MENTAL health experts are racing against time to plug soaring cases of su!cide with statistics showing that at least 18 d3aths per every 100 000 are a result of su!cide.
Zimbabwe has faced a troubling increase in su!cide cases over the last five years, with a staggering 50% rise in d3aths by su!cide from 2019 to 2020. With 18 d3aths per 100,000 people, the country’s suic!de rate is significantly higher than the global average of 10.5 d3aths per 100,000, sparking concern among health experts and community leaders alike
Against these soaring figures, mental health experts lament gaps to raise awareness targeting men.
“We are contacting these workshops because we have seen that issues affecting men are not discussed. In most cases, men end up commiting su!cide because they are not vocal than women. Therefore to avoid loss of life unnecessarily, we urge men to engage other people for counseling and sharing of ideas,” said a Family Therapist, Nyarayi Bakasa.
Founder of Paivepo Dzepfunde Foundation, Tanaka Maisvoreva said, “This discussion was beneficial in the sense that it highlighted to us some of the behavior or attitudes which needs to be aware of to avoid d@ngers. It is true that issues affecting men are being ignored yet we are both living the same life.”
According to experts, the vice is tearing through a sizeable number of men.
“We have realized that in most cases where men commit su!cide, it is because they lack awareness in dealing with life-threatening situations. We, therefore, decided to come together as young entrepreneurs and come up with an initiative whereby we discuss these things openly, spreading awareness on men’s mental health to reduce su!cidal cases in the country,” said The Founder of Second Chance Foundation and Mental health advocate, Careen Chikwanha.
Founder of Embassy of Angels Ministry, Pastor Ruvinga Rassel said, “A lot of people are adamant to what they believe, for example, people continue to practice early marriages yet they know that it is bad. Cultural barriers need to be broken because they affect young people in different ways.”
Early this year Mpilo Central Hospital statistics on su!cide cases revealed a 245 % increase in su!cide attempts, with 38 cases reported between January and February.
SOURCE : ZBC NEWS
