The man, whose name was given as Kofi Emmanuel, was a mason who hailed from Kpando in the Volta Region.

According to neighbours who spoke to Citi News, Kofi Emmanuel lived together with a woman, who he fathered three children with until recently when they separated due to a misunderstanding.

According to a co-tenant, Michael Gozah, the deceased was very reserved and lived peacefully with him and other neighbors in the vicinity.

Mr. Gozah said the deceased took to drinking after he and the wife separated.

“He is a very calm man and lived very peacefully with all of us until he unfortunately passed on this morning. We all suspect he has been thinking a lot ever since his wife left him,” he said.

Residents were shocked on seeing him hanging from a scaffold that was used for construction at the site.

“It is still not clear why Fo-Kofi, as he is popularly known; took his life. We are really surprised at this unfortunate happening,” one resident said.

Officers from the EMEFS police station were at the scene,  and have since conveyed the body to the police hospital for autopsy.

–

By: Elvis Washington/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post 50-yr old man allegedly commits suicide at Tema appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

A Police source in Assin Fosu confirmed the tragedy saying the deceased, Kwame Adu, was found hanging in his room with his sponge tied to the ceiling fan around 1600 hours on Sunday, moments after he had returned from church.

According to his family, Kwame Adu was said to have led the Sunday school church service at the Christ Apostolic Church in a happy mood and returned home cheerfully.

The police have deposited the body at the St. Francis Xavier hospital at Assin Fosu awaiting autopsy and further investigations.

One Mr. Sarpong, a relative of the deceased who corroborated the sad news, said Kwame Adu hanged himself in a room, where he had been living with his parents and two siblings, a boy and a girl.

He said shortly after church, his Mother, Esi C. K. as she was affectionately known, visited the deceased’s room in search of him upon realizing his long absence from the house, but found him dead, hanging and dangling.

She shouted for help which attracted the attention of many people to the scene.

Speaking in an interview with GNA, some of his teachers and colleagues of Dream City Academy, said the deceased though exhibited a quiet demeanor, was liked by his colleagues.

The teachers expressed extreme shock and sadness over the death of Kwame Adu whom they regarded as one of the best in the school.

“In his last day at school, he never exhibited any suicidal mannerism as he led his colleagues to sing in the school,” one teacher revealed.

–

Source: GNA

The post 12-yr old boy commits suicide at Assin Bereku appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

It said the man approached the White House’s fence on Pennsylvania Avenue just before noon local time (17:00GMT) before taking out a handgun and firing several shots.

No one else was injured, according to police.

President Donald Trump is not at the White House, but at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

The man was in a large crowd when he fired the gun, the Washington Post reports, citing witnesses.

A video posted to Twitter shows many people running away from the scene.

The man’s name has not been released.

Washington DC police earlier said on Twitter that their “natural death squad” was on the scene.

Geoff Bennett, White House correspondent for NBC News, said that journalists were “sheltering” in the press briefing room.

Mr Trump is with First Lady Melania Trump in Florida. They are scheduled to return for a dinner in Washington on Saturday evening.

There have been a number of security incidents at the White House in recent years.

Most recently, on 23 February, a car drove into a security barrier outside the building. A 35-year-old woman was detained.

In March last year a man armed with pepper spray spent more than 16 minutes inside the grounds after jumping the fence.

–

Source: BBC

The post Man shoots and kills himself outside fence appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This revelation from the Police came after relatives of Vida Frema Bonsu had expressed doubt about earlier reports indicating that she had committed suicide, and demanded further investigations into the cause of her death.

According to the deceased woman’s father, Nana Bonsu, the family suspects foul play following circumstances that led to her death.

The deceased was on Monday, January 29, 2018 found dead in the room of her police boyfriend, Sergeant Bright Opoku, an officer with the Konongo Divisional Police Command in the Asante Akyem Central District of the Ashanti Region.

Reports indicate that the deceased was found in blue knickers and a white vest hanged with a police lanyard and tied to one of the burglar proofs when police arrived at the scene.

