According to the
Department of Statistics, 169 people committed suicide in Jordan in 2021, 10 percent up
from the year before and the highest number since 2017.
اضافة اعلان
Every year 703,000 people around the world take
their own life and many more attempt suicide, according to the
World Health Organization. Suicide, WHO says, “is a tragedy that affects families,
communities and entire countries, and has long-lasting effects on the people
left behind”.
The reasons vary, but suicide usually happens when
people lose the ability and strength to cope with life and direct their fury
and frustration toward themselves, taking their own life.
It may be induced by psychological vulnerability,
lack of social relationships, and lack of financial assistance. In reaction to
the
socio-economic situation in which they find themselves, some people choose
to end their life, said Dr. Abdallah Abu Adas, consultant psychiatrist and
member of the American Psychiatric Association.
According to Professor of sociology
Hussein Alkhozahe, “the desire to commit suicide has several motivations, the most
prominent of which is to send a message to the community as a result of the
psychological and social problems this person is experiencing, particularly
poverty and unemployment”.
Abu Adas told
Jordan News that suicides are higher
among men, despite the fact that women attempt suicide at a higher rate.
“This is because men commit suicide in more
aggressive and successful ways,” he said.
Abu Adas believes the number of suicides in
jordan is higher this year because, on
the one hand, “the process of documenting and recording suicides has become
more systematic”, and, on the other, because “following the corona pandemic,
the world was stunned, and Middle Eastern and African societies were
particularly hard hit economically and socially. Economic fragility results in
psychological fragility among some individuals”.
Dr. Nader
Mohammad Alsmady, a senior psychiatrist who is the head of the Judicial
Department at the
National Center for Mental Health and the head of the
Scientific Committee at the Jordan Association of Psychiatrists, seems to
agree.
According to him,
“the high suicide rates are attributed to more accurate case recording at the
present time, as there was no accurate documentation of suicides previously,
but this increase cannot be confirmed as 100 percent real”.
The reasons for
individuals to commit suicide are increasing, he said, “as we have seen in
recent years as a result of the corona pandemic, which has impacted the
economic situation and, as a result, suicide rates”.
The Kingdom lacks a
national registry for suicides due to the sheer number of mental health
agencies involved. The
Ministry of Health and those working in the field of
psychology envision a national registry that connects all parties to improve
suicide and mental health documentation and follow-up.
According to
Alkhozahe, a person who commits suicide has usually failed in several previous
attempts.
“His inability to
solve his problems, the community surrounding him not paying attention to what
he suffers from, and the lack of state support for him” lead to a “state of
severe depression”.
The economic
situation significantly influences people who are contemplating suicide, said
Alkhozahe, adding that in Jordan’s case, “economic crimes account for 66
percent of all crimes”.
According to
Yusuf Mansur, CEO of Envision Consulting Group and former minister of state for
economic affairs, “individuals’ psychology is greatly influenced by their
economic situation”. He went on to say that since 2010, the average real income
of an individual has been falling and youth unemployment is nearly 50 percent.
“This is not a new
problem; we have been dealing with it for at least 10 years, and it is only
getting worse. The youth do not have savings to get through what is currently
happening, they do not have savings, no income, and they cannot find a job,
which creates a state of misery. Also, prices are rising, and as they do,
people’s incomes are shrinking even more. All of this creates a very negative
outlook on life; this problem may explain why some people commit suicide.”
According to
Mansur, the impact of social media should not be underestimated; “the youth are
now exposed to many cultures and experiences abroad, so they are learning from
others by comparing their lives to others’ and considering suicide as a
solution as they see some other people committing it. This affects their
perception and acceptability toward suicide as a solution”.
… Suicide risk factors include prior suicide attempts, as the majority of successful suicides are preceded by failed suicide attempts, which must be highlighted to prevent it from happening again, severe cases of acute psychological trauma, economic and social pressures, psychological diseases such as depression, some addictive cases, and occasionally the presence of incurable diseases.
Alkhozahe believes
that a special center should be set up to psychologically, morally,
economically, and socially help people who hace suicide thoughts or try to kill
themselves.
According to Abu
Adas, “the most psychologically vulnerable groups should be highlighted, particularly
the youth, who face multiple social or economic challenges, as well as the
elderly, who may face social isolation due to age, disease, or declining
economic status, as they are particularly vulnerable to suicide”.
He also said that
“suicide risk factors include prior suicide attempts, as the majority of
successful suicides are preceded by failed suicide attempts, which must be
highlighted to prevent it from happening again, severe cases of acute
psychological trauma, economic and social pressures,
psychological diseases such as depression, some addictive cases, and occasionally the presence of
incurable diseases”.
“As a psychiatrist,
I believe that the majority of suicides are the result of mental illness,” said
Alsmady, adding: “Most people who commit suicide had visited follow-up centers
for their psychological state a month before, without declaring their intention
to commit suicide, hoping to be discovered due to shyness and fear of their
statement.”
“Part of
addressing the problem of suicide is raising awareness about the issue,
breaking down the stigma and fear of consulting a psychiatrist, and advising
any individual to follow himself and his feelings,” he said.
According to Abu
Adas, “there must be specialized teams that reach out to these cases and try to
evaluate each case individually, as well as work to increase the philosophy of
solidarity and social cohesion so that individuals do not feel psychological
alienation, and increase social dialogue with vulnerable groups of young people
or those who suffer from family and domestic violence and may commit suicide to
end the violence”.
“The integrated
psychiatric medical team, which includes a psychiatrist,
psychotherapist,
psychiatric nurse, social researcher, and occupational therapist, also plays an
important role,” he added.
Some 52 psychiatric
clinics are distributed throughout the Kingdom, including those within
comprehensive health centers or hospitals, providing mental health services as
part of the procedures carried out at the
National Center for Mental Health,
said Alsmady.
“Due to a lack of
mental health staff, not all of these clinics are open on a daily basis.
Depending on where the clinic is located, each clinic has different hours,” he
said, adding that “increasingly, physical and mental health services are being
integrated, helping to reduce the stigma of seeing a psychiatrist”.
“
Mental health services
are now a necessity, so insurance companies should cover them. Individuals are
relieved of significant financial burdens and are able to more easily access
mental health services when they are insured,” he said.
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