Resource Tag: AFRICA

Objective One-third of all global suicide deaths occur among adolescents and young adults, making suicide the second leading cause of death among young people. Nearly 80% of suicide deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and many African nations have higher rates of suicide than global averages. However, interventions are scarce. We conducted a scoping […]

Although several countries and jurisdictions across the globe have repealed their legal statutes criminalizing suicide attempts (or nonfatal suicidal behavior), suicide attempt remains a crime in several African countries. In these countries, a suicide attempt puts the suicide attempt survivor at risk for criminal apprehension, prosecution and penalization. The current article provides an overview of […]

This paper addresses national responses to suicide prevention in the African region. Eighteen countries responded, of which none had a national suicide prevention strategy in place and only three countries, namely Algeria, Congo, and Madagascar, were in the process of developing any kind of strategy, at the time of this survey. Official national statistics on […]

Background: There is conflicting evidence on the relationship between war trauma and suicidal behavior. Some studies point to an increased risk of suicidal behavior while others do not, with a paucity of such data from sub-Saharan Africa. Aims: To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of attempted suicide in war-affected Eastern Uganda. Method: A cross-sectional survey was carried […]

Background: Suicidal behavior in adolescence is a public health concern and has serious consequences for adolescents and their families. There is, however, a paucity of data on this subject from sub-Saharan Africa, hence the need for this study. Aims: A cross-sectional multistage survey to investigate adolescent suicidality among other things was undertaken in rural northeastern Uganda. Methods: A […]

This article examines common determinants of suicide in various African populations, the usual methods of suicide, & prevention strategies. (13 refs.)

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In this editorial, the director of the Liberian National Association of Suicide Prevention speaks out on the current challenges faced by African women. The impact of insufferable social/economic conditions has led to an increase in the number of suicide attempts & completions among African women. Jones points out that women are often seen as sexual […]

Reports of suicides by African-American slaves are reviewed, and rates calculated from the available data. Severe punishment appeared to be the most common precipitant for suicide, and explanations for the possible variation in suicide rates by status are proposed. (56 refs.)

A representative sample of all high school students in Addis Abeba in the 1989/90 academic year was surveyed to estimate life-time prevalence & risk factors of suicide attempts. 14.3% of the adolescents reported having attempted suicide; 17.5% usually felt hopeless. Suicide attempts were strongly & linearly associated with hopelessness, grade, & heavy alcohol intake. No […]

The author discusses the state of African psychiatry, comparing & contrasting it with European psychiatry. Numerous studies of schizophrenias, affective disorders, suicide, atypical & brief psychoses, drug abuse & neuroses are reviewed. Using examples from a number of different cultures, the difficulty in obtaining accurate data for the study of suicide is discussed. Brief mention […]

This article compares suicide & homicide in Africa & the West in order to determine if theses phenomena differs in the 2 regions. The author discusses Western sociological, psychological, & actuarial theories of suicide & homicide extensively, particularly Durkheim’s formulations. The author discovers that research on African tribes is sparse, & that which exists often […]

This concluding chapter of a book on African homicide & suicide describes general beliefs, as well as differences, among all of the tribes discussed. Attitudes toward homicide & suicide are described, & homicide & suicide statistics, including common motives, weapons, & relationships between victims & killers are provided. Comparisons are made with western societies, & […]

The author argues that another type of suicide, identified as Samsonic suicide, exists in Africa. However, unlike Samson, whose suicide was one of revenge where by killing himself, he killed his enemies, African suicides of revenge do not necessarily involve the destruction of one’s enemies with the destruction of oneself. Many occur because the suicide […]

Psychiatry in Africa & the Western world are compared in terms of rates, presentation, treatment of neurosis, depression & schizophrenia, suicide & drug- & alcohol-related problems. Child psychiatric services & research in biological psychiatry are rare in Africa, & sociocultural problems confront epidemiolgic studies & the use of psychotherapy. The authors conclude, for example, to […]

In this summary of his paper, the author presents a model of successive stages in the self-destructive process: threat of role collapse, threat to the positive sense of personal identity, struggle for psychological survival, death. He discusses these stages in light of Freud’s framework & with examples e.g. Japanese willingness to commit suicide at the […]

There is no body of literature that focuses on ethnic, religious, & cultural factors specifically associated with suicide during pregnancy. The authors present the results of their literature review on this subject in an effort to understand cultural influences which might predispose the pregnant woman to commit suicide. (0 refs.)

Depression in Africans present with certain clinical peculiarities. These are depressed mood, the projection of guilt & suicidal ideas; in addition there is somatisation of bodily complaints & sleep disturbance. Depression should be considered whenever a patient presents with multiple bodily complaints which do not have definite focus.

The author reviews suicide prevention efforts in South Africa & discusses the need for State aid, for special training facilities, for more trained volunteers, & for public health education. (MM)

Study of homicides and suicides among several African tribes to determine if there are significant differences in motivation, circumstances and method among primitive peoples compared with western societies. (KB)

The author compares homicide and suicide rates among the Xhosa tribe with those of England and Wales. A consideration of depression in primitive communities may, he suggests, provide the explanation for the low suicide rate found. The article speculates whether the vastly different homicide/suicide rate found can be explained in terms of aggression and civilization.