There are also claims that a laceration was seen on the lower arm and a blood stained knife was found in one corner of the room.

The body was conveyed to the Steward Hospital for preservation and an autopsy.

A statement signed by Deputy Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP Fred Adu Anim indicated that “an autopsy report has indicated that cause of death as hanging”.

The statement also added that some stomach content from the deceased has been given to the Ghana Standard Authority for analytical tests since there was an indication that the deceased might have ingested some poison before hanging herself.

Meanwhile the Police Officer who was arrested in connection with the death has been granted bail.

–

By: Hafiz Tijani/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Kumasi Girls SHS tutor died by hanging – Autopsy report appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The video showed Logan Paul and friends at the Aokigahara forest at the base of Mt Fuji, known to be a frequent site of suicides.

Going in to film the “haunted” forest, they come across a dead body and are shocked, but also make jokes.

Online comments have called the video “disrespectful” and “disgusting”.

The video was uploaded on Sunday and had millions of views on Youtube before it was taken down.

Logan Paul, who has more than 15 million subscribers on Youtube, has since posted an apology on Twitter, saying he had been “misguided by shock and awe”.

The post Outrage over YouTuber’s dead body video appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

During an illustrious seven-year career in the Premier League, he pocketed millions of pounds in wages, lived in a mansion and drove flashy cars.

Now ex-Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboue spends his days hiding from ­bailiffs, sometimes sleeps on the floor of a friend’s home, travels by bus and even cleans his clothes by hand because he has no washing machine.

Today, the 34-year-old tells how his staggering riches-to-rags plight has pushed him to the brink of suicide.

“I want God to help me,” he says. “Only he can help take these thoughts from my mind.”

To listen to Eboue open his heart is as harrowing as it is shocking.

He wants to talk openly and honestly in a bid to encourage others going through the same ordeal to open up.

The Sunday Mirror, through its Time To Change campaign, has been battling for the past six years to smash the stigma associated with the mental ill health with which Eboue is now suffering.

At the peak of his career with Arsenal he became a fans’ favourite. He was part of the side that faced Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League final.

Arsenal lost but Eboue remains a cult-hero at the Emirates Stadium, as much for his happy demeanour and his goal celebrations as the ability which saw him help the Ivory Coast reach the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Final.

That joy, however, has been replaced by tears – and a deep fear of the future.

Eboue, currently unable to play football because of ill-health, says he has been pushed to the brink. He has:

• Lost a bitter divorce battle, with his wife Aurelie awarded all of their assets.
• Had to hide from cops and bailiffs after being ordered by a judge to transfer his remaining Enfield home to his wife.
• Faced a heartbreaking estrangement from his three kids, who he has not seen since June.
• Been grieving after the cancer death of grandfather Amadou Bertin – who raised him – and the loss of his brother N’Dri Serge, killed in a motorbike accident.

It is now three weeks since a deadline passed for Eboue to surrender ownership of the North London home he used to share with Aurelie.

A judge will sign the transfer if Eboue does not do so.

The player and his wife lived there in happier times before Eboue bought a mansion – which Aurelie has now put on the market.

He understands she will rent out the Enfield property.

So Eboue, his belongings in bags, now awaits the knock that will see him ordered to leave at any time.

The worried star said: “I can’t afford the money to continue to have any lawyer or barrister.

“I am in the house but I am scared. Because I don’t know what time the police will come.

“Sometimes I shut off the lights because I don’t want people to know that I am inside. I put everything behind the door.

“My own house. I suffered to buy my house but I am now scared.

“I am not going to sell my clothes or sell what I have. I will fight until the end because it is not fair.”

Eboue has taken a huge fall from the days he netted millions at Arsenal and then more than £1.5million a year at Turkish side Galatasaray.

His dream of a Premier League return with Sunderland evaporated last year, however, after he was hit with a 12-month ban by FIFA after a dispute with a former agent.

Eboue says he was never given ­guidance to manage his finances.

Insisting his wife looked after most of their affairs, he admits being “naive” with money.

He also claims he was beset by a string of people who gave bad advice and lost him huge sums.

