[ 2017-03-23 ]

Decriminalize suicide - Clinical Psychologist
A clinical psychologist Dr. Samuel Atindanbila has
called for the country’s law on suicide to be
reviewed to help reduce the menace of the sordid
act.

According to him persons attempted taking their
own lives or abet the commission of suicide need
counseling to be reformed rather than being
criminalized as per the Criminal Offences Act.

Section 57 of the Criminal Offences Act – 1960
(Act 29) provides that “(1) A person who abets
the commission of a suicide commits a first degree
felony whether or not the suicide is actually
committed. (2) A person who attempts to commit
suicide commits a misdemeanor.”

However, in an exclusive interview with
a1radioonline.com Dr. Atindanbila frowned against
the law stating that every individual has a
chemical in the brain known as dopamine
hypothesis. And when this chemical which is in the
brain is reduced to its low level the individual
is under the impulse of the chemical and risk
taking off their life or that of the other.

“So if somebody gets malaria or diarrhea and he
has to go to court to explain why he had malaria
well I don’t know what is happening.” he
bemoaned.

The country for quite a while sparked off a surge
of suicide cases involving university students
while a junior high school student as young as 16
years taking committing suicide.

Among reasons for the commission of suicide, the
world’s 13th leading cause of death according to
Dr. Atindanbila include poverty, relationship
problems, joblessness, stress and anxiety.

Psychiatric disorder and deadly disease could lead
an individual to commit or attempt committing
suicide according to the clinical psychologist who
is also a senior lecturer at the Department of
Psychology of the University of Ghana, Legon.

Reiterating his point for the law criminalizing
suicide to be reviewed Dr. Atindanbila stated that
instead of punishing suicidal persons as per the
law, government should come out with economic
strategies that can improve the lives of many in
the society.

“It might be due to extreme poverty and this
person attempted suicide and he has survived and
you are taking him to a court to pay money again.
What led him [suicidal person] into that is
because of poverty now you [the law] are asking
him [suicidal person] to pay money for attempting
to take away his life. I think the lawmakers of
the country have to revisit this law.”

Although persons died out of suicide is beyond the
reach of the suicide law, in some communities in
the country the body is not given a befitting
burial to serve as punishment and determent to
individuals contemplating of following suit.

Dr. Atindanbila has therefore called on the
society to undergo stress management methods as
well do away with the stigma against persons going
through mental illness to reduce the threat.

Source - A1radioonline.com

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