The Uganda Police have in the recent past, especially ever since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, registered several cases of suicide among Ugandans.
To die, distressed victims are jumping off high-rise buildings, hanging themselves using ropes, bleeding themselves to death, or ingesting poisonous substances.
According to the Observer, a Ugandan weekly newspaper, every year, police respond to and process about 535 suicide crime scenes, as per the Police Annual Crime Report indicates spanning the period between 2019 and 2021.
According to the 2019 Annual Police Crime Report, 456 suicide scenes were processed and 223 attempted suicide cases were reported –signaling a sharp rise in deaths by suicide in the country.
Cases of suicide among youths spiraled especially during and after the COVID-19 lockdown, forcing the police to raise public concern about the issue.
For instance, the 2020 Annual Crime Report registered 168 attempted suicide cases.
The police marines reported two suicide cases and five suicide incidents by drowning, according to the same report.
In the 2021 Annual Crime Report, the number of processed suicide scenes by the Crime Investigation Department of Uganda Police rose to 615.
In the same report, the Uganda Police National Emergency Call Center received 374 calls reporting cases linked to suicide, attempted suicide murder, infanticide, poisoning, attempted infanticide, etc and of the 374 reported cases, police responded to 332.
On September 20th, 2022, the Territorial Police in Mpigi registered a disturbing incident of teen suicide, after a one Kasule Arafat, an 11-year-old, P.4 pupil of Kabira UMEA Primary School, committed suicide by hanging.
The facts gathered indicate that on September 14th,2022, at about 8:00 Am, the victim reported to the school, but did not attend classes.
He disappeared from the school and a search was conducted, only to find him dead, and the body hanging on a mango tree, at St. Luke Catholic Church, Kyanja, which is located about 250 metres from the school. The body was taken to Gombe Hospital for postmortem, although what could have forced him to commit suicide remains a mystery.
Other Cases Of Suicide
Besides Kasule’s case, there are several cases of suicide that have been registered by the police which include but aren’t limited to the following;
On June 29, 2022, Bibiana Nasasira, 22, a student of Kabale University pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Social Works and Social Administration hanged herself. She had visited her sister in Rukiga District where she eventually hanged herself using a piece of cloth tied to a tree.
On June 07, 2022, Josephine Namuli, a student of Wanyange Girls School, Jinja, ended her life by hanging. Namuli, 17, was found hanging in the dormitory with a rope tied around her neck. According to media reports, Namuli had signaled her death in one of the WhatsApp groups. The message read, “You will be surprised when they say, RIP Josephine.”
On May 8, 2022, residents of Anywali Parish in Amolatar sub-country woke up to the horrible sight of the lifeless body of Miriam Anyango hanging on a mango tree. The deceased was in senior one at Aputi secondary school. She committed suicide following a misunderstanding with her father. Before her death, it is alleged that Anyango disappeared from the home after her father beat her for failing to take care of the family herd of animals.
On March 05, 2022, Brian Wetaka, a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering graduate from Kyambogo University, returned to his former lecture room block and jumped to his death. Kyambogo security said Wetaka left behind a suicide note. It said, “I have decided to end my life because of stress.”
According to the police, most youths commit suicide due to the pressure to perform academically, act responsibly, and or the pressure to fit in socially among fellow teenagers.
In the same vein, young people with mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or insomnia are at a higher risk for suicide thoughts, according to the police.
Also, teenagers going through major life changes like parents’ divorce, parental separation, financial changes, and those that are tortured or bullied are at greater risk of suicide thoughts.
However, although the police usually attribute cases of suicide to situations like Gender Based Violence (GBV), Poverty, Crises in Life Sexual Abuse, Drug and Alcohol Abuse, mental health experts contend that depression is the leading precursor to several cases of suicide.
According to Diana Nakibuuka, a professional nurse working in the United States of America and a skilled mental health, depression is one of the silent killers affecting most Ugandans.
“The problem with depression is that it is not easy to diagnose. It takes extra effort to convince a patient that he/she is suffering from depression and that they need to seek psychosocial support if they are to overcome the problem’, Nakibuuka, who is the proprietor of Action for Action for Community Treatment Services (ACTS-Fund), a Nongovernmental Organisation, says.
She explains that in most cases there are tell-tale signs which indicate that someone is suffering from either mild or severe depression but in most cases, they are ignored by patients and medical workers who are not mental health experts.
“The problem is that much as it is a silent killer, depression often comes with signs which a trained mental health expert will look at and consider as red alerts,” Nakibuuka reveals, adding that; “It is always advisable to visit a mental health expert regularly so as to be able to identify these signs and arrest the situation before it goes out of hand.”
Signs of Depression
Nakibuuka notes although there are prescription drugs for depression, the best solution for this problem is to seek psychosocial support from a trained mental health expert, who can be advise a patient on how to handle this situation.
She reveals that through her Nongovernmental Organization (NGO), experts train mental health specialists on how to best handle depression.
Nakibuuka gives a list of the commonest signs and symptoms of depression, which include but are not limited to the following;
An unusually sad mood: This results from loss of interest and enjoyment of activities that used to be enjoyable.
i) Lack Of Energy and Constantly feeling tired
ii) Feeling worthless or guilty although not really at fault
iii) Thinking often about death or wishing to be dead
iv) Difficulty in concentrating or making decisions
v) Moving more slowly or sometimes becoming agitated and unable to settle
vi) Having sleeping difficulties or sometimes sleeping too much
vii) Loss of interest in food or sometimes eating too much
viii) Changes in eating habits which may lead to excessive weight loss or gain
ix) Loss of interest in friends and embracing loneliness
x) Excessive consumption of alcohol and or substance abuse
The mental health expert urges all Ugandans who experience or suspect the have such signs and symptoms to immediately get in touch with ACTS-Fund for immediate attention through their toll-free lines; (267) 777-0457 and +256 393249208.