Our Chief Programmes Officer, Oduor Kevin was the Chief Guest at the EHSAKU webinar series. He talked about different aspects regarding suicide. In his keynote presentation, Oduor weighed in into the history of suicide and explained the causes and risk factors of suicide. He also shared about some of the glaring global and local statistics on suicide, which in essence, highlighted its public health significance.
Our CPO was also keen to talk about suicidal behaviors and implore the participants to be on the watch out for such behaviour which, principally, lead to suicide or suicidal attempts. To deepen the participants understanding of suicide, Oduor talked about the methods of suicide (traditional and modern methods). He finished his presentation with a powerful quote by Albert Camus — “But in the end, one needs the courage to live than to kill himself!”
According to the World Health Organization, more than 700 000 people die by suicide every year translating to one person every 40 seconds. More sobering is the fact that suicide occurs throughout life and is the fourth leading cause of death among the youth aged 15-29 years old globally.
In looking at the WHO’s 5 by 5 model which has incorporated mental illness as one of the Non-Communicable Diseases, Suicidal feeling/ideation is classified under mental illness. This points to the fact that the classification of NCDs has been broadened to accommodate conditions/illnesses that had been left out. Nations across the world are grappling with the mental health issues which has already cause significant number of deaths especially during the period of COVID-19 pandemic.
In Kenya, there is growing alarm over the meteoric rise in the number of suicide cases. Nearly, 500 suicide cases were reported in the month of June 2021, a record number to be reported in a single month. This increase in suicide cases can be attributed to the socio-economic impact COVID-19 in relation to job losses, containment measures among others. The situation has, further, been compounded by feelings of isolation which has resulted into mental heath breakdown in most people. In keeping with this happenings, Environmental Health Students Association of Kenyatta University (EHSAKU) hosted a webinar to demystify suicide while creating the much-needed awareness on the same. Organized as a follow-up event following the World Suicide Prevention Day on 10th September 2021, the association targeted university students, both members and non-members of EHSAKU. The session aimed at demystifying suicide and providing the participants with practical skills on how to address or deal with suicidal feelings.
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