Although the majority of people who have depression do not die by suicide, having major depression does increase suicide risk compared to people without depression. The risk of death by suicide may, in part, be related to the severity of the depression.
In a very recent case, a Kenyan woman by the name Millicent Kithinji has left many in shock after committing suicide days after writing what seemed like a suicide note.
Taking to social media she wrote a note dedicated to her daughter.
My love ….wads are hard to form a perfect clause to express the love I have for you.i have fought the battle but seems like am being defeated ..
I only pray that God may give you guidance, love and comfort.mom still loves you and will always love you.kindly do forgive me.
In a different post she had shared a photo with a caption that had a deeper message but many did not read into it.
Her friends have taken to social media to mourn her but do you think that their remorse and regret comes too late?
Don’t get me wrong Millicent shared posts that hinted that she was going through a tough time and people just let it slide and now she is no more.
One of her friend going by the name Kasungwa Musyoks says she tried all she could but Millicent’s family shut her up just because she is not ‘family’.
Sisters in love..but in the wrong hands of heartless, inhuman,insensitive men..
As ur elder siz, I did my best but the only mistake I made was telling you to just hold on a little bit..to be strong, perhaps I could have let u go..
We talked a lot this week..lastly being Jana morning n u told me you were strong especially for Makena..
The number of suicides reported in Kenya rose by 58 per cent between 2008 and 2017 to reach 421, official data reveal.
Although the number of suicide cases has been rising since 2008, the data show the lowest incidents were recorded in 2010 at 75 cases.
The report also shows that more men are likely to commit suicide than women. Out of the 421 suicide cases in 2017, 330 involved men.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that close to 800,000 people commit suicide every year, which means one person every 40 seconds. Many more attempt suicide, WHO adds.
The World Population Review ranks Kenya at position 114 among 175 countries with the highest suicide rate.
The world Population Review in its survey states that Kenya’s suicide rate is at least 6.5 suicides per 100,000 people, a figure echoed by World Health Organisation.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth in the 15-29 age bracket.
Besides depression, other risk factors include access to firearms, physical or sexual abuse, unemployment, strained relationships, imprisonment, chronic physical illness, financial difficulties, loneliness and exposure to the suicidal behaviour of others.
BeFriends organisation’s advice on people with suicidal thoughts is that, you don’t need to act on your thoughts right now. The option of taking your own life isn’t going to go away.
You can make this decision tomorrow, next week or next month if you still want to. When you are feeling so bad that you want to take your own life, the thought of just getting through the next few days seem unbearable.
Try to focus on just getting through today and not the rest of your life. It may feel that the way you usually cope with these feelings is weaker today. You may not feel able to imagine getting through this.