In a bid to lend her voice to the importance of mental health, a Kenyan mum, Jacqueline Matere, has shared the heartbreaking story of how her 20-year-old son, became depressed and eventually committed suicide in their apartment.

 

Jacquiline was invited as a guest to speak to young people on the importance of taking care of their mental space and not to consider suicide as a way out.

The bereaved mum recounted how her younger children alerted her to come to their balcony to see the body of her son hanging. She said it was a horrific sight.

Jacquiline recounted how she rushed her son to the hospital believing that the doctors would be able to revive him but alas, he was certified dead. She had to bury him and live with the pain.

Jacquiline said before he committed suicide, her son slipped into depression after he was sodomized and that he showed all the signs of a depressed person. She said she did everything within her power to help him.

The aggrieved mum appealed to young people not to think of committing suicide as it leaves their parents and loved ones with a pain that never goes away.

Watch the video below:

Every year close to 800 000 people take their own life and there are many more people who attempt suicide. Every suicide is a tragedy that affects families, communities and entire countries and has long-lasting effects on the people left behind. Suicide occurs throughout the lifespan and was the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year-olds globally in 2016.

Suicide does not just occur in high-income countries, but is a global phenomenon in all regions of the world. In fact, over 79% of global suicides occurred in low- and middle-income countries in 2016.

Suicide is a serious public health problem; however, suicides are preventable with timely, evidence-based and often low-cost interventions.