Social media worsen effects of suicide – Neuro-psychiatrist  

WORLD, Sept. 2 – A Consultant Neuro-psychiatrist, Dr Maymunah Kadiri, on Friday said that the social media could aggravate the effects of suicide on the populace.

Kadiri, the Medical Director, Pinnacle Medical Services Ltd., made the assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

She said that suicide cases generally are worsened by the way they are reported on social media handles.

Kadiri raised concerns that the way suicide cases are reported on the social media is not helpful.

She emphasised the need to report suicide cases responsibly on the social media in order not to cause more harm to the victim and society.

According to her, people are now more aware because of social media, saying that the social media has exposed many people to lots good and bad behaviours that can lead to suicide.

She said that the rate of suicide in Nigeria is high due to social media abuse; as many of the things people watch on their mobile phones are not helpful.

She said, “The way suicide cases are being reported on the social media is not helpful. Most times, the social media fuels the anxiety that is associated with the incident.

“For instance, if a man jumped into the lagoon. Immediately, it will be posted on the social media.

“The incident will be trending on the internet to the extent that every social media handle you open, the next thing you will see is the story of a man that jumped into lagoon.

“Some social media handles will even go to the extent of posting the person’s picture or mention his or her name.

“It is not supposed to be so, because, it is not only creating more awareness on the incident, but also aggravating its impacts on the victim, his family and the general public.

“That’s why it is important that suicide cases should be reported responsibly on the social media in order not to cause more damage.”

She explained that through the social media, people have known the easiest and faster ways to commit suicide.

Kadiri decried that many people have become addicted to phones and social media that they could not spend a minute without picking up their phones to navigate through the social media handles.

“To these set of people; everything they see on the internet is expected to be true, reliable and practicable.

“Unfortunately, not everything posted on the social media is realistic, people exaggerate issues to suit their desires on the internet,” she said.

The neuro-psychiatrist lamented that people spend too much time on social media, which to a great extent affects their mental health.

She, however, said that “social media is a good technological innovation, but has been used by many people to exaggerate their strengths and achievements rather than a combination of strength and weaknesses.