As a young girl, I was privileged to be registered at Obafemi Awolowo University Health Centre for medical care because my father was a lecturer.

One day, I was at the health centre and I overheard some doctors and matrons discussing a particular patient who took a drug overdose and also left a suicide note.

There is a second story.

In one of the states in this country, a school principal collected the WAEC fees from students many years ago.

I had no idea what he used the money for, but he eventually committed suicide because he could not account for the money.

The entire month of September is recognised as Suicide Prevention Month (often called Suicide Prevention Awareness Month), and it features World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10.

To this end, let us look into what suicide is.

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one’s own death.

Suicidal behaviour refers to talking about or taking actions related to ending one’s own life.

Suicidal thoughts and behaviours should be considered a psychiatric emergency.

The first World Health Organisation world suicide report, Preventing suicide: a global imperative, published in 2014, aimed to increase public awareness of the public health significance of suicide and suicide attempts and to make suicide prevention a high priority on the global public health agenda.

It also aimed to encourage and support countries to develop or strengthen comprehensive national suicide prevention strategies through a multisectoral public health approach.

In 2021, WHO launched LIVE LIFE: an implementation guide for suicide prevention in countries.

Accompanying resources to support the implementation of the four key LIVE LIFE interventions have also been published, including the 2024 brochure on Preventing suicide by phasing out highly hazardous pesticides to support limiting access to means.

Preventing suicide: a resource for media professionals, update 2023, was published to encourage responsible reporting of suicide, while the Helping Adolescents Thrive toolkit was developed to foster socio-emotional life skills among young people.

There is usually no single reason someone decides to take their own life.

Several factors can increase the risk of suicide, such as having a mental health disorder.

But more than half of all people who die by suicide do not have a known mental illness at the time of their death.

Depression is the top mental health risk factor, but others include bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders and personality disorders.

Aside from mental health conditions, other factors that increase the risk of suicide include: Incarceration Poor job security or low levels of job satisfaction History of being abused or witnessing continuous abuse Being diagnosed with a serious medical condition, such as cancer or HIV Being socially isolated or a victim of bullying or harassment Substance use disorder Childhood abuse or trauma Family history of suicide Previous suicide attempts Having a chronic disease Social loss, such as the loss of a significant relationship Loss of a job Access to lethal means, including firearms and drugs Being exposed to suicide Difficulty seeking help or support Lack of access to mental health or substance use treatment Following belief systems that accept suicide as a solution to personal problems You cannot see what a person is feeling on the inside, so it is not always easy....