MORE NIGERIANS MAY COMMIT MORE SUICIDE:: LUTH SPECIALIST/PSYCHIATRIST

A consultant psychiatrist at Lagos University Teaching
Hospital, LUTH, Dr Yewande Oshodi has raised alarm

that more Nigerians are thinking of committing suicide.
According to her, no fewer than 10 percent of all

referrals at LUTH were suicide attempts.

The health expert spoke yesterday at the launch of
LUTH campaign against suicide, tagged: “One More

Day” to save and counsel individuals who have
attempted suicide.

Recall that a medical doctor, Allwell Orji, jumped into
the Lagos Lagoon from the Third Mainland Bridge last
Sunday after he told his driver to stop the vehicle.
.
Also on Friday, Lagos State Police Command rescued a

woman identified as Taiwo Titilayo Momoh, from
jumping into the same Lagoon.
At the event, Oshodi said that over a five-year study
period, 7.2 percent of cases referred to psychiatry

consultation –liaison services in LUTH-were cases
related to suicide.

She said reports had shown that during lifetime, about

3.0 percent of Nigerians have had thoughts about
ending their lives, 1.0 percent will plan on how to kill
themselves, while just under 1.0 percent will carry out

an attempt to kill themselves.
“Suicide is most unwanted incident anyone could like to
experience either by losing a loved ones and it is

preventable to some degree”, the consultant
psychiatrist said.

She reiterated that suicide could be prevented and
blamed the increase in suicide attempts on the stigma

associated with mental health.
“The stigma of psychotics and mental health makes it

difficult for people to come out when they are going

through issues”, she said.
Recently, World Health Organisation, WHO, released

statistics which showed that approximately one million
people died by suicide annually worldwide and that for

every one who died by suicide, about 20 more made an
attempt.