Reatile Polaki
Every year on September 10, the world sets out to commemorate World Suicide Prevention Day.
More than 700,000 people die every year from suicide. To put it into perspective, if 700, 000 people died in Lesotho every year without replacement our population would be zero in about 3 years.
Of the more than 700, 000 people, most are young people between the ages of 15-29. Lesotho is not immune to this crisis, in fact, our little kingdom in the sky is fighting a losing war against suicide, with rates of about 72.4 suicides per 100, 000 people.
And this is the part where you are probably thinking “No, this cannot be” but think about it.
Every year online we say rest in peace to multiple souls lost to suicide. Most people, dare I say every young person, knows someone who has committed or attempted suicide or knows someone who knows someone who has. Now the question remains, what are we doing to help? The answer may lie in this year’s theme for suicide prevention day. ‘Changing the narrative’.
It calls us to start having open and honest conversations on suicide and suicidal behaviour, these conversations should be held at individual, communal, and governmental levels. By having these conversations honestly and without judgment we can break down barriers, create understanding and foster a culture of support for those that need it.
Suicide is a mental health issue, if we as a nation want to talk about suicide and be honest about it, we all need to be honest as a country about our mental health and the things that affect it. Let us be honest, our current socio-economic situation as a country is a fertile ground for stress, distress and unhappiness.
We cannot ignore the rampant crime, high unemployment rates, financial inequality, gender-based violence, corruption and all that, to just talk. For us, mental well-being and in turn suicide prevention are partly going to come from the betterment of our current situation as a country. We cannot expect someone who has lost all hope and confidence because of poverty, unemployment and exploitation to have a fighting chance at beating this silent killer.
Those things are not in the same subset.
When all that is said and done, the first thing we can do as a country is to talk about it. Remove the stigma attached to mental illness and suicide, be honest about the struggles and engage in meaningful conversations free from judgement and condescension. Check in with loved ones, let them know you are there to support them, share your story with others, use your time and resources to learn more about suicide and use your platforms to advocate for mental health awareness. Conversations no matter how small create a ripple effect. Spread the knowledge.
Call out your representatives. Use your voice to advocate for policies and laws that support people. Advocate for laws that protect employees with mental illness or mental health challenges, laws that protect those who are going through a rough time from exploitation and abuse.
We must also call out our policy makers, to improve the standards of care in our facilities, and to adequately give resources to these facilities so they serve the public better. Use your voice to call for a change in our socioeconomic situation, we need to see employment opportunities and sustainable intervention for the high poverty that plagues us. Force your leaders to make this a priority.
If we work together, if we talk about it, we can change it.
