Suicide cases up 72% in first half
By Wezzie Gausi:
Connect Plus Resource Institute (CPRI) has bemoaned rising cases of suicide in the country.
The development comes at a time Malawi Police Service (MPS) records indicate that the rate of suicide cases surged by 72 percent in the first three months of the year 2021, as compared to the same period last year.
CPRI Chief Executive Officer Dennis Mwafulirwa said, as one way of addressing factors that lead to people committing suicide, the organisation has launched Suicide Prevention Week, to run from yesterday to September 11.
“It is sad that, due to the Covid pandemic, we have registered an increase in suicide cases.
“Coincidentally, we have also observed an increase in discussions on mental health issues. We need to encourage this conversation and the one around suicide,” Mwafulirwa said.
Mental health expert Professor Chiwoza Bandawe said people should embrace the culture of speaking up rather than committing suicide.
“It is sad that the country keeps on recording increased cases of suicide. We can attribute this to lack of experts in mental health issues. Let people come together and help in ending the vice,” Bandawe said.
World Health Organisation statistics indicate that, globally, every 40 seconds a person dies by suicide while many more attempt suicide.
