Munandi.
He said before he went for therapy he thought he was bipolar because of the signs that he had and the information that he got from the media and internet.
“I later discovered that I had depression and the therapy helped me understand what kind of help I needed and where to get it,” said Mr Munandi.
Local Comedian Mr Frank Chirisa on July 18 this year, tried to commit suicide by lying on a railway line so that a train could run over him. Fortunately, the train did not show up. Family members and his friends searched for him and found him at the railway track. They took him to the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) and he was transferred to Ingutsheni Central Hospital, where he was counselled for two weeks.
Mr Chirisa told Chronicle that he overdosed on aspirin pills while waiting at the railway track in Emganwini suburb. He said he was experiencing so many problems in his life that he saw it fit to end it all.
He said as life continued handing him lemons, from which he could not make lemonade, he lacked someone to talk to and open up about his problems.
“One of the reasons why depression gets worse is that we don’t communicate and don’t address our feelings, emotions and fears. Therapy gives you a platform to address these emotions because if you don’t address them, it means you keep bottling them up, which is not okay. When you are bottling things up it means you are building negativity upon negativity and there will come a time when you just blow up that’s when things get out of hand and people take their lives,” said Mr Chirisa.
He said by talking to therapists, individuals will be addressing their issues and unbottling everything. “The more you talk about it the more you heal, the more you find solutions and the more you heal. You get to understand yourself better because therapists are people who are trained to understand how your mind works and easily see through you,” said Mr Chirisa.
He said therapy is important for everyone including those who think they have no problems.
“Therapy is important for everyone we should all have therapy at some point. People think the people who need therapy are the mentally challenged yet everyone needs it. We all need it because we are all going through something in our lives. Even if you think you are fine it is important to give yourself time for therapy,” said Mr Chirisa.
He said society should also end the stigma of thinking that people who go for therapy are mentally challenged.
“Change should start from society and I believe if we all try to understand and prioritise the importance of therapy the world would be a better place for all of us,” said Mr Chirisa.
Miss Nothando Nkomo, a psychologist said sometimes people cry for help in silence.
“Every joke about suicide has to be taken seriously because it will be true and signs start from there.
Sometimes people cry for help but they do it in silence and they end up taking their lives because there’s no help. There is a lot behind people who smile a lot as they seem very happy when they are not.
Therapy is important and if it is normalised in societies we will have fewer suicide cases,” said Miss Nkomo. — @SeehYvonne
Online Reporter
Peter Tanyanyiwa