More than 5 000 South Africans will kill themselves before the end of the year if current trends continue, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) said ahead of its second annual Teen Suicide Prevention Week on Sunday.
The group added that suicide statistics included children as young as 10.
A highlight of the week, that would run from Monday until Sunday, would be a visit by the ”pocket-rocket of boxing”, Baby Jake Matlala to Alexandra High School in Johannesburg for a presentation on suicide prevention and how friends, parents and teachers could identify the symptoms of severe depression.
Sadag’s general manager Julia Zacharis said: ”The … programme is aimed at empowering teachers, students and parents to become more alert to the signs and symptoms of depression and suicide.
”Trained counsellors visit schools and conduct interactive workshops with students, talking to them about depression and why they shouldn’t keep it a secret if a friend or loved one shows signs of suicidal tendencies.”
Zacharis said students who had attended a workshop frequently went to Sadag counsellors afterwards, saying things such as, ‘I was sad for a long time, now I know that I could have depression’.”
She said children committed suicide for many reasons including extreme poverty, dysfunctional families with abuse and divorce, peer pressure, failure to achieve at school or even serious illness.
Zacharis said research by Professor Lourens Schlebusch of Durban’s Nelson Mandela School of Medicine showed that people with HIV/Aids were 36 times more likely to commit suicide than people without the disease.
Signs to look out for in a troubled teenager were previous suicide attempts or current suicidal thoughts, psychiatric disorders (such as bipolar disorder, depression or impulsive aggressive behaviour), drug and/or alcohol abuse, access to firearms and situational stress.
Zacharis said the five warning signs of depression in teens were sad, anxious or ”empty” moods, deteriorating school performance, loss of pleasure or interest in social and sports activities, sleeping too little or too much and changes in weight or appetite.
Sadag launched a toll-free Suicide Crisis Line — 0800 567 567 — in conjunction with the Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, last year. – Sapa