Expert bemoans Ghana’s lack of comprehensive national-level suicide data

The Association for Suicide Prevention Ghana (GASP), a suicide preventive organization, has expressed concern about the lack of comprehensive national suicide data.It said the country's criminalisation of suicide had resulted in incidents not being reported for fear of punishment.Dr. Emmanuel Nii-Boye Quarshie, President of GASP, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that suicide numbers were a gross underestimation of the actual number of suicides experienced in the country.This remains a challenge because the country still lacks comprehensive national-level data on suicide.'In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that across Ghana, 1,993 suicide cases were recorded, representing 177 females and 1,816 males, so clearly, GHS and the WHO are not on the same scale,' he said.According to Ghana Health (GHS) statistics, 723 people attempted suicide in Ghana in 2022, including 434 women and 289 men.The GHS reported 78 suicide deaths, with 42 females and 36 males in the same year.Dr . Quarshie said people who lost loved ones to suicide and had to take their body to the morgue refused to report the actual cause of death, instead mentioning accident to avoid being incriminated by the law.He said suicide was considered a taboo in Ghana's traditional settings, with a high level of shame attached to it.'Even in our own traditional setting, we still do not mention suicide as a cause of death, which means that we have still underestimated the numbers.'Dr. Quarshie further criticized Ghana's Christian and Islamic religions for considering suicides as a sin, refusing to disclose such situations whenever a relative committed suicide and failing to have such incidents documented.'In Islam, if you are not a big man or woman in the Islamic community, a few hours after your death, you are going to be buried. Your body will not be taken to the hospital. And so, hospitals will not have the data,' he stated.In 2023, Parliament amended the Criminal Offenses Act of 1960, which made attempted suic ide a criminal offense.Individuals who attempt suicide will no longer be imprisoned but will instead be regarded in need of mental health care.Dr. Quarshie, who is also a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Ghana, said the repeal was in the right direction.'It means that when people die by suicide and they are taken to the hospital, people can confidently mention the cause of death without fear and people experiencing suicidal crisis can now seek help confidently without feeling shy or feeling demotivated.'The immediate positive effect of this repeal is that we the researchers, advocates and interventionists within the space of suicide prevention are so happy. We have been relieved, from the thoughts that, engaging with suicidal issues in this country can be equal to breaking the law, now we do not have that thought anymore,' he said.Dr. Quarshie said it was reassuring that Ghana had become the first West African country in the Sub-Region to decriminalize suicide att empts, and Nigeria was following suit.'It is a very good and a bold decision we have taken as a country. And I am eternally grateful to our parliament, and together with my team, also thank the President for signing the bill into law.'That henceforth, attempted suicide is no more a crime, but a commitment to help improve the mental health of our people,' he said.Dr. Quarshie said the Association was looking forward to collaborating with key government players, including the Mental Health Authority and the GHS, to create a database, as the country could only develop an effective suicide prevention plan with reliable data.He urged Ghanaians who had suicidal thoughts to seek professional help, saying, 'It is not a sign of weakness if you are seeking help for your own mental well-being; it is important that we begin taking those steps.'Source: Ghana News Agency