800,000 People Are Committing Suicide Every Year Due to Depression

About 800,000 people die as a result of suicide every year this translates to one person every 40 seconds with depression being attributed as a major cause.

The irony of having hospitals with deplorable conditions over filled with patients fighting for their lives and healthy human beings struggling to end their own lives is ludicrous!

The World Health Organization (WHO) data in 2017 put Kenya at number 88 with an overall suicide rate of 10.28 in every 100,00 people each year.

World Bank’s report of 2017 broke down its data further with male suicide rate recorded at 16.65 per 100,000 while women suicide rate was at 4.40 per 100,000 people in 2017.

There is a saying by Nishan Panwar, “To fall in love is very easy, staying in love is a challenge, letting go is the hardest part and moving on is a damn suicide.” Love has cost many lives with marital issues causing conflict in relationships and marriages. Most women commit suicide due to marital conflict which could either be domestic violence or emotional torture.

Most people do not know how to deal with rejection in relationships and if they are not identified and taken for counseling sessions, suicide is inevitable. Forced marriages are also another contributing factor considering some of our backward cultures where some communities force young girls into marriages leading most of them into depression that escalates to suicide.

Unemployment and poverty is another major contributing factor. The cost of basic needs such food, housing and medical care is unachievable for a majority of Kenyans which mostly affects men. Men are believed to be creatures that operate on ego which makes it difficult for a majority of them to handle failure especially when it comes to not being in apposition to provide for their families as traditions expect them to be breadwinners.

Mental health related issues also contribute largely to suicide cases in Kenya with numerous studies recording that about 90 percent of those who commit suicide have a mental condition. Drug abuse has also been known to lead to mental disorders and awareness among the youth would assist in combating this menace.

Suicide cannot really be prevented as it is majorly caused by environmental factors which one has very little control over. It is important however to watch out for individuals who have signs of depression and refer them to counselors who are mostly available in county hospitals.