The rates of death as a result of suicide are on the rise throughout the world. It has caused an alarm and the situation is being taken seriously to determine the causative factors so that it can be reduced. The social issue is present in the developed nations such as the United States as well as the developing countries like Nigeria. The rates of death as a result of suicide are different in the advanced and developing nations (Pompili, 2012). The causes of death also vary with the economic status of a nation. The following work will help study the similarities and differences between the rates of death in America and Nigeria.
Suicide is among the social issues in America which are creating alarm recently because of the increasing rates. A study carried out by the National Center for Health Statistics, a branch of CDC indicated that in 2016, the number of deaths due to suicide were 44,965 deaths that were recorded which had increased from 2014, where the number of suicidal deaths was 42,773. On average it was determined that the rates of suicide have increased annually from 24 % from 1990 to 2014. Despite the high number of suicide rates, there is too much stigma associated with the case and has resulted in general underreporting of the cases.
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In Nigeria, there is a poor recording of suicide as a cause of death which shows that Nigeria has lower rates of deaths due to suicide that the United States. However, the rates are considerably high, especially among the youth who experience most frustration in life or are influenced by different factors and opt to commit suicide. Recently, there has been an alarm on the increasing rates of suicide in the nation and it is alarming and disturbing. Ironically, the Nigerians were recognized as the ‘happy go lucky people’ but the high rates of suicide are changing that. In the World Happiness Reports, the nation was ranked as the 78th internationally and 2nd in Africa in 2016. In 2017, the records dropped to 6th position in Africa and 103rd in the world. In 2017, the records of suicide rates in the first quarter of the year were bothersome mostly because they were among the students.
In America, a research in 2014 by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention proved that suicide was the tenth factor responsible for death in the nation. The cost of the death was also expensive, imposing 51 billion dollars to the annual budget of the nation. The study indicated also other factors which are associated with suicide such as women are more prone to suicide two times men, in almost 50 percent of the deaths, a firearm is used to carry it out. The adjusted age of the suicide rates per year is 13.26 in every 100,000 people; men who attempt suicide die 3.5 times more than the female who attempt, on each day, an average of 121 suicides take place and in 2015, and seven out of ten white men killed themselves.
There are different factors which are responsible for the high death rates in Nigeria. Nigeria has been experiencing financial hardships which mean that every person has to struggle to make ends meet. The most affected people are those who are poor already because it has been hard to even get the daily requirements. The debt profile of the nation has been on the rise, the rates of inflation have been increasing and the unemployment levels are increasing as the companies are closing any chances to hire the people (Nock, Borges and Ono, 2012). The cost of living is increasing and the economic recession is causing a depression thus making the local people experience the negative impacts. There are people who find it hard to cope with the financial hardships and prefer to take their own lives.
The political unrests due to the terrorist group of Boko Haram have caused deaths, especially among young girls. The group takes young girls by force and turns them into wives and they experience hardships. Some girls would rather be dead than pass through the life hardships of being raped and mistreated by the Boko Haram. Loneliness is another factor which is increasing the rates of suicide in Nigeria. The women are still held by some cultural beliefs of being married when they are of the right age and bear children. The pressure makes women even get into marriages when they are not ready and start to struggle when still young. When one goes against the societal beliefs, they may even end up being disowned by the entire family and being alone may bring the thoughts of suicide. After one gets married, the economic struggles continue to increase considering that they are required to take care of the children and the frustration may cause death.
The students, on the other hand, are faced with school frustration when the studies get hard yet the family has too high expectations on the individual. Continuous failure may cause a person to gets the thoughts of committing suicide instead of improving their lives. Most people who are depressed ends up committing situation, especially the ones who do not seek media attention.
In America, there are diverse factors which are responsible for the high rates of death in the nation. Chronic health problems is one of the leading factors where most terminally-ill patients consider themselves as burdens to their families and would rather die instead of living a miserable time. When one has a chronic illness, they have to pay for medical attention all through and they might be too weak to work thus putting the burden on someone else. To avoid increasing the financial struggles such people prefer to commit suicide. Mental illness is the other cause of suicide in America. The patients may not be aware of what they are doing and end up killing themselves, such as suffocating themselves using the clothes they are wearing (Goldsmith and Institute of Medicine (U.S.), 2002).
The race has been a factor causing suicide in America for a long time. The high rates have been among the non-white races that have been for a long time, segregated from the society. They receive poor health care, education and social services, thus experiencing high levels of poverty. The others races, such as students receive rejection and humiliation and at times feel completely out of place. The ridicule may be too much for a student to handle and most of them end up quitting school while others commit suicide. Domestic violence has also been another cause of suicidal deaths. Most battered women and men are not willing to talk about the issue because of the stigmatization they face from the society members. Those who face such a case may end up committing suicide instead of facing the social humiliation and continuing with an abusive partner.
The governments in the United States and Nigeria are partnering with other interested organizations to solve the problems of suicide and determine how to reduce the cases of suicide in the nations. The Americans government is applying the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention which is combining the efforts of CDC, Indian Health Service, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Health Resources and Services Administration and National Institutes of Health. There are several goals which guide these organizations in prevention of suicide. There are laws against suicide or helping in suicide in America. The laws have been evaluated recently especially due to the hospital assisted suicide which has now been accepted under certain standards stated in medical regulations. Some of the policies are focused on the mentally ill people so that they can be assisted through treatment and recovery from the condition thus reducing the cases of mental suicides (Stein, Kupfer, Schatzberg and American Psychiatric Publishing, 2006).
In Nigeria, reducing the cases of deaths due to suicide requires the government to start by fixing the economy. There should be economic palliatives placed throughout the nation which will help reduce the levels of poverty and unemployment thus giving the Nigerians more easier lives and reduce the cost of living. When the economic burden is reduced, the Nigerians will be able to pursue their dreams and it will help restore the happiness levels in the nation. The family basis that existed in the nation should also be reviewed and embrace the modern society at the same time where women are allowed chances for their improvement. Loneliness will be reduced and women will not be forced to take family responsibilities simply because the culture dictates. The government should also ensure security and protection of the Nigerians especially girls from the threat of being kidnapped by the Boko Haram and separated from their family.
There are various similarities in the suicide rates in America and Nigeria. The two nations, though different in economic levels, have alarming rates of suicidal deaths. It would be expected that since the United States was performing better, then the levels of suicide would be low but that is not the case. The high rates in the countries are among the youth, those in school and graduated recently. The two countries have laws against suicide. These laws are meant to create awareness of the factors causing suicide and encouraging people to seek medical care in case of depression and mental illness so that help can be provided. The laws also spell out the conditions which must be fulfilled for assisted suicide to be allowed. However, the laws are not strict and not effective and that is why the suicide rates in the two countries are still high.
In conclusion, suicide as the primary causative of death in the world should be addressed. It is the duty of the government and the ministry of health to determine the cause’s suicide and how they can be addressed. People should also be advised on seeking help in case of stress before the situation becomes worse and it gets to depression. Suicide can be prevented as long as the combined effort is put.
References
Goldsmith, S. K., & Institute of Medicine (U.S.). (2002). Reducing suicide: A national imperative. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press.
Nock, M., Borges, G., & Ono, Y. (2012). Suicide: Global Perspectives from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Pompili, M. (2012). Suicide: A Global Perspective. SAIF Zone Bentham Science Publishers.
Stein, D. J., Kupfer, D. J., Schatzberg, A. F., & American Psychiatric Publishing. (2006). The American Psychiatric Publishing textbook of mood disorders. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Pub.
