Psychotherapist and mental health practitioner, Dr Favour Alexander, has said criminalising attempted suicide is not the appropriate response to people experiencing suicidal thoughts, stressing the need for clinical and non-judgmental support.
Alexander, who spoke during an interview onARISE News on Saturday, said mental health professionals needed to look beyond suicidal thoughts and understand what was happening in the brain of a person experiencing them.
“The question is, what is going on in their brains? Like you can see here, I don’t know if you see the human brain anatomy so that you will understand things that are happening. It’s not just about what you see here, but you have to look at what is going on in here,” she said.
He said people experiencing suicidal thoughts should not be treated as criminals because their condition requires professional intervention.
“So now criminalizing people who are suffering or going through suicidal thoughts, to us professionals, we don’t think that is the best solution. We have to deal with clinically what is happening in their brains,” Alexander said.
She also questioned the circumstances that could lead someone to consider suicide as a solution to their problems.
“Why are they thinking this way? Why would somebody think about the immediate solution to a long life issue? Taking your life, does that solve the problem? Absolutely not.”
According to him, government intervention should focus on providing appropriate support rather than imposing criminal penalties on people experiencing suicidal thoughts.
“So I don’t think it is right for the government making it into law that they have to criminalize them. Rather, these people need clinical support. They need support, non-judgmental support,” she said.
Alexander said people experiencing suicidal thoughts could include individuals who appear outwardly successful and well-adjusted.
“Like part of the question you just asked again, you could see people walking on the street, well-dressed, looking so cool and so nice, bank managers, directors of companies, but you don’t know what they are carrying on their heads. You don’t know what is happening there.”
He added: “Should I take my life? Should I continue in this problem? Should I continue living my life? Should I keep carrying on? These things are happening in their brains.”
The mental health practitioner said criminalising such individuals would not address the underlying issues contributing to their suicidal thoughts.
“So, for the local authority, for the government to now start criminalizing them, that is not right.”
He said professional support should instead be made available to people dealing with suicidal thoughts and other mental health challenges.
“They will offer professional support. People who understand what these people are going through. People who are empathic. People who will put themselves in their shoes to understand the feelings that these people are going through.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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