With a limited ­education, Eboue is paying the price for being unaware of his financial situation. His handful of visits to the bank were with Aurelie.

Eboue even recalls an occasion when bank staff visited him – to sign paperwork – at Arsenal’s training ground.

And he now wants other young African footballers to learn from his mistakes.

He says: “I look back and say ­‘Emmanuel, you have been naive… why didn’t you think about that before?’ It is hard.

“Very, very hard. The money I earned, I sent it to my wife for our children.

“In Turkey I earned eight million euros. I sent seven million back home. Whatever she tells me to sign, I sign.

“She is my wife. The problems with FIFA were because of people advising me. People who are supposed to care. But it was because of them FIFA banned me.”

Having surrendered the cars among assets transferred to his wife, Eboue now has an Oyster card and relies on London transport – while doing his best to avoid being recognised.

He splits his time between the Enfield house and the home of a ­confidante he calls his “sister” – Yasmin Razak.

He often sleeps on a mattress on her living room floor.

But even watching TV – and seeing the likes of former team-mate Thierry Henry as a football pundit – triggers negative thoughts.

He adds: “When I see Thierry I feel happy for him but ashamed of my own situation.

“When I see friends on TV that I played with or against I say to myself ‘I should still be there’. It’s hard to watch them.”

Both Yasmin and another close pal, ex-Portsmouth and Newcastle striker Lomana Lua Lua, have been crucial in helping Eboue stay afloat.

Of Yasmin, he said: “I call her house The Bunker. I can hide there. She has children. I don’t want to disturb them, so I sleep on the floor.”

Eboue is devastated at spending Christmas apart from his own kids, daughters Clara, 14, and Maeva, 12, and son Mathis, nine.

He goes on: “It hurts me a lot. They used to call me. But now, no contact. It pains me to be alone without them.”

Eboue has been left without so much as a washing machine.

But he won’t be beaten, saying: “Every day I wash my jeans, my clothes, everything. My hands are hard. As though I have been working on a farm.

“I thank my grandmother because she taught me to wash, cook, clean, everything as a young man.

“I continue to thank God. I have my life. I didn’t want what has happened. I don’t wish it on anybody.”

While Eboue wants to return to playing one day, he would jump at the chance of working with former club Arsenal or players’ union the PFA.

He says: “I would accept help from anywhere but if my previous club wants to help me then I would be very, very happy. Maybe I could help the young players?

“The PFA helped me when I had my problems with my agent. If they gave me a job, even if it wasn’t a big, big job.

“Maybe I’d see some of the people I played with or against and I’d feel embarrassed. But I would cope.”

–

Source: Mirror UK

The post Ex-Arsenal player Eboue on ‘brink of suicide’, sleeps on friend’s floor appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

At the same time, the country has grappled with a much more ignominious distinction — its suicide rate is the highest in the industrialized world.

These contrasting facets of South Korea’s identity collided this week with the apparent suicide of one of the nation’s most-famous K-pop stars, Kim Jong-hyun, who used the mononym Jonghyun.

The singer, songwriter, producer and member of the boy band SHINee was found unconscious Monday in a multi-family building in Seoul’s Gangnam district, a neighborhood made famous internationally by fellow K-pop star Psy. Authorities found burned coal briquettes, which produce carbon monoxide, in a frying pan in the room, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

Jonghyun’s death, which shocked and saddened fans worldwide, is one prominent example of South Korea’s alarming suicide mortality rate, which two years ago surpassed all but nine countries worldwide.

South Korea’s rate also leads all nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a group of 35 industrialized countries that includes the United States, Japan and Germany.

In 2015, South Korea reported 13,500 suicides, or about 37 a day. Suicides were the second-leading cause of death by injury, after vehicle accidents, according to the World Health Organization.

A musician friend of Jonghyun’s posted a note on Instagram that she described as his suicide note. The writer of the undated note speaks of suffering from depression, questions whether he was cut out for fame, and says, “No one alive is more tormented nor weaker than myself.” Jonghyun’s management company said the note was made public after discussion with his family.

onghyun’s death has highlighted a societal ill that has grown more common over the last generation — even as other developed nations have seen a decrease in suicides.There is some evidence that rates are beginning to decline, though they remain high.

