About 200,000 senior highschool (SHS) college students have tried to take their lives within the final 12 months, the Ghana Psychological Affiliation (GPA) has mentioned, because it marks this yr’s World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD).
Based on the affiliation, presently in Ghana, two out of each 10 SHS college students have tried committing suicide within the final 12 months, with three out of each 10 college students additionally having tried suicide in junior excessive faculties within the nation (JHS).
Equally, one in 10 deaf faculty going adolescents have within the final one yr tried taking their lives, whereas, in second cycle faculties within the nation, two in 10 college students have thought-about doing similar via intentional self-injury and poisoning.
GPA has famous, current proof additionally indicated that two out of 5 adolescents who determine themselves as lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) have engaged in self-poisoning or injurious behaviours.
Apart this, among the many safety providers, about three in 10 policemen in city communities had had ideas of taking their very own lives within the final 12 months, whereas, displaced workers and survivors of the current banking sector reforms have contemplated and tried to commit suicide.
It has change into evidential that among the many Ghanaian youth, faculty and household associated points similar to bullying, poor tutorial efficiency, substance use, parental neglect, bodily and sexual abuse, and monetary constraints have implicated many adolescent suicide.
As well as, cyberbullying, romantic relationship disaster, dishonesty and disgrace are causes of suicide amongst adolescents and the youth, the GPA has famous.
In the meantime, in marking this yr’s celebration on the theme, “Working collectively to stop suicide” the GPA has referred to as for a multifaceted method to among the many Ghana Well being Service, Ghana Training Service, psychologists, mother and father, and people, obtain the wanted ends in stopping suicide.
Chatting with the Ghanaian Instances yesterday, the president of GPA, Dr Collins Badu Agyemang, mentioned, as a part of this yr’s WSPD, the affiliation has launched into a sequence of campaigns and would have interaction parliamentarians, researchers, mother and father, media, and related stakeholders on the necessity to decriminalise suicide makes an attempt and in addition intensify campaigns in ending suicide within the nation.
He additionally referred to as on authorities to make sure that, in junior and senior excessive faculties with a inhabitants of about 200 college students, there must be both a everlasting psychologist or a temporal workers who would attend to psychological well being points that have an effect on college students.
Dr Agyemang, nevertheless, expressed fear that there have not been any clear indication of a psychological well being programme within the manifestos which have been delivered by numerous political events on this yr’s elections.
Amongst Ghanaian adults, the GPA has talked about that the majority males use suicide as a method of escape from their incapability to offer materially for one’s nuclear and prolonged households, incapability to carry out sexually and produce youngsters.
With girls, it has change into identified that the majority girls who stay oppressive marital, household and group contexts kill themselves once they haven’t any possibility for searching for redress, whereas, the labelling of older girls as witches was additionally a danger for suicide among the many aged, the GPA has noticed.
The affiliation has underscored that the struggle towards suicide prevention requires management at each the governmental and political ranges, and has due to this fact referred to as on such our bodies to point out extra dedication in prioritising and investing in enhancing the psychological well being of residents.