Suicide: The Dissolution but not the Solution by Damilola Akinlolu

Suicidal thoughts have become a norm in our society, as many see it as the lasting solution to a temporary problem. Putting an end to one's life does not in any way put an end to the problem, rather it opens a new chapter of struggle which one has no idea of.

There are lot of cases in our society that have prompted people to end their lives, a news got circulated sometimes ago about a young boy who ended his life because he failed UTME(United Tertiary Matriculation Exam), another person ended her life because she was not given attention by her mother. Some suicidal acts are known to be impulsive due to financial difficulties, stress, relationship breaks or bullying. Other suicidal acts are quite unexplainable. People go to any lengths to carry out this action, the popular ones are by hanging (or suffocation), overdose, usage of firearms, drowning, pesticide poisoning and falls. When I hear people clamor for the ban on insecticides, I'm compelled to ask if insecticide is the only means of ending one's life. Rather than putting a ban on insecticides, why not let's address the issue from the root cause?

Overtime, the range of ages prone to this act is 15 – 30 years of age. Suicide has become the 10th leading cause of death worldwide. Depression, substance abuse (alcohol, hard drug …), bipolar disorder, mental health problems are risk factors. A common risk factor, depression, is a serious medical illness that negatively affects the way one feels, thinks and acts. 

During depression, people suffer in silence. There is this feeling of isolation and untrue belief that they’re the only one lost. This continues for a while or longer until they can’t take it anymore. At this point, the only escape route seen is death because the mind is in thick darkness. And in most cases, the easiest option thought about is suicide. Fake appearances and expression manifest in such individuals in order to hide the real issue at hand from every single soul around them. Even when help comes knocking faintly, they deny it and go ahead in betraying themselves. They think the solution has been fixed by them but they fail to see that their own death isn’t the death of the problem. The problem gets passed on to loved ones as guilt and regrets consume them up. The “what if?”, “had I known” and “I thought” damage loved ones left behind especially if they continue to blame themselves for the demise of a depressed being. They assume it were their fault for failing to see the frown under that smile, the sadness being covered by happiness and the inability to differentiate between real and fake.

To every depressed soul out there and every one already having suicidal ideations, suicide was and will never be the solution. Suicide does not solve the problem as the problem still persists. It even creates more problems for those you care about. Depression does get better when you come to the realization that there are a lot of positive things out there waiting for you find them and many positive ways out there waiting to be located by you. Be optimistic! The help and realization are not sudden but gradual. Don’t suffer alone. Speak to someone (a non-judgmental person), though it might seem the hardest thing to do. You can also meet your religious head if the need be. And in case you don’t have the above around you, there are hotlines of professional individuals or organization out there.