The Adicare Rehabilitation Home, an NGO, has urged Nigerian women to speak out and seek help when facing challenges especially gender-based violence in order to shun suicide tendencies.

Mrs Veronica Ezeh, the Chief Executive Officer of the NGO, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.

Ezeh said that many women were dying in silence from various forms of gender-based violence ranging from marital/spousal maltreatment, rape, brutalities to neglect and denials of rights, among others.

She said that some married women live in agony in their marriages, having been left alone to cater for the children and frequently being beaten by their husbands.

According to her, the various challenges and gender-based violence some women encounter have made them to get involved in drug abuse and addiction and even consider suicide.

She regretted that some women and young girls were drug addicts and could commit any atrocity.

She identified poverty and frustration as the main causes of suicide, regretting that some persons in gender-based violence/domestic violence had considered suicide rather than speaking out or seeking help.

Ezeh advised that suicide was not an option but optimism, hard work, determination and patience, urging Nigerian women not to give up hope of a better tomorrow.

She also advised them to avoid keeping to themselves when facing challenging times as it could lead to suicide or involvement in drug abuse.

Ezeh said the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that approximately one million people would die yearly from suicide.

According to her, this represents a global mortality rate of 16 people per 100,000 or one death every 40 seconds.

“The global suicide rate is 16 per 100,000 population and, on average, one person dies by suicide every 40 seconds somewhere in the world.

“About  1.8 per cent of deaths worldwide result from suicide and the  global suicide rate has increased by 60 per cent.

“Suicide is now among the three leading causes of death among those aged 15 to 44 years, male and female,” she said.

Ezeh added that mental disorders, particularly depression and substance abuse, were associated with more than 90 per cent of cases of suicide.

She said that suicide resulted from many complex socio-cultural factors and was more likely to occur during socio-economic, family and individual crisis.

According to her, some other causes of suicide are loss of a loved one, unemployment, sexual assault, domestic violence, disassociation from community or other social/belief group.

“There is need for people to share their worries with others, seek for help rather than bottle them up to avoid depression.

“Too much of worrying and depression could push people to commit suicide.

“This is because there are those who think they cannot make it in life due to past failures, disappointment or poverty,’’ she said.

Ezeh, therefore, urged the Federal Government to urgently address the economic hardship in the country and revive the economy to reduce poverty, improve living standards and reduce suicide.

She stressed the need for mental and operational rehabilitation of Nigerians who were involved in drug/substance abuse.

She explained that operational rehabilitation entailed making provision for what they would be doing after being mentally fit, to be gainfully employed in order to avoid resorting to drug abuse.