“It is a social phenomenon that stems from a combination of individual, societal and generational issues,” said Kim Hyun-jeong, a psychiatrist at the National Medical Center who also works with the Korean Assn. for Suicide Prevention.

Some suicide causes transcend borders, but many here are unique to South Korea, a nation that in two generations was transformed from a poor, agrarian society to the world’s 11th-largest economy.

That rapid development after the Korean War helped cause income inequality and a society that many think values competition and achievement over individuals and quality of life. Another theory, Kim said, is that many South Koreans think they would rather die than suffer humiliation when honor is at stake.

The suicide rates are particularly high among young people and the elderly, two of the nation’s most vulnerable cohorts.

The country’s economic transformation, for example, hurt many elderly residents, some of whom struggle after they leave the workforce — and some of whom were left behind entirely. Roughly half of the elderly live in poverty or have limited incomes because a government pension plan began only three decades ago, according to the OECD.

Young people here face intense familial and societal pressures to perform well in school, spending hours in special academies to learn English, for example. High-paying, salaried jobs in South Korea’s highly competitive workplace also have become more scarce since an economic crisis in the late 1990s.

“Our society pressures us too much,” said a 23-year-old Yonsei University student who asked to be identified only by her family name, Shin. “When I think about studying in high school, I don’t wish that kind of pressure on anyone.”

In 2015, suicide was the No. 1 cause of death for people ages 10 to 39, according to the Korean Statistical Information Service.

Jonghyun, who was 27, had long left school. As a band member and solo artist, he achieved the highest levels of fame afforded K-pop stars, with crossover appeal in places like Japan and the United States.

Last year, his band headlined KCON Los Angeles — a two-day K-pop festival that included 26,000 fans at Staples Center. The group last visited the United States in March as part of a tour that stopped in Los Angeles again.

South Korea is used to high-profile suicides such as Jonghyun’s, including those involving numerous celebrities and even a former president, Roh Moo-hyun, who leapt to his death from a cliff in 2009 amid scandal.

Such prominent deaths have a way of glamorizing suicide in South Korea, which also can make it more difficult for prevention experts to lower the rates, said Kim Hyun-jeong, the psychiatrist.

Media coverage aside, suicide remains an issue that permeates the society and has stumped public policy and health experts over the years.

“Suicide is everywhere,” South Korean author Kim Young-ha wrote a few years ago in the New York Times. “Now, whenever I hear news that a young person has passed away, suicide is the first possibility that comes to mind.”

In addition to conventional strategies, such as trying to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illnesses and spending more money on the issue, officials and experts have employed some practical measures. They have placed barriers on high-rise rooftops and bridges that cross the Han, the wide, swirling river that intersects Seoul.

Those may have helped, but they have not fundamentally changed the cultural underpinnings of suicide.

“In Korea, we care a lot about expectations, and maybe people are sick of living up to them,” said the Yonsei student, Shin. “Maybe even celebrities get sick of being who they’re asked to be.”
–
By:latimes.com

The post Death of K-pop star shines spotlight on South Korea’s suicide problem appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Suicide is a serious public health problem; however, suicides are preventable with timely, evidence-based and often low-cost interventions. For national responses to be effective, a comprehensive multi-sectorial suicide prevention strategy is needed

History has is it that in the ancient world people took their own life in response to escape evil, avoid shame, express grief over a tragic death, or avoid capture or dishonor in battle. Overall, however, suicide was condemned. There are six instances of suicide in the Old Testament whiles in the New Testament, the only suicide mentioned is that of Judas Iscariot (Matthew 27:3-5, Acts of the Apostles 1:18-20) who betrayed Jesus and proceeded to hang himself.  Indeed the Bible suggests that this act is shameful.

Apart from the Christian religion all other religion does not approve of suicide as an appropriate means to exit the earth.  The consequences of suicide beyond the fact that almost all religion disapproves of it, are not just that one person is dead, that a precious life has ended. It is also a tragedy of epic proportions for the people left behind.

