Nigeria
In Africa, suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 15-29, including university students. Implementing suicide prevention policies as part of mental health programs for students and establishing mental health support centers and desks can help avert tragedies.
A nursing student at Havalde College of Science, Business and Management in Ogun State, Nigeria, fell into a deep depression that hit a turning point earlier this year.
She decided to commit suicide and was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital on the evening of February 19th.
According to classmates, she was devastated when she discovered the course she was studying was not accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) and, amid her fears, her boyfriend got her pregnant.
“She was bitterly complaining that her parents had spent all their money to send her to school and in the end got nothing. Things got worse after they found out she was pregnant,” said a classmate, who asked not to be named.
As a result, the facility was closed down for failing to obtain NMCN accreditation by the Ogun State Ministry of Health and members of the State Nursing and Midwifery Board.
What do the numbers look like?
Her death is the fourth reported case of suicide involving a Nigerian student in the first quarter of 2024, raising concerns over the alarming rates of depression and suicide among students and poor mental health services in the country’s tertiary institutions.
The study, titled, “Suicide in Nigeria: Observations from Newspaper Content Analysis”, found that of the 350 suicide cases reported in the country over a 10-year period (January 2010 to December 2019), 117 cases or 33.6% were committed by students, the highest proportion amongst the population categories analysed in the study.
Suicide has reached crisis proportions in Nigeria and Africa in general, especially among young people, said Taiwo Lateef Sheikh, professor of psychiatry at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria and advisory board member of the Africa Centre for Disease Control, Noncommunicable Diseases, Injuries and Mental Health.
“Globally, the suicide rate is estimated at about 9 per 100,000 people, according to the WHO (World Health Organisation). In Nigeria, it is between 5.5 and 6 per 100,000 across all age groups. In Africa, it is about 11.2 per 100,000, which is higher than the global average. It is even higher, especially among young people. Globally, 78% of suicide-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, making suicide the fourth leading cause of death among young people worldwide.
“In Africa, suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 15 to 29, and that age group includes university students, so this is a big problem.”
“What we consider to be the social determinants of suicide are over-represented among young people and access to mental health services is very poor. Young people are moving around with untreated mental illnesses, which account for around 90 per cent of suicides,” Sheikh told University World News.
A study on risk and protective factors associated with depression among students conducted in 2022 showed that of the 1,591 participants (students at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka), 59% had come into contact with a person with depression, while 45.1% had experienced depression.
The report found that less than half of participants (47.3%) had adequate knowledge about risk factors associated with depression in young people.
“Therefore, educational interventions aimed at improving students’ knowledge about depression, especially with regard to factors that may cause it, are highly recommended.
“University administrators should consider introducing student mental health services to reduce students’ tendency to become depressed,” the study states.
Student Coping Strategies
Several students spoke to University World News about the random approaches they took to cope with depression. Philip, a student at the University of Jos, said he turned to alcohol, recreational drugs and meditation.
“The causes of my depression are many, but the ones that stand out are poor academic performance, lack of motivation and feeling overwhelmed by life.
“It has had a negative impact on my studies and life in general. I can’t say I received any help from the school’s mental health services, but some of my lecturers have personally gone out of their way to provide counselling and other forms of support,” he said.
Jessica, a sociology major, said her depression caused her to withdraw, lose focus, miss classes and exams, experience multiple “carries-over” (a slang term for failing a grade at a Nigerian tertiary institution), and even nearly commit suicide if not for the intervention of her friends.
“I would always cry and sulk and think the world would be better off without me. I came up with a solution to end it on January 15, 2023. I eventually spoke to a friend who helped me and prayed with him.
“This voice kept ringing in my head: ‘You are enough. You are beautifully made. You are designed to achieve great things. Don’t give up,'” Jessica added.
What can universities do?
Shaikh advised that the first step is for universities to develop suicide prevention policies and mental health programs for students over a period of time, which must include how the programs will be implemented and evaluated to determine their effectiveness.
“We need a crisis line where students who are suicidal can get help by calling a professional who can help them de-escalate, make them feel better and make an appointment. And thirdly, we need to educate students about suicide, what causes it and how to prevent it.”
“Social media can be very beneficial for students, but it can also be harmful. It can teach copycat suicide. Universities should have rules to regulate the use of social media in a way that does not negatively impact suicide.”
“To promote suicide prevention, there should be regulation on how information about suicide is shared by students. And of course, we also need a well-equipped mental health department,” he said.
Professor Cosmas Adome of Ambrose Alli University, Edo State, said although many Nigerian universities do not have proper mental health departments, they do have guidance, counselling and psychology departments which need to be improved to better serve students.
“First of all, students who are struggling with depression should be able to visit these facilities on a regular basis and seek help,” said Adome, a former chair of the university’s admissions committee and professor of guidance and counseling.
“Departments of guidance and counselling and psychology should have functioning student services units and students should be aware of them, and those units should have staff available to deal with students on a regular basis,” he added.
Hauwa Bello, a psychotherapist and Chief Executive Officer of Mumtaz Mind and Wellness Studio, Abuja, called on universities to employ more professionals such as counsellors, psychologists and social workers, given the acute shortage of psychiatrists in the country.
To curb suicides, Bello said lecturers should be trained to recognise signs of distress among students and intervene at the right time.
She said: “There is no excuse for a university not to have a proper mental health department run by trained professionals, which must be able to assess students and make appropriate referrals if they are unable to cope.”
“Also, there should be mental health support groups staffed by specialised psychotherapists and clinical psychologists in every university to act as a support system for students.”
“Universities should conduct mental health screenings, with student consent, to identify who among students is vulnerable and who has had adverse childhood experiences so that early intervention can begin. Universities can similarly organise mental health days where students can talk about mental health in a non-judgmental way to avoid stigma,” Bello said.
Identify the cause
A clinical psychologist at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Dr Olugbemi Olukolade, lamented that student support centres in some Nigerian universities are inactive because they are run by lecturers whose primary responsibilities are teaching and research.
“Psychotherapy is a long-term process. If sessions are conducted weekly, they can last as long as 36 weeks. This is for one person at a university with 5,000 to 10,000 students.”
“Universities need to hire psychologists and therapists who can take over those units. They have to be very separate from academics.”
“We also need to look into where the problem is coming from. Are there bullies among lecturers? Are students working different jobs to pay their fees and survive? Stress can easily make such students depressed, so universities need to provide them with opportunities to work and earn money on campus.”
“Universities should have sexual abuse desks where students can anonymously report harassment, seek help and find a solution to their problems. Many universities do not have them and even when students report sexual harassment, they most often do not receive a due response. This can lead to depression,” he said.
