Decriminalization of suicide and the position of Nigeria's New Mental Health Law: A Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51412/psnnjp.2024.16Keywords:
Decriminalization, Mental Health Law, Suicide, Criminalization, Nigeria, Suicide AttemptAbstract
Introduction: The act of intentionally ending one's life or receiving assistance from a medical expert to do so is not legally endorsed in Nigeria. The lives of Nigerians are safeguarded by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Criminal Code Act, the Criminal Code Laws of all states in southern Nigeria, and the penal laws in operation in northern Nigeria. The inclusion of suicidal
behavior as a criminal offense in the Nigerian Criminal and Penal Code has resulted in increased attention given to stories about suicide.
Method: Research articles were retrieved from Google Scholar, PubMed, and ScienceDirect. Important keywords like “decriminalization,” “suicide,” “new,” “mental health,” “law,” and “Nigeria” were used in a PICOS search strategy to retrieve relevant literature from these databases.
Results: These blurry lines between the mental state of suicide victims and mental illness create a perfect illusion in society if we fight for one group and turn our back on the other. Nigeria should follow the steps of Malaysia, Ghana, Guyana, Pakistan, India, and Singapore in relaxing the rules on suicide to embrace an all-inclusive approach to tackle Mental health disorders. The decriminalization of suicide and attempted suicide in Nigeria is essential for addressing the public health problem of suicide in the country.
Conclusion: The Nigeria mental health law, although a positive trajectory in the mental health service in Nigeria, seems silent on the call for the decriminalization of suicide in Nigeria.
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