Triggers That Can Lead To Suicide -By Ifeanyichukwu Mmoh

In my few years of working as a volunteer happiness therapist, I have been privileged to read through some of the suicide notes that were left behind by the victims. And one of the things that I easily noticed is that the victims always gave their reason(s) for choosing to take their lives.

For me, I believed that these notes are written for 2 major reasons, namely: (1) So that posterity will be kind in judging their memories and (2) So that you and I may be aware of the situations they faced in order to be better prepared when we meet with the same challenges.

Now, about a week and a few days ago, I started a conversation around the subject of suicide that I must quickly say; received mass attention from the general public. In that article, I listed unhappiness as the first and major cause of suicide. To help my readers understand unhappiness better, I decided to do this follow-up article today.

There are 5 major triggers of unhappiness – in my opinion – that can actually lead to suicide. These 5 triggers are considered as potential catalysts for suicide primarily because they induce in a person the mindset of being trapped, a feeling of hopelessness and, a faint, dejected and helpless mien that mentally relegated the affected to a prey of their own challenges.

And the 5 triggers are briefly explained below:

1.  Stubborn personal struggles (SPS)

Our society today is beset with many challenges that appear to defy any known practical solution. From drugs-resistant diseases, to divorce and relationship mishap, to unemployment and inflation as well as spiritual problems that seem to even defy spiritual remedies; these are called stubborn societal struggles.

These become stubborn personal struggles when they affect people. Now, a lot of people are stranded due to one or several of these modern-day challenges. And it is not everyone that has the mental capacity to overcome their state of unhappiness and, thus we find that suicide is increasingly becoming a means to overcome.

In 2022 alone, more than one hundred known cases of suicide were reported in the media. There are about another one hundred that happened in the secret. It did not help too that some of those who were caught in the act of trying to take their lives are left without care by the agencies of government and by state laws that criminalizes suicide attempt; thereby, compounding their ordeal.

Personally, I have made a case for government’s intervention in the area of intensifying research for effective drugs that can totally eliminate stubborn bacterial diseases and in the process salvage many youths who are trapped with these sexually transmitted diseases or institute an effective measure that discourages promiscuity. Why? Because these triggers lead to suicide.   

2.  Drastic decline in moral standards

The drastic decline in moral standards is another dangerous catalyst for suicide among our youths. Now, there are youths in their thousands who are currently in prison across the federation for crimes they did not commit. For some, their ordeal was started by a promiscuous housewife who wanted to sex with them behind their husbands.

For others, a jealous and randy married man who felt jilted and heartbroken by the fact that his former mistress was finally getting married and, decided to set her up for prison. And because of media trials, bandwagon and mob mentality as well as prejudices coming from gender consciousness; innocent people end up in prison while the real culprits walk free.

When it becomes clear for some people who are actually innocent of the accusations that they would end up behind bars, they take the quick option of suicide to avoid a mental pressure they are not prepared to go through. In fact, there was a case of an old man who jumped into the Lagos lagoon because he was accused of what he didn’t do.

This drastic decline in moral standards is drastically sending people to their untimely death and this ought to be urgently reviewed particularly through having the right leaders in our religious and political spaces that can create the right orientation and policies capable of driving behavioral change in our society.

…… to be continued.       

Comrade Ifeanyichukwu Mmoh; a mental health activist writes from Abuja. 08062577718.