More Men Die Of Suicide In Africa, Says CDC

Africa CDC Advisor for Noncommunicable Diseases, Injuries, and Mental Health, Dr Naeem Dalal, has emphasized the importance of breaking down cultural prejudices that impede African men from obtaining emotional and mental wellness care.

Making this disclosure while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria on the sidelines of the International Conference on Public Health in Africa in Lusaka, Zambia, on Tuesday, Dalal detailed that there was more active suicide among men.

Naija News reports that Dalal claimed that it is imperative to dispel cultural preconceptions because data indicates that a greater number of men commit suicide in Africa.

He revealed that “There is more active suicide amongst men. When we talk about suicide, we need to understand two things. There’s suicide, which is passive, and suicide, which is active

“Active suicide is where you die by suicide. Passive suicide is where you have thoughts of dying by killing yourself or harming yourself, but you don’t go ahead with those thoughts. So, that’s passive suicide. Now, when we talk about statistics specifically for men on the continent in Africa, more men die by suicide. So, there’s more active suicide amongst men. For every 50 per cent of it, it is amongst the men that die, and this is because men use more lethal with dying.’’

He further detailed that men do not reach out for help for mental health concerns or issues that they face because of the dominant believe in Africa that suggests that men are supposed to be strong bread winners of the family.