Parents, teachers and other stakeholders have been advised to give the needed psychological support to adolescents and young adults instead of pushing them into committing suicide with demeaning comments, gestures and actions.
A number of young ladies have this year, been reported to have allegedly committed suicide with the latest one, involving a 23-year-old Jeniffer Nyarko, a level 400 students who was said to have possibly jumped from the fourth floor of the Akuafo Hall Annex A.
Mr Ebenezer Tetteh Kpalam, a Clinical Psychologist told the Ghana News Agency, that instead of providing the needed support for adolescents and young adults, society especially parents and teachers judge and push them into contemplating suicide.
Mr Kpalam stated that it was not right to label a student as lazy because of academic challenges rather, encouragement from relatives and teachers could help them overcome their challenges.
“Instead of listening and helping these people, our responses are rather like knives cutting through their wounds”, he stressed.
He explained that failure to meet academic expectations which had become difficult due to the availability of a number of distractions, and lack of passion for a course could drive a student into depression, stress and even suicide considerations.
He added that it was unfortunate that most teachers and counselling providers in schools lacked the requisite skills to identify psychological problems in students they deal with leading to them only advising on issues shallowly rather than getting the needed help for them.
Mr Kpalam, who is also the Founder and President of Kinder Foundation called for some specialized training for teachers, pastors and counsellors to give proper help to people who call on them for advice on relationship, academic and other life related issues.
The Clinical Psychologist urged people to identify changes in people and get them the needed help as according to him, people communicate their idea to commit suicide to others in many ways.
He noted that such persons most often withdraw from activities they used to enjoy, they have mood change and isolate themselves from others, they also ask a lot of questions on death.
Others, he said, included sudden interest in dirges and admiring of pictures of dead relatives and friends. Touching on media reports claiming that Mr William Nyarko, father of the University of Ghana’s alleged suicide victim had said his daughter was suffering from bipolar mental disorder, Mr Kpalam said such a patient should have received the needed support from the family.
He explained that the disorder which led to shift in moods with fluctuations in energy and activity level could lead to relationship problems, career issues and affect academic performers.
He appealed to people whose relatives were suffering from such a disorder to keep a close eye on them and monitor their movements as the tendency for them to commit suicide was high especially when their mood changes into manic which is mostly accompanied by high energy level.
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