• Journalist tasked on effective reportage to reduce scourge
Countries with national prevention strategies have witnessed a significant decline in mental illness and suicide, studies have shown.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) 800,000 deaths occur worldwide annually and for every death by suicide, 20-25 more have attempted also 78 per cent of all completed suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries.

Speaking at the 10th Annual Symposium/ Award Ceremony of Health Writers Association of Nigeria (HEWAN), President, Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN), Taiwo Lateef Sheikh reiterated the need to provide law for mental healthcare and services for persons with mental illness and to protect, promote and fulfil the rights of such persons during the delivery of mental healthcare and services.

He said since 2000, national prevention strategies have been established in 28 countries; which include the primary and secondary preventive strategies.

“Europe has 13 programmes, America has eight, Western Pacific five, South-East Asia has two, while Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean have none,” Sheikh added.

The president who spoke on ‘Suicide Prevention and Mental Wellbeing: Creating an Enabling Environment through Legislation’, noted that suicide represents a major societal and health care problem; and thus should be given a high priority in many realms.

The expert highlighted the imperative of creating an enabling environment for suicide prevention in Nigeria through legislation, which requires an urgent overhaul of the criminal legal system that will decriminalise suicide and attempted suicide, as well as the passage of the mental health bill that will promote mental well-being, prevent mental illness and ensure access to treatment of mental disorders.

Sheikh said the majority of suicides worldwide are related to mental illnesses, which include, depression, substance use, schizophrenia and other psychosis that constitute the most relevant risk factors, as well as anxiety, personality-, eating- and trauma-related disorders, organic mental disorders, which significantly add to unnatural causes of death.

He added: “The media disposes of important leverage to influence suicide rates. Their reporting may or may not encourage copycat suicide. Several authors have suggested the implementation of guidelines for journalists, and the WHO has published respective sources for journalists.”

Involving and training laypersons or non-specialized health professionals, the expert said, is an important means of suicide prevention, assessment, and management

“Professionals in primary care should be trained. Every health worker or gatekeeper should be aware of the fact and be trained to react adequately. Hospital-based surveillance should be put in place to detect suicide attempts,” he added.

He tasked the government to provide direction for a coherent, rational and unified response to the challenges relating to the delivery of mental health and substance abuse services in Nigeria, protect the rights and freedoms of persons with mental ill-health and substance use-related disorders and also provide a legal framework for the regulation of mental health and substance abuse-related service delivery in Nigeria.

In her remark, the President, HEWAN, Chioma Obinna said it is also no longer news that mental illness is quietly taking away the lives of many Nigerians unnoticed, as most of these victims are young people in their prime.

She said: “As health reporters, we shall not rest on our oars, rather we will redouble our efforts to ensure continuous improvement in the sector through regular, objective and factual news reportage.”

Obinna urged her colleagues to take the discussions to the teeming audience and the public at large.