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Curbing Suicide and Suicidal Thoughts in Our Societies

Suicide is globally a social problem that causes an avalanche of challenges in today’s society. It can be simply defined as the intentional termination of one’s life due to some problematic social factors one can encounter in day-to-day life. It was considered a crime in the past, but it has been legalized in some countries, like the United Kingdom. While suicide involves action, suicidal thoughts are thinking about suicide or one’s intention to commit suicide.

The culture of suicidal thought and suicide is becoming rampant and getting a warmly welcome and peaceful home in the mind of those that find themselves in a state depression in today’s society. It has been observed by the World Health Organization (WHO) that over 700,000 lives are lost every year by suicide. In other words, it can be said that in every 40 seconds, there might be a case of suicide.

The cases of suicide in our societies today are becoming increasingly alarming. It has been believed that, according to many, numerous causes are aggrandizing one to think or have an intention to commit suicide as a way out of depression and otherworldly predicaments.

Firstly, hopelessness can strictly be said to be the exponential major that triggers people in thinking to commit suicide; when one is thinking that he can’t find a way out of his predicaments, one might think to commit suicide as a narrow way to escape from that predicament.

Poverty, on the other hand, can unwholesomely contribute to suicidal thoughts and suicide. In many societies, it has been witnessed, due to poverty, numerous people died by suicide to free themselves from the problems they might encounter or those they were experiencing due to poverty. At times, students and people that are suffering from extreme poverty are caught trying to commit suicide due to academic or life challenges. In the same vein, sometimes, poor people commit suicide due to the high loans they accept from wealthy individuals in their societies and it might seem difficult for them to find a way out to pay back the loans. In the end, they would think of committing suicide because of the fear of being jailed or something relevant to it. This was proven in the research titled “Poverty and Suicide” conducted by Global Mental Health (GMH) in 2016.

Howbeit, suicidal thoughts and suicide sometimes get a place in the mind of those who got cheated from their partners, either in love, friendship or in marital life. Research conducted by The Caritas Family Crisis Support Center in 2015, discovered that over 40% of those whose partners have cheated on them has contemplated suicide. And in this part, almost all the attempts were mostly done by women, for they could not take the hectic feelings of being cheated by their partners. And at the end, the thoughts to commit suicide would come to their minds as a panacea to the pain of being cheated. In cases where a woman is financially dependent on her male partner, financial stress may also be a factor.

Furthermore, suicide in itself can be another way that could make one think of committing suicide. When one loses a loved partner by suicide, as a result of the aforementioned causes, they may also think to commit suicide for the world might be very hot for them without their loved ones.

However, there’s a gender difference in the suicide rate. Statistics have shown that, nowadays, suicide is an act committed more by men than women, while suicidal thoughts are more common among women than men. Also, according to sources reviewed by Wikipedia and edited in June 2021, globally, death by suicide occurred about 1.8 times more often among males than among females in 2008, and 1.7 times more often among males in 2015. In the western world, males die by suicide three to four times more often than do females. And this greater male frequency is increased in those over the age of 65. Yet, as previously mentioned, suicidal thoughts are between two and four times more frequent among females.

It has been quoted that no problem lies under the sun that has no possible solution, through this, it can be said that there must be some possible solution to help us prevent suicide and suicidal thoughts in our societies.

Firstly, to overcome the menace of suicide and suicidal thoughts, we must wholeheartedly believe in the quote that says “to every beginning there must be an end.” This can give us hearts to believe that someday, our depressions would go. Until we become hopefuls that we can cope with a life that may be to us overwhelming, we can overcome suicide and suicidal thoughts.

Governments, on other hand, should put their hands in helping poor people; they should give them jobs per their disciplined careers, and grant scholarships to the students from poor backgrounds. Until wealthy people help their poor neighbours, thereby giving them palliatives to help in reducing their social problems, the rate of suicide and suicidal thoughts would be curbed.

It’s also out of doubt that suicide and suicidal thoughts will be curbed unless we stop cheating our friends, families and our partners in love. But also, making sure strong support systems exist in our communities for those in such situations could be imperative.

In conclusion, I wholeheartedly believe if all the aforementioned measures are taken, suicide and suicidal thoughts would be entirely curbed in our respective societies.

About the Author:

Salim Yakubu Akko is a writer, poet and journalist in Gombe State. He is a member of Gombe Jewel Writers Association and Hill-top Creative Art Foundation.

Salim Yakubu Akko

Salim Yakubu Akko is a writer, poet and journalist in Gombe State. He is a member of Gombe Jewel Writers Association and Hill-top Creative Art Foundation.