Uganda, as a country, should adopt a positive response strategy to suicide

By: Daniel Ocen Comboni

Every year, the month of September is globally recognized as a time to raise awareness about suicide prevention. In 2025, the international theme, “Changing the Narrative on Suicide,” calls on individuals, communities, and nations to rethink how suicide is understood, addressed, and prevented. It challenges outdated approaches rooted in punishment and stigma, urging a shift toward compassionate care and evidence-based strategies.

Globally, suicide remains a pressing concern, particularly among adolescents. According to the World Health Organization 2023, an estimated 45,800 adolescents die by suicide each year, equivalent to more than one every 11 minutes.

In Uganda, recent data from Mental Health Uganda’s toll-free counseling line recorded 1,023 cases of suicidal ideation in 2024, with males accounting for 66.4% and females 33.6%. The youth were most affected: 44.5% of cases were among those aged 25–30, 32.4% among 18–24, and 12.4% among 31–35, with the remaining 10.7% in other age groups.

Additionally, Uganda’s 2024 Annual Crime Report documented 218 suicide attempt cases nationwide. This alarming statistic underscores the urgent need for proactive and inclusive suicide prevention strategies.

In school settings, particularly during high-stress periods like examination seasons and the publishing of results, students are especially vulnerable to mental health challenges, which may become a risk for suicide.

Historically, many African countries have approached suicide from a punitive standpoint. The victims receive a double punishment of stigma and discrimination and also face arrest by police. Deaths related to suicide do not go through the normal burial rites.

Suicide has a ripple effect on families, friends, colleagues, communities, and societies. For a long time, this has discouraged help-seeking behavior among the victims. It’s important to note that anyone who ideates or attempts suicide is not in the right state of mind and, therefore, may not be accountable for their actions.

In Uganda, suicide remains a criminal offense under Section 210 of the Penal Code Act. This legal framework not only stigmatizes mental health struggles but also discourages individuals from seeking the help they urgently need. Many survivors of suicide hide in fear of arrest by police, preventing them from accessing support to address the underlying causes of their struggles.

Several countries in the region, such as Ghana and Kenya, have decriminalized suicide, and recent research from these nations shows a decrease in suicide rates following policy changes. Evidence from global health organizations and regional studies in these countries confirms that suicide rates can be effectively lowered through strategies like repealing discriminatory laws, increasing national investment in mental health services, and providing psychosocial support within communities.

Uganda has an opportunity to follow this path by adopting progressive legal reforms and evidence-based prevention strategies. All stakeholders, such as religious leaders, traditional leaders, and political leaders, should collaborate to advocate these reforms.

The writer is a Community Psychologist and Project Officer at Mental Health Uganda