This notwithstanding World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that every year close to 800 000 people take their own life and there are many more people who attempt suicide. Every suicide is a tragedy that affects families, communities and entire countries and has long-lasting effects on the people left behind. Suicide occurs throughout the lifespan and was the second leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds globally in 2015.

Suicide does not just occur in high-income countries, but is a global phenomenon in all regions of the world. In fact, over 78% of global suicides occurred in low- and middle-income countries in 2015.

Interestingly suicide is reported as a major cause of premature mortality worldwide, but data on its epidemiology in Africa, the world’s second most populous continent, are limited. Regional or national suicide incidence data were available for less than one third (16/53) of African countries containing approximately 60% of Africa’s population; suicide attempt data were available for 20% of countries (7/53). Crude estimates suggest there are over 34,000 (inter-quartile range 13,141 to 63,757) suicides per year in Africa, with an overall incidence rate of 3.2 per 100,000 population. The recent Global Burden of Disease (GBD) estimate of 49,558 deaths is somewhat higher, but falls within the inter-quartile range of GBD’s estimate. Suicide rates in men are typically at least three times higher than in women. The most frequently used methods of suicide are hanging and pesticide poisoning. Reported risk factors are similar for suicide and suicide attempts and include interpersonal difficulties, mental and physical health problems, socioeconomic problems and drug and alcohol use/abuse. Qualitative studies are needed to identify additional culturally relevant risk factors and to understand how risk factors may be connected to suicidal behaviour in different socio-cultural contexts.

Ghana records about 1,500 suicide cases annually, the Chief Executive of the Mental Health Authority, Dr. Akwasi Osei, has revealed. This figure constituted about seven per cent loss of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) but little attention is paid to suicide cases in the country. The Mental Health Authority Chief notes that, in every single reported case of suicide, there are four unreported case of suicide, this therefore  bring the number of unreported cases to about 6,000 annually.

This is a primitively outrageous statistics which should prompt Ghana to prioritize and mainstreaming issues of mental health much more seriously.

Who is at risk?

While the link between suicide and mental disorders (in particular, depression and alcohol use disorders) is well established in high-income countries, many suicides happen impulsively in moments of crisis with a breakdown in the ability to deal with life stresses, such as financial problems, relationship break-up or chronic pain and illness.

In addition, experiencing conflict, disaster, violence, abuse, or loss and a sense of isolation are strongly associated with suicidal behaviour. Suicide rates are also high amongst vulnerable groups who experience discrimination, such as refugees and migrants; indigenous peoples; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex (LGBTI) persons; and prisoners. By far the strongest risk factor for suicide is a previous suicide attempt.

Indeed mental health is a complex issue and it’s easy to become confused and unclear about its impact. What is for sure is that everyone’s mental health is important and Ghana as a country should devise comprehensive measures to help anyone who is feeling stigmatized because of poor mental health.

Stigma, particularly surrounding mental disorders and suicide, means many people thinking of taking their own life or who have attempted suicide are not seeking help and are therefore not getting the help they need. The prevention of suicide has not been adequately addressed due to a lack of awareness of suicide as a major public health problem and the taboo in many societies to openly discuss it. To date, only a few countries have included suicide prevention among their health priorities and only 28 countries report having a national suicide prevention strategy.

Raising community awareness and breaking down the taboo is important for Ghana to make progress in preventing suicide.

Methods of suicide

WHO estimates that around 30% of global suicides are due to pesticide self-poisoning, most of which occur in rural agricultural areas in low- and middle-income countries. Other common methods of suicide are hanging and firearms.

Knowledge of the most commonly used suicide methods is important to devise prevention strategies which have shown to be effective, such as restriction of access to means of suicide.

