Suicide: Expert Wants Regulation On Access To Poisonous Substances

A Psychiatric Nurse, Prof. Baduru Fatai, yesterday called for regulation on the access, production and distribution of poisonous substances to reduce incidents of suicide in Nigeria.
Fatai spoke with the The Tide source on sidelines of the ongoing 7th Annual Nurses Week of the National Association Nigerian Students Nurses and Midwives (NANSNM), Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, in Lagos.
He said that most suicide cases were committed using some of the substances like pesticides, insecticides, leger beer, and cocaine which were readily available in the society.
The expert said the increasing rate of suicide made it pertinent that some regulatory frameworks should be designed to guide and monitor the production, distribution and access to the substances.
According to him, suicide, as a deliberate fatal self-harm, accounts for 1.5 per cent global deaths; for each attempted and successful suicide tends to affect about six people.
Fatai said that suicide was more among men between 15 and 39 years of age and could also be committed by women.
“The most commonest form of suicide can be by hanging in the United Kingdom (UK) and access to firearms in U.S.
“But in Nigeria, it is substance abuse like snippers, nail polish, Hemp, insecticides, agama-lizard, Henekins, because people have read and seen through the social media that they kill fast.
“Unfortunately, if someone goes to the market and demand for these products, the producers/sellers will sell to the the person without knowing what he/she wants to do with it.
“Some countries have banned production and consumption of some of these products. In country like Korea, there is strict regulation on these substances, and it has really helped.
“Having observed that suicide rate is increasing in Nigeria through access to these substances; there should be strong error-prove and corrupt-prove interventions.
“This is to ensure that those who are not supposed to have access to these substances, do not get them,” he said.