Advise media to desist from promoting negative stories
BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
Experts have linked rising cases of mental disorders and incidents of suicide in the country to breaking of tragic or negative news.
According to them, the myriads of challenges besetting the nation such as economic hardship, insecurity and bad governance continue to worsen the situation more and more.
They said that sensational news, which are usually negative stories published on pages of newspapers and the television, predisposes many people to depression and suicide.
According to the World Health Organisation, mental disorder is characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotional regulation or behaviour.
Available statistics show that about a billion people around the world live with mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, eating disorder, disruptive behaviour, dissocial disorders and neurodevelopmental disorders.
WHO maintains that several millions of people, world over, live with mental disorders.
In Nigeria for instance, the Federal Government said that three in every 10 persons suffered one form of mental disorder or the other.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Abdulaziz Abdullahi, said during a mental health action committee and stakeholders workshop in Abuja in 2018 that “In Nigeria, an estimated 20 to 30 percent of our population is believed to suffer from mental disorders. This is a very significant number considering that Nigeria has an estimated population of over 200 million. Unfortunately, the attention given to mental health disorders in Nigeria is inadequate.”
Despite being a criminal offence in Nigeria, there is high rate of suicide cases. Under Section 327 of the Criminal Code Act, the penalty for suicide is one year imprisonment. The Section reads that “Any person who attempts to kill himself is guilty of a misdemeanour and is liable to imprisonment for one year.”
Statistics by WHO estimate that close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year, implying that at least, one person kills himself every 40 seconds. Nigeria ranks the 30th most suicide-prone country out of the 183 nations of the world.
Nigeria also ranks the 10th African country with higher rates of suicide, leading countries like Togo (26th), Sierra Leone (11th), Angola (19th), Burkina Faso (22nd), with Equatorial Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire occupying seventh and fifth positions respectively.
Medical experts have asserted that most Nigerians who committed suicide did so as a result of mental disorders owing to reported cases of bad news.
“Mental disorders are real and people die from them daily. Suicide is also at a disturbing level and not so many are getting lucky after attempting it. What we think about contributes majorly to the actions we take”
In an interview with The Point, a psychologist, Mrs. Grace Adegoke, said that not many people were aware of the danger in reading or watching news or reports that could foul one’s mood. She stressed that factors that were responsible for reported suicide cases in Nigeria range from financial hardship, marital issues, depression and job losses, but added that negative news, especially those that did not give hope to citizens may lead one to suffer mental disorders or attempt suicide.
Adegoke advised the citizens to always sieve the news that they watch, read or listen to depending on their mental capacity and comportment.
She said, “Mental disorders are real and people die from it daily. Suicide is also at a disturbing level and not so many are getting lucky after attempting it. What we think about contributes majorly to the actions we take. Going by the news we read and listen to these days, I can say no one could make one happy. Social media has worsened it as we now have graphic and horror expressions of some of these negative reports.
“Negative news has a way of making those who are not too strong to take some rash actions, including suicide. Take for instance, if one listens to news that a particular country no longer allows Nigerians entry and the person has already procured a visa to travel to that country, one may give up if care is not taken. In Nigeria, news of insecurity alone can make one lose it.”
In an interview, a Consultant Psychiatrist from Osun State Specialist Hospital, Osogbo, Majek Ayodeji Akande, said that those who easily allow things to get into their mind deeply are susceptible to danger.
Akande stated that Nigerians are presently going through a lot and that the more they come across negative news, the more they are prone to suicide and mental disorders.
Jibril Abdulmalik, a Consultant Psychiatrist from College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, said that the preponderance of negative news could lead to depression and other mental disorders while it may rarely lead to suicide.
“It is a very big jump to make to say negative news lead to suicide, but the preponderance of negative news can be depressing and demoralising,” he said.
It’s high time Nigerian media de-emphasize promotion of negative news – Experts
Communication experts have expressed disgust at the rate of promotion of bad and sensational news above developmental stories that are crucial to bringing hope and development to the nation.
They, therefore, urged media houses as well as media practitioners to promote positive news that could engender development, adding that the media should use journalism as a tool for projecting positive issues rather than concentrating only on negative reports.
Aside from the fact that the preponderance of negative news causes sharp divisions along tribal, religious and geographical lines thereby leading to mutual distrust, suspicion and hatred, experts said that the trend was capable of leading to suicide and mental disorders.
The Head of Corporate Communications, Unilever Nigeria Limited, Godfrey Adejumoh, averred that negative news was capable of causing suicide and mental ailments.
He urged media houses and reporters not to join the bandwagon, and to avoid sensationalism at the detriment of their corporate image. He added that they should embrace positive news instead of trying to be the first to break the news even if it lacks substance and depth.
Rasheed Adebiyi of Fountain University, Osogbo, said what people see or hear affects their mindset, adding that it was time for the media to also focus the response of people to challenges in their reports.
He reiterated the fact that Solutions Journalism has come to stay because it gives voice to the people and gives hope for a better future. The senior lecturer urged media gurus not to cover problem with problem but to always follow up on their story and give accurate, impactful and developmental reportage.
How Nigerians can escape consequences of bad news
A consultant psychiatrist, Akande, urged Nigerians to speak out whenever bad news begins to affect them. He suggested that those who are affected by such news should seek counsel from medical and psychological professionals.
“I want to urge Nigerians who can easily be affected by this ugly trend of negative news to speak out whenever those news are getting to them and seek counsel. They can consult professionals too such as counsellors, psychologists, religion leaders and even psychiatrists. The media should also dilute negative news too.”
