He lost everything, every investment, every belonging. In his hopeless state, the only option he could think of was suicide.
He planned how he was going to do it and, in the silence of his room, attempted to end his life. But something unusual happened, a sudden shift in thought. Another option surfaced, one that seemed easier: run away, disappear to a place where no one could find or recognise him.
He kept all of this to himself. Speaking out was not an option. To him, opening up about his pain and agony would mean being vulnerable, less of a man. He feared judgment, the labels society would place on him: a man who had failed, who could not meet expectations.
But why has society made it so?
Why must men be superheroes?
They are expected to know it all, provide even when they have nothing, love even when they are empty, smile through pain, hide their tears, and care for others even when they desperately need care themselves.
This societal belief is killing the very people who should support society’s growth and development. It is forcing men into silence, making them vulnerable to death instead of allowing them to triumph over pain through openness and support. Ego and pride, shaped by societal expectations, push many men closer to suicide.
Reports clearly show that men die by suicide more than women, and the reasons are obvious.
In Ghana, comprehensive national suicide data is limited due to underreporting, but existing records point to the same trend: men are more likely to die by suicide, even though women report higher rates of suicidal thoughts.
According to reports, in 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) recorded 1,993 suicides in Ghana: 1,816 were men and 177 were women.
In 2022, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) reported 723 suicide attempts: 434 women and 289 men. But when it came to completed suicides, 78 deaths were recorded, 42 women and 36 men.
By mid-2024, Ghana had already recorded 81 suicides in the first half of the year, surpassing the 48 total cases in 2023. Men accounted for the majority of these deaths.
Globally, the picture is no different. WHO reports show that the suicide rate among men is about twice that of women.
The statistics are clear, but the question remains: how long will society continue to demand silence from men, while their silence is killing them?
