By Samira Larbie, GNA
Accra, Sept. 14, GNA – Gaps in Ghana’s suicide reporting system are hindering efforts to accurately determine the scale and patterns of suicide in the country.
Dr Kwadwo Marfo Obeng, Medical Director, Accra Psychiatric Hospital, said stigma, fragmented data sources and weaknesses in death certification continued to affect the quality of suicide statistics needed to guide prevention interventions.
He made the observation at the launch of the National Suicide Situational Report, Media Reporting Guidelines and Scorecard for Ghana in Accra, to commemorate World Suicide Prevention Day.
Dr Obeng said although suicide was decriminalised in Ghana in 2023, the effects of its previous criminalisation continued to influence how families, health professionals and other stakeholders reported suicide cases.
He said the analysis sought to establish the country’s current epidemiological profile, identify key risk and protective factors, map existing policies and services, and provide a basis for developing a national suicide prevention strategy.
The exercise involved a review of relevant policies and documents, questionnaires administered to selected stakeholders, interviews and a stakeholder validation meeting.
Dr Obeng said Ghana relied on four major sources of suicide data: the District Health Information Management System (DHIMS), the Births and Deaths Registry, police data and research.
He said each source had limitations, resulting in significant gaps in the national picture.
Dr Obeng said DHIMS was relatively accessible but did not adequately capture details such as the age of the deceased and the method of suicide.
He said the Births and Deaths Registry provided useful information, including age, but did not capture the specific method of death, while police data contained important information but was difficult to access.
Research data, Dr Obeng said, was often based on small populations and could therefore not easily be extrapolated nationally.
He said some suicide deaths were never formally reported because people who died at home or in communities were sometimes buried traditionally without being reported to health facilities or the police.
Dr Obeng said stigma also affected information provided by families and communities, while health professionals who had worked under the former criminalisation regime could be reluctant to record suicide as the cause of death.
Instead, they might record immediate physical causes such as trauma or severe blood loss, preventing the deaths from being captured as suicides.
He also identified gaps in the transfer of certificates of cause of death from health facilities to the Births and Deaths Registry.
Dr Obeng said DHIMS recorded about 90 suicide deaths between 2022 and 2023, equivalent to approximately 0.29 deaths per 100,000 population.
He said following decriminalisation in 2023, reported deaths increased to about 134 before falling again to around 90 in 2025.
The trend showed that legal reform alone was not enough to produce sustained changes in reporting and behaviour.
Dr Obeng said Births and Deaths Registry data more closely reflected the expected pattern of suicide deaths, with males accounting for approximately three to nearly five times the number of female deaths.
He said about 51 per cent of recorded suicide deaths occurred among people aged between 35 and 60 years, making the working-age population particularly vulnerable.
The analysis identified mental health conditions, previous suicide attempts, hopelessness, impulsivity, chronic illnesses, interpersonal conflicts, trauma, abuse, bullying, bereavement, academic pressures, financial stress and unemployment among key risk factors.
Agricultural factors, access to lethal means, unwanted pregnancy, homelessness and social exclusion were also identified.
Dr Marfo Obeng said protective factors included social support, community connectedness and seeking professional help.
He said religion could also provide support, although some people reported negative experiences when seeking help through religious settings.
Dr Obeng called for compassionate mental health services, stronger suicide surveillance systems and responsible media reporting.
He urged families, schools, workplaces, communities, religious organisations and health professionals to break the silence around suicide and encourage people experiencing distress to seek help.
“Every suicide is a tragedy that has profound social, emotional and economic consequences for families, friends and workplaces,” he said.
Sustained public education, improved access to mental health services and coordinated national actio, Dr OBENG said, were necessary to reduce suicide and strengthen Ghana’s response to suicidal behaviour.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Samira Larbie