Africa-Press – Uganda. This week, this newspaper published a story that painted a picture of the worrying trend of suicide cases among students in Bugisu sub-region.
In the last seven months alone, authorities say, five students were reported to have killed themselves, with two cases being reported last week alone. The causes in Bugisu have been attributed to debt, substance abuse, failed relationships, among others.
But this is a trend that has carried on from last year where more than 20 cases of suicide involving school-going children were recorded. The causes were attributed to challenges such as highhandedness of school administrators, negligence by parents and bullying. Others included pressure to achieve after almost two years of learning, losses and habits such as sports betting.
Experts who spoke to Monitor warned that this trend could only rise if not dealt with early.
According to police records, the general trend of suicides in Uganda has been on the increase. In 2019, according to the 2019 Annual Police Crime Report, 456 suicide cases were reported. The following year, 195 cases of attempted suicide were reported, while in 2021, the reported number of suicide shot up to 615.
Most suicide cases in Uganda are reported among the youth and retirees, but for this article, we shall focus on the youth of school-going age.
Ugandan learners need help to cope with the challenges that emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic. Many were forced to stay at home and watch all sorts of drama unfold between their parents and guardians. Others watched their parents lose all their fortunes, while the unlucky ones lost their parents to the pandemic.
Experts say 90 percent of suicide cases are as a result of mental disorders, and of these, depression is the most common, accounting for about 70 percent.
Dr Isaac Owori, a retired psychiatrist, attributes the cause of suicidal thoughts to alcoholism, bipolar personalities, and other substance misuse.
Other causes, he says, include domestic violence, problems with social networks, and sad events in life.
There is urgent need for government to recognise the new challenge of suicide that is facing our learners.
The ministries of Health and that of Education need to urgently ensure all learners have access to professional counsellors. The most preferable option would be having counsellors visit schools to interact with the learners at least once a week.
Parents must also pay attention to the mental health of their children. In cases where they notice that something is amiss, they should seek help of the professionals.
Experts are warning that suicide trend among learners is worrying, we need to arrest the situation before it gets out of hand.
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