The Cope-and-Live Mental Health Awareness Foundation has called for more investment on mental health with institutionalisation of counselling units and departments in communities, organizations and schools.
The Executive Director of the Foundation, Rev. Chukwudiebube Nwachukwu, made the call in Enugu while addressing a cross section of mental health stakeholders on the 2024 World Suicide Prevention Day. The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners and stakeholders have designated Sept. 10 each year as World Suicide Prevention Day.
Nwachukwu, who is mental health therapist and life coach, noted that such counseling unit or department was needed in every place human beings aggregate in numbers like social and organisational gathering be it formal or informal. This has become imperative in order to assist individuals with mental health issues to overcome their challenges and check phenomena that trigger negative emotions and mental health illnesses, according to him.
“If these negative emotions and continuous depressive state is not checked; it might result to voluntary and intentional end of ones life by oneself,” he said. Speaking on the theme of 2024 World Suicide Prevention Day, which is “Changing the Narrative in Suicide,” Nwachukwu said that mental health issues needed to be prioritised.
He said that prioritising mental health would help to promote investment by individuals, corporate bodies, schools, government and non-governmental organisations towards mental health and for the people to know the relevance and importance of counselling.
“There is a need to invest more on mental health to curbing mental health issues and situations that motivates negative pathways and suicide in our society. Recent report and analyses on causes of suicide reveals that it is always occasioned by event of prolonged depression that is not properly handled.
“Suicide can also be triggered by issues around the thinking by the victim of his personal and family shame to face; or rejection by loved ones, death of loved one/partner, business failures, impunity and lack of social justice leading to frustration and hopelessness among others.
“Living above ones means and later can no longer maintain the standard can help give or trigger suicidal thoughts. While financial turbulence, relationship failures, prolong sicknesses among others can lead to suicide,” he said.
The executive director stressed that changing the narrative on suicide would mean doing things to encourage self awareness on mental health. He said that individuals should be “schooled on when normal emotions can bring about negative mood swings and others as well as how to manage them effectively”.
“We need all levels and strata of society to invest heavily on having counselling unit with certified counsellors who will place close monitor on individuals with particular reference on their behaviours and offer the necessary counselling and therapy.
“Changing the narratives will also mean people accepting the realities on ground and embracing hopefulness with the understanding that life is for the living and when one door closes; that many will be opened. People should be encouraged on positive coping mechanisms, embrace positive constructive relations, reduce social media influences as well as doing act of kindness and gratitude,” he added.
The Cope-and-Live Mental Health Awareness Foundation is a global foundation on mental health whose major objectives include: to educate the public on the effects of negative emotions on health and living while providing mental health solutions and advocacy. The foundation also supports confidential and private counselling, and multi-sports activities leading to greater social interactions as well as shaping public advocacy, awareness and policy relating to women’s health and hygiene.