Prevention and control

Suicides are preventable but certainly not what pertains in Ghana’s criminal code of criminalizing suicide. Section 57 Clause 2 of the 1960 Criminal Code of Ghana should therefore be expunged without further delay. Additionally there are a number of measures that can be taken at population, sub-population and individual levels to prevent suicide and suicide attempts. These include:

reducing access to the means of suicide (e.g. pesticides, firearms, certain medications);

reporting by media in a responsible way;

introducing alcohol policies to reduce the harmful use of alcohol;

early identification, treatment and care of people with mental and substance use disorders, chronic pain and acute emotional distress;

training of non-specialized health workers in the assessment and management of suicidal behaviour;

follow-up care for people who attempted suicide and provision of community support.

Suicide is a complex issue and therefore suicide prevention efforts require coordination and collaboration among multiple sectors of society, including the health sector and other sectors such as education, labour, agriculture, business, justice, law, defense, politics, and the media. These efforts must be comprehensive and integrated as no single approach alone can make an impact on an issue as complex as suicide.

–

By:  Jerry Detse Mensah-Pah

The author is an Industrial Relations and Development Practitioner and can be reached on [email protected] or 0243164704

The post Promoting mental health – a way of ending suicides [Article] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Suicide is a serious public health problem; however, suicides are preventable with timely, evidence-based and often low-cost interventions. For national responses to be effective, a comprehensive multi-sectoral suicide prevention strategy is needed.

History has is it that, in the ancient times, people took their own life in response to escape evil, avoid shame, express grief over a tragic death, or avoid capture or dishonor in battle. Overall, however, suicide was condemned. There are six instances of suicide in the Old Testament whiles in the New Testament, the only suicide mentioned is that of Judas Iscariot (Matthew 27:3-5, Acts of the Apostles 1:18-20) who betrayed Jesus and proceeded to hang himself.  Indeed the Bible suggests that this act is shameful.

Apart from the Christian religion, all other religions do not approve of suicide as an appropriate means to exit the earth.  The consequences of suicide beyond the fact that almost all religion disapproves of it, are not just that one person is dead, that a precious life has ended. It is also a tragedy of epic proportions for the people left behind.

This notwithstanding World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that every year close to 800 000 people take their own life and there are many more people who attempt suicide. Every suicide is a tragedy that affects families, communities and entire countries and has long-lasting effects on the people left behind. Suicide occurs throughout the lifespan and was the second leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds globally in 2015.

Suicide does not just occur in high-income countries but is a global phenomenon in all regions of the world. In fact, over 78% of global suicides occurred in low- and middle-income countries in 2015.

Interestingly suicide is reported as a major cause of premature mortality worldwide, but data on its epidemiology in Africa, the world’s second most populous continent, are limited.

Regional or national suicide incidence data were available for less than one third (16/53) of African countries containing approximately 60% of Africa’s population; suicide attempt data were available for <20% of countries (7/53).

Crude estimates suggest there are over 34,000 (inter-quartile range 13,141 to 63,757) suicides per year in Africa, with an overall incidence rate of 3.2 per 100,000 population. The recent Global Burden of Disease (GBD) estimate of 49,558 deaths is somewhat higher but falls within the inter-quartile range of GBD’s estimate. Suicide rates in men are typically at least three times higher than in women.

The most frequently used methods of suicide are hanging and pesticide poisoning. Reported risk factors are similar for suicide and suicide attempts and include interpersonal difficulties, mental and physical health problems, socioeconomic problems and drug and alcohol use/abuse.

Qualitative studies are needed to identify additional culturally relevant risk factors and to understand how risk factors may be connected to suicidal behaviour in different socio-cultural contexts.

Ghana records about 1,500 suicide cases annually, the Chief Executive of the Mental Health Authority, Dr. Akwasi Osei, has revealed. This figure constituted about seven per cent loss of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) but little attention is paid to suicide cases in the country.

The Mental Health Authority Chief notes that, in every single reported case of suicide, there are four unreported case of suicide, this, therefore, bring the number of unreported cases to about 6,000 annually.

This is a primitively outrageous statistics which should prompt Ghana to prioritize and mainstreaming issues of mental health much more seriously.

Who is at risk?

