I have this terrible phobia of dead bodies (Necrophobia),my confidence level when it comes to viewing them is still at zero.Imagine a body hanging from a ceiling, scary right?.I am a lover of life,I “enjoy” all the highs and lows,who enjoys the low moments really?.Despite all that I am always mindful of whatever thoughts I feed my mind with because life can really be stressful but does that justify one’s choice to commit suicide?
The World Health Organization reports that close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year,which is one person every 40 seconds.There are indications that for each adult who died by suicide ,there may have been more than 20 others attempting suicide.This happens to be the leading cause of death among 15 – 29 years old making it a global phenomenon.
During my random scrolls on Facebook I happened to bump into the above image,clearly everyone was all smiles including Chester Bennington(Former Linkin Park band member).Unfortunately he commited suicide,his death was ruled as suicide by hanging.Other cases reported include a Kenyan musician by the name Papa Dennis who recently met his death after jumping from the 7th floor of a storey building in Nairobi, Pangani area.During this period a boy below 15 years commited suicide after the parents were against him accompanying them to the market.This shocked me,I can imagine the guilt the parents will bear after this incident.Sad indeed.
Most suicide methods used by people include; Hanging,suffocation,drug overdose,drowning,jumping from height,use of lethal arms and stabbing.
Statistics reveals that women are roughly 3 times more likely to attempt suicide,though men are 2 to 4 times more likely to die by suicide.While women attempt suicide more often ,men choose more lethal means of suicide such as use of guns.
Risk Factors
Risk factors are those factors that are likely to increase a person’s chances of commiting suicide which may include ;
- Depression
- Loss of a loved one
- Unemployment
- Relationship breakdowns
- Misuse of drugs and alcohol to cope with emotional issues.
Protective factors
This is a characteristic or attribute that reduces the chances of attempting or completing suicide.This may include;
- Optimism towards life.
- Resiliency-The process of bouncing back in the midst of adversities.
- Good health and access to physical and mental health care.
- Strong bonds with family and friends.
- Attitudes and norms prohibiting suicide.
This factors can contribute to decreasing suicide risk but resistance to suicide can be temporary.Therefore,programs that support such initiatives should be widely spread.
An example of such is the Befrienders Kenya which is a charitable organization focusing on suicide prevention by offering FREE emotional support to those who may be in distress and therefore in danger of dying by suicide as well as creating awareness in communities.
Suicide is a hugely sensitive,complex issue with a tangled multitude of causes -and the very nature of a death by suicide means we can never fully know the reason behind it.
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TEACH HIM INITIATIVE. 