Let’s decriminalise attempted suicide - Psychologists
The Ghana Psychological Association has called on the government to expunge the law that criminalises attempted suicide and rather put in place a policy-guided national framework for suicide prevention.
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The association also advised people contemplating suicide as a result of crisis they were experiencing in their life to seek help from qualified mental health practitioners such as psychologists, psychiatrists and counsellors.
Such practitioners, the association said, can be found in all teaching hospitals, counselling centres in universities and psychiatric hospitals, adding that church counsellors could be helpful too.
Reasons
In a statement issued in Accra last Tuesday, the association explained that suicidal behaviours were complex and it was difficult to explain why people engage in the act.
Besides, research in Ghana continued to show various psycho-social factors and mental illnesses which were strongly associated with those behaviours, especially among the youth, the statement said.
“These include the use of illicit drugs, conflictual relationships with parents, romantic crisis, academic or education stress, bullying in schools, financial difficulties, sexual and physical abuse, depression, among others,” it said.
Suicide prevention, the association said, was, therefore, not an activity for a ‘privileged’ group such as mental health professionals, although they had a key role to play, saying “everyone close to someone who is experiencing some forms of crises can be useful and helpful.”
Call on media
The statement, therefore, cautioned the media not to use sensational headlines for suicide stories, as that might encourage more people to commit it.
It urged everyone to be emphatic and avoid being judgemental on persons who were hurting, but rather engage, give them a sense of hope and lead them to professionals who could help.
“The media must avoid sensational headings and words such as “man butchers his wife and kills himself,” “student chops off his head to die fast,”,“man kills himself on New Year’s Eve.”
“Any word that appears to heighten the gory nature of the incident should be avoided,” the association said.
Although the association said it appreciated the readiness of the media in publicising suicide stories and seeking professional commentaries on those behaviours, it expressed worry about the manner in which such stories were published.
“The intentions and motivations may be noble in seeking to educate the public about these behaviours. However, the manner in which these stories are published may create further problems,” the statement said.
The media’s role in suicide prevention, the statement said, was crucial and should be carefully guided by professionals working in the area of mental health, such as the Ghana Psychological Association.