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The rising global suicidal death trend

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By Usman Oladimeji

More than 700,000 people kill themselves every year across the world.

The following is my opinion. Suicidal death, which simply means taking your own life is a horrible and impulsive reaction often resorted to when encountered with a difficult situation in life or what may be described as a dead end. It’s a major problem for communities across the globe. The vast majority of persons who take their own lives feel hopeless when confronted with what seems like an insurmountable problem in their lives. The most popular ways of ending one’s life varies from country to country, with access to lethal means playing a role. Hanging, chemical poisoning, and weapons are among the most often used means of self-termination.

More than 700,000 people kill themselves every year, and many more make unsuccessful attempts. These incidents are a trauma that leaves a lasting impression on friends, neighbours, and communities as well as on nations as a whole. In 2019, suicide ranked as the fourth greatest cause of mortality worldwide for those aged 15–29. While overall death rates have been falling for decades, suicide continues to be a major public health issue around the world.

Attempts exhibited a growing trend in some communities.

According to data from 2019, suicide ranked as the 10th leading cause of death worldwide, and in 2022, it was the second leading cause of mortality among those aged 10–14, 15–24, and 25–34. Suicide mortality exhibited a growing trend in some communities, despite generally declining patterns recorded across the globe for both sexes. Suicide is a worldwide problem, not only a problem in countries with high incomes. In 2019, low and middle-income nations accounted for more than 77% of the world’s suicides.

In low and middle-income countries, the rate is notably higher due to the general economic downturn in those regions. Because of the way their economies function, a large portion of the population in these areas lives in relative poverty. Some people have to rely on high-interest loans to make ends meet, while others overload their minds with work and other sources of stress that might lead to suicidal ideation. If you are having suicidal thoughts or know someone who does, it is important to know the warning signs and how to get help quickly. Either your own or someone else’s life could depend on your actions.

It ranked fourth cause of death among people aged 15–29 in 2019.

These incidents ranked among the top 10 causes of death worldwide in 2016, including high-income regions of North America, Southern Latin America, Australasia, and all of Europe except for the Baltic states. This remained the 10th highest cause of death in the United States in 2019 and in previous years for both sexes, and the 8th leading cause of death for men. Among people aged 15–29 around the world in 2019, suicide ranked as the fourth biggest cause of mortality for both sexes.

Self-inflicted injuries were the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 15 and 34 for both sexes in many countries in 2019 (including Australia, Belarus, Canada, Finland, Germany, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom). According to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019, among the leading causes of disability-adjusted life years among teenagers (10-24 years old), self-harm ranked third.

Students do commit suicide when they face flaws academically.

Recently, suicide is not solely common only with grownups devastated by mental or life stress, the trend is also spreading to students coming from failure encountered in academic sessions. Students often take it to great extents to commit suicide when they face flaws academically such as dropout, additional years, short on expectation from parents or relatives, peer pressure and absolute failure among others. While this trend is expanding, one can quickly recognize suicidal circumstances when you notice in someone desocialization, overthinking increasing usage of alcohol or strong drugs.


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