Psychologist tips Malawi govt on reduction of rising suicide cases
A renowned psychologist has tipped the government in how to deal with rising cases of suicide in the country.
In Malawi, more and more people kill themselves. Most of them are men. Family problems and economic hardship are among the reasons.
Chiwoza Bandawe a psychologist at the College of Medicine in Blantyre says the current high numbers of suicide cases can be reduced if the country trains and hires more mental health experts in public health facilities.
Bandawe says stress and anxiety are the main reasons most people resort to killing themselves after failing to get professional help.
He said mental health experts are therefore of great help hence the need to train more as currently Malawi has only three experts in the field.
Meanwhile, Bandawe has further advised government to intensity civic educating the public on the importance of disclosing sexual assault if the vice is to be curbed.
According to Franklin Kilembe, who runs a private clinic in Lilongwe where he counsels people with mental-health problems, men mostly commit suicide because of economic hardship.
“In our cultural setup, a man is supposed to be the breadwinner of the family. When the man loses his job, his economic lifeline is cut, and he becomes depressed. As a result, he thinks of hanging himself,” he says.
Because of Malawi’s bad economy, more companies are expected to lay off workers, which probably means more suicides, he warns.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that close to 800 000 people commit suicide every year. That is one person every 40 seconds. It further notes that there are indications that for each adult who dies by suicide, there may be more than 20 others attempting suicide.
According to the WHO, “effective and evidence-based interventions can be implemented at population, sub-population and individual levels to prevent suicide and suicide attempts.” Such interventions are urgently needed in Malawi.
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this issue is very broad,anyway we can talk talk and talk.i wish its high time those in authority should have time to read what citizens suggest
This mostly happens in the villages. Are you going to give us alangizi just like those of Agriculture? If not in this way, forget about your urban proposal. People will continue to kill themselves. The universal problem is poverty which spouses ( wives in particular) can not withstand. The government must give those loans they promised after training the people on how to run the businesses. They must also ensure part of the 60% of government procurement say 40% is reserved for those people from the villages. Then you will see the positive results.
I am failing to see the link between what Chioza Bandawe is tipping government and what you are quoting from Franklin Kilembe whom you have brought in a marketing stunt, it does not really show the gravity of the problem from the psychologist point of view. Can we do better please.