Why 800,000 people commit suicide yearly

A recent study has shown that not less than 800,000 people commit suicide around the world yearly, and this experts say is due to depression.

Experts say, no fewer than 800,000 people kill themselves yearly due to depression.

Joseph Adeyemi, a professor of psychiatry disclosed the details in Lagos, at the presentation of the book Shadows in the Mirror: the Many Faces of Depression, written by Dr Vivian Ikem.

Professor Adeyemi said despite the outrageous number of suicide cases, the policies on mental challenges still remain archaic.

The psychiatrist said Mental Health Act, enacted in the 1900s was last reviewed in 1959 despite medical improvements made over the years.

He said: “Our laws should keep up with current situations, but we have remained static; the way we were in 1959.”

In his assessment of the book, Adeyemi said the book was spectacular in the sense that it aids those in the field of psychiatry to get depression patients to accept the fact of their illness.

Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu,  the All Progressives Congress (APC) national leader, described the author as a woman of “excellent intellect” and “unmatchable lucidity.”

Tinubu was represented by Mr Sunday Dare, he said depression was a global problem, with 400 million people suffering from it, 12 percent (48 million) of which are Nigerians.

The APC chieftain described the publication as “a terrific book,” adding that he had a dream that someday, the author would be celebrated across the country.

The ex-governor of Lagos state added that for the author who is a chemical engineer to write so convincingly about a field of medicine, only proves that she has “intellectual discipline, curiosity and intellectual responsibility.”

In the same vein, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos state, said the issue of mental health had not received the attention it deserved.

Ambode who was represented by Deji Balogun, the general manager of Lagos television.

He said the symptoms of depression could easily be observed but people turn a blind eye to the plight of victims, with attendant costs on the economy.

“This publication by Dr Vivian Ikem is a timely wake-up call to government and everybody in the society that a smile, a word of encouragement and understanding would go a long way in curtailing the destructive effect of depression in our society,” the governor said.