A Forensic Psychiatrist, Dr Udoka Onyechere, has urged the Federal Government to adopt a public health approach to suicidal behaviour by decriminalising attempted suicide and prioritising mental healthcare for affected individuals.

Onyechere, who is completing her residency in Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW), made the call in an advocacy article on Tuesday in Lagos.

She stressed  the need to replace punishment with compassion, medical assessment and appropriate mental healthcare.

Onyechere serves as Officer for Strategic Priorities for Nigerian Psychiatrists in the United Kingdom (NPUK), a Royal College of Psychiatrists Diaspora group, and is a member of the Nigeria Suicide Prevention Advocacy Working Group.

She described attempted suicide as a manifestation of severe psychological distress requiring medical attention rather than criminal punishment.

She said criminalising attempted suicide could deepen stigma, discourage distressed individuals from seeking help and worsen the challenges faced by affected families.

“Suicidal distress is a wound to be tended, not a wrong to be punished. You cannot punish someone out of pain; you can only help them find their way through it,” she said, quoting Dr Hal Abdullahi, President of Nigerian Psychiatrists in the United Kingdom.

Onyechere noted that Nigeria’s Criminal Code and Penal Code still prescribe imprisonment, fines or both for attempted suicide.

According to her, the provisions are colonial-era laws that should be replaced with a more humane approach, particularly as Britain decriminalised attempted suicide in 1961.

She said the Senate’s passage of the National Suicide Prevention Bill 2026 (SB 730) at second reading on Oct. 13 was an important step towards reform.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Asuquo Ekpenyong, seeks to replace criminal sanctions with crisis intervention, medical assessment, referral, rehabilitation and follow-up care.

Onyechere cited World Health Organisation (WHO) figures presented during the Senate debate, which indicated that about 16,000 Nigerians died by suicide annually.

She warned that criminalisation could reinforce misconceptions about depression and other mental health conditions, often dismissed as laziness, spiritual weakness or lack of faith.

She also cited the support of the Association of Black Psychiatrists UK, whose president, Dr Mosun Fapohunda, described the proposed reform as an important step towards protecting vulnerable individuals.

Onyechere further quoted Dr Shahid Latif, Chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Diaspora Groups Committee, as saying that criminalisation could deepen stigma and discourage people from seeking help.

She urged lawmakers to ensure the swift passage of the bill, while encouraging Nigerians to support friends and relatives experiencing emotional distress.

Quoting an Igbo proverb, “Onye aghala nwanne ya” (Let no one abandon their brother or sister), she urged Nigerians to show understanding and support to people experiencing psychological distress.

“For everyone in suicidal distress, one road should lead to a clinic, a listening ear, a treatment plan and a way back. It should not lead to a police station and a charge sheet or shame.

“A nation shows its humanity in how it meets people at their most broken, not with handcuffs but with open arms,” she said. (NAN)www.nanews.ng

Edited by Vivian Ihechu