Botswana needs a suicide prevention strategy, says medic
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Tuesday September 16, 2014 16:01
He was speaking at the World Suicide Prevention Commemoration day in Lobatse. Dr Thula said suicide had reached crisis proportions such that the numbers of people who committed suicide far surpassed those dying from wars and murders put together.
“Looking at the world in general, every year, over 800,000 people die from suicide. This roughly corresponds to one death every 40 seconds.
The number of lives lost each year through suicide exceeds the number of deaths due to homicide and war combined, “ he said. Among those dying from suicide are Batswana nationals many of them young people.
Sadly Botswana is still lagging behind in terms of devising a national suicide prevention programme.
“While a lot of countries have a national strategy in place for tackling suicide, Botswana does not. In its corporate strategic plan, the Ministry of Health does not even have any objective or initiative about suicide. Suicide in the country is still viewed largely as a law enforcement issue to be dealt with by the police and not as a public health -or mental health - problem, which should be the case.
We need resolve at national level to ensure a coordinated approach if we are to have any chance of bringing down the statistics” he stated.
It was in view of the fact Botswana was not immune to this worldwide crisis that the country, through the hospital, joined countries across the globe to commemorate the World Suicide Prevention Day.
The theme of the event was ‘Suicide Prevention: One World Connected.’ The theme reflected the fact that connections are important at several levels if people are to combat suicide.
Dr Thula explained the day had been celebrated annually since 2013 after countries realised suicide had become a major public health problem.
He said men who commuted suicide out-numbered women in all age groups. However, suicide attempts were more common among women. Dr Thula also pointed out that suicide was very rare for people younger than 14 years of age. He said suicide was the second leading cause of death among people aged between 15 and 29 years old.
Dr Thula said what many people were not aware of was the unimaginable psychological pain that led the suicidal to finally take their lives.
He said their deaths, which left families and friends bereft, often had a major ripple effect on communities.
He said having strong human bonds, or connectedness, was crucial to individuals who may be vulnerable to suicide, as studies had shown that social isolation could increase the risk of suicide. Conversely, having strong human bonds could cushion individuals against it. As such reaching out to those who had become disconnected from others and offering them support and friendship could save lives, he said
Dr Thula said to commemorate the world suicide prevention day, and show care for those affected by suicide, Sbrana Psychiatric Hospital held a Candle Light Ceremony on the 10th September 2014 at 0900 hours within the hospital premises.
“We encouraged people at home to briefly light a candle near a window at 8pm to show their support for suicide prevention, to remember a soul that has been lost to suicide and to show support for survivors of suicide,” he added.
He said the Hospital had over the past two years been using the Suicide Prevention Day to educate and sensitise the public on suicide. He said they also used various fora like Kgotla meetings, Workshops and educational talks for patients attending services to raise awareness about this topic.