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The world always wakes up to the constant distressing news of depression cases leading to heightened numbers in morbidity and mortality rates. It is estimated that three hundred million people from all age brackets fall victim to depression. One of the disturbing products of depression is suicide. The World Health Organization reported in 2012 that suicide happened to be the second leading cause of deaths recorded among teenagers and young adults between the ages of fifteen and twenty-nine years globally. The International Suicide Statistics adds that 1.8% of all deaths recorded globally are as a result of suicide with its rate rocketing at 60% in the past forty-five years. The root cause of depression that led to the high peak of suicide and other forms of mortality cases has been identified by many studies as the lack of strong social support structures resulting in exacerbated loneliness. Thus, promoting the age-long culture of communal living and social compactness evident in many indigenous societies can be a potent remedy to eradicate the bane of depression and its aftermath ills of suicide, and other forms of mortality.
Admittedly, many studies have revealed that the forging and maintenance of quality relationships between individuals enhance the physical and mental wellbeing of people. People with close relationships are better beefed up to overcome any form of stressors such as the loss of a loved one, depreciating grades in school, loss of a job, illness, rape and others that lead to depression and potential suicide. Clinical studies have confirmed that people who lack strong social support systems are likely to die from heart and cerebral vascular diseases as well as cancers. Therefore, to increase the resilience of individuals toward all potential forms of stress, while reducing any genetic and environmental dangers that can lead to depression, there is the need to foster strong social support structures among individuals, and within families and societies.
Indigenous communities have a record of forging strong social contacts between individuals, families and societies. The culture of communalism and the spirit of being a brother’s keeper have always obliterated worse situations that would have wrecked the esteem of individuals and might have propelled them to take their lives as it is apparent in most suicide cases. Personal problems are treated as a communal affair in many indigenous communities. For instance, when a resident in a community is sick, every member of the society strives very hard to provide a kind of assistance, whether emotional, material or informational to mitigate the pain of the ailing one. The frequent visitations, showering of gifts and attending to one’s duties by others in times of difficulty helps community members to heal at a relatively faster rate in times of difficulties. It is in rare cases that people isolate themselves to wallow in their personal problems and this was easily noticed and attended to speedily by caring family members, friends and society members who constantly monitored the lives of one another. Herculean problems and challenges faced by families were discussed in an open forum where the views and opinions of others were sought in search of a lasting remedy. Also, on the eve of disaster, such as stormy wind, earthquake and so forth, society members stood strongly behind each other while offering emotional, instrumental or material, and information social support systems in varied forms to encourage and rid off any trace of depression that might be evident in the affected individual.
In many modern societies today, the culture of communal living has given rise to individualistic lifestyles void of proper social support structures. Regrettably, this has been the sole cause of suicide and other forms of mental illnesses and deaths recorded in the past three decades. Therefore, there is the need to adopt and promote the culture of communal living and social compactness in modern societies. Governments must liaise with traditional authorities to establish local support groups in communities. These societies can be youth groups, workers groups, the association for the elderly and infirm and others based on the social structure of the communities within the geographical location. Family heads must hold regular and compulsory meetings with their family members to discuss pertinent problems of individuals at the family level. Parents must make time for their children. Parents must frequent conversations and visitations with them especially in situations where they are physically isolated from their children due to occupational and educational challenges. They must utilise modern communication technologies to keep in touch with their children while showering the needed love, care and affection they need at all times. Individuals must always widen out and learn to make friends while sustaining those friendships through regular contacts.
Also, social institutions like educational institutions and religious organisations must establish outfits for offering counselling and guidance to depressed persons. They must not sit in wait for these ones but must regularly reach out for them through constant sensitization programmes. All in the society must be each other’s keepers as it has been the culture of many indigenous communities. This will make it easier for each one to offer information support to depressed ones, even convincing them of the need to visit counselling and guidance units when they are burdened with the challenges of life. The collective hands of every society member, evident in the culture of communal living and social compactness of indigenous societies can aid in remedying depression cases and its associated sting of mortality cases, typical amongst them is suicide.
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