Ms Titilayo Tade, the training coordinator of the Suicide Research and Prevention Initiative (SURPIN), on Thursday, said that SURPIN has launched a toll-free hotline through which people with mental health challenges could contact counsellors or therapists for advice and help.
Tade said that the motive for introducing the toll-free hotline was to prevent suicide tendencies among Nigerians by creating avenues where they could speak out and seek help concerning their challenges.
She said that the newly launched hotline – 0800 078 7746 did not replace the previous fee-paying lines, adding that the old English and Hausa speaking lines – 09034400009 and 08142241007 respectively were still valid.
According to her, the major complaint of people in the past is usually the charges/fees they pay for placing a phone call to SURPIN.
She said that introduction of the toll-free hotline would relieve them of such financial burden.
“The free line will not only help to prevent and reduce suicide cases in the country but also increase access to mental health services, as SURPIN has offices in all states of the federation.
“With the free line, people can easily call in respect to the challenges they are facing at any point and we would give them the necessary counselling or even direct them to appropriate mental health facility for medical attention.
“In the past, we’ve had calls concerning people on the verge of committing suicide or even people that drink substances to terminate their lives. But through calls, SURPIN came in and rescue their lives,’’ she said.
The SURPIN training coordinator identified stress and depression as factors that could lead to suicide if not properly managed.
According to her, suicide and other outcomes of mental ill-health are on the increase in Nigeria.
“We are dealing with a lot of issues in the country; businesses are falling, things are expensive, cash is hard to come by and the basic amenities are lacking.
“This is taking a toll on the mental health of Nigerians; it makes people vulnerable to becoming suicidal, aggressive, violent, corrupt and other anti-social behaviours.
“The statistics may not be there, but by observations, people are bottling up their emotions and challenges, instead of speaking out,’’ she said.
Tade said that there was a need for people to speak out.
“Let us not be intimidated to bottle up our anxieties, challenges and frustrations. Even considering suicide should not be an option for life challenges of any sort.
“We should learn to share our worries, speak out and seek help because a problem shared is half-solved,’’ Tade said.
She said that bottling up emotions and challenges were the highest tendencies that could lead to suicide.
Tade said that the first line for managing life challenges or depression was counselling and therapy, adding that it could be from family members, friends, religious leaders and medical experts.
She warned that an individual should not wait till he or she was battered, violated, injured or close to committing suicide, before seeking help.
