Sadag helpline fields thousands of suicide calls daily
· Citizen
South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) is currently the only suicide crisis helpline and receives between 2 000 to 3 000 calls daily from across the country, said operations director Cassy Chambers.
“On an average day, we have 23 suicides, and for every one suicide, there are at least 20 attempted suicides, which adds up to at least 400 people a day wanting to commit suicide.”
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Sadag receives up to 3 000 calls daily
Chambers said the stats were concerning and should be declared an emergency.
“Often people feel suicide is the only solution to their problems. While there are a lot of factors that contribute, depression and untreated depression are the leading causes for suicide.”
Chambers said it was concerning that the average age group for suicide was young people and teenagers. Men’s mental health was also still a taboo topic, with a lot of stigmas surrounding it, she said.
“In SA, we have this culture of cowboys don’t cry because talking about their feelings is often seen as a weakness. Society doesn’t always support men who are vulnerable and talking about their problems or seeking help.
“What that leads to is that men do deal with depression, but they don’t have very good help-seeking behaviour and are less likely to reach out for help and less likely to open up and talk about it until it really becomes a problem,” she said.
Men fear appearing weak and avoid treatment
In SA, men are four times more likely to die by suicide than women because they don’t seek help.
“That’s why the suicide rates in men in SA are so high and concerning. It has to do with the fear of talking out and the fear of being treated differently or seen as less than or weak. That prevents so many men from talking.”
Chambers said contributing factors include relationship problems, financial strais, debt unemployment and chronic illness.
“Another key issue is that there isn’t a Zulu word for depression, which makes it difficult culturally for men to think that mental illness is a real illness and needs treatment. It’s something that happens to other people but not them,” she added.