While the link between suicide and mental disorders (in particular, depression and alcohol use disorders) is well established in high-income countries, many suicides happen impulsively in moments of crisis with a breakdown in the ability to deal with life stresses, such as financial problems, relationship break-up or chronic pain and illness.

In addition, experiencing conflict, disaster, violence, abuse, or loss and a sense of isolation are strongly associated with suicidal behaviour. Suicide rates are also high amongst vulnerable groups who experience discrimination, such as refugees and migrants; indigenous peoples; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex (LGBTI) persons; and prisoners. By far the strongest risk factor for suicide is a previous suicide attempt.

Indeed mental health is a complex issue and it’s easy to become confused and unclear about its impact. What is for sure is that everyone’s mental health is important and Ghana as a country should devise comprehensive measures to help anyone who is feeling stigmatized because of poor mental health.

Stigma, particularly surrounding mental disorders and suicide, means many people thinking of taking their own life or who have attempted suicide are not seeking help and are therefore not getting the help they need. The prevention of suicide has not been adequately addressed due to a lack of awareness of suicide as a major public health problem and the taboo in many societies to openly discuss it. To date, only a few countries have included suicide prevention among their health priorities and only 28 countries report having a national suicide prevention strategy.

Raising community awareness and breaking down the taboo is important for Ghana to make progress in preventing suicide.

Methods of suicide

WHO estimates that around 30% of global suicides are due to pesticide self-poisoning, most of which occur in rural agricultural areas in low- and middle-income countries. Other common methods of suicide are hanging and firearms.

Knowledge of the most commonly used suicide methods is important to devise prevention strategies which have shown to be effective, such as restriction of access to means of suicide.

Prevention and control

Suicides are preventable but certainly not what pertains in Ghana’s criminal code of criminalizing suicide. Section 57 Clause 2 of the 1960 Criminal Code of Ghana should, therefore, be expunged without further delay. Additionally, there are a number of measures that can be taken at population, sub-population and individual levels to prevent suicide and suicide attempts. These include:

• reducing access to the means of suicide (e.g. pesticides, firearms, certain medications);
• reporting by media in a responsible way;
• introducing alcohol policies to reduce the harmful use of alcohol;
• early identification, treatment and care of people with mental and substance use disorders, chronic pain and acute emotional distress;
• training of non-specialized health workers in the assessment and management of suicidal behaviour;
• follow-up care for people who attempted suicide and provision of community support.

Suicide is a complex issue and therefore suicide prevention efforts require coordination and collaboration among multiple sectors of society, including the health sector and other sectors such as education, labour, agriculture, business, justice, law, defense, politics, and the media. These efforts must be comprehensive and integrated as no single approach alone can make an impact on an issue as complex as suicide.

–

By: Jerry Detse Mensah-Pah/The author is an Industrial Relations and Development Practitioner and can be reached on [email protected] or 0243164704.

The post Promoting mental health a sure way to reduce suicide [Article] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Akosua Brago, who is in a critical condition, and the deceased, had been in a relationship for the last six months but had no children.

[contextly_sidebar id=”tTLJHp7OJ8CdxlOsjAVpVzBbsOgmo7JO”]The Kukuom District Police commander, DSP Robert Kwasi Boakye who confirmed this to Citi News’ partner station in the region, Success FM, said the incident happened on Sunday, October 22, 2017 around 9:00pm.

“Its true that a case of such nature has occurred at Sankore, but it’s not a murder case, its an attempted murder because the victim is still alive and what happened is that, the deceased person and the victim are in relationship but of late the relationship hit the rocks, so the lady (Akosua Brago) is living around and no one knows what happened that day.”

“The lady was about to bath and the man attacked her, alarm was blown and some people came to the scene and the man managed to escaped from the scene. The woman was sent to the hospital when the man was sought for. He was found lying in the bush dead,” he said.

He added that the victim, Akosua Brago, whose age is yet to be determined, is now receiving treatment at Star of Hope Hospital in Sankore.

So far, the body of the deceased has been deposited at Goaso Government mortuary awaiting an autopsy.

–
By: Atiewin Mohammed/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Farmer assaults wife, kills himself at Sankore appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.