On a daily basis, Ghanaians have continued to take their lives for reasons that are very flimsy and some that are heartbreaking. The Mental Health Authority (MHA) in Ghana has revealed that relationship breakups (divorce), graduate unemployment and financial distress are the leading causes of suicide in Ghana currently, especially among the youth between 16 and 35 years.
Those causes have especially shot up among the youth in recent times, reports Graphic Online’s Maclean Kwofi. The authority maintained that they consisted of students, unemployed graduates and few workers. The number of people attempting suicide in Ghana increased from 777 cases recorded in 2020 to 902 cases in 2021. Likewise, the actual suicide incidences recorded for the same period jumped from 69 cases in 2020 to 86 cases in 2021, the Mental Health Authority has disclosed.
The CEO stated that the country needed to develop a suicide policy that will determine the systematic approach to handle suicide and its related issues. “An example is that we have designed our own suicide help line and people call us at anytime but it’s not free and so, many people cannot access help when they need it the most. “So, we need a policy that will ensure that we have a help desk, toll free line and ensure that people have basic understanding on suicide,” he added.
Reported by: Adepa Basit