JEDDAH, 5 December 2007 — N.G. is a 30-year-old Saudi woman who almost became a statistic.
“I regret it,” she said. “I didn’t know at the time that it’s a sin, and I thank Allah the Almighty that I did not die.”
N.G. is one of the many women each year that attempt suicide in Saudi Arabia.
Her reason? She said her family mistreated her for years until finally she felt she couldn’t take it anymore. So one night in 2002 she swallowed about 80 painkillers and went to sleep.
“My sister came to wake me for lunch and saw that I was barely conscious,” said N.G., who didn’t want to be named. “I was then rushed to hospital.”
N.G. was lucky. Doctors managed to save her and her situation today is better.
“I found other ways of dealing with my problems, and never thought of suicide again,” she said.
Others aren’t so fortunate.
Dr. Ibrahim Saig, internal medicine resident at Future Hospital in Jeddah, said the hospital receives about 120 suicide attempts annually.
He says that larger hospitals have more cases, and that even smaller private and government clinics receive cases regularly.
“Ninety percent of those who attempt suicide are females aged between 14 and 25,” said Saig. “But death rate is highest among Arab men who live alone and are far from Islamic guidance.”
Indeed, while suicide is almost universally considered wrong, Islam takes a particularly hard line against what is considers an unforgivable sin against God’s will.
“Suicide is something of a taboo subject,” said Saig. “Many people don’t talk about it, especially because they don’t feel that it is something that could happen to a family member. But parents must know that even small problems that their kids — especially teens — have could manifest into serious problems.”
And Saig says that while single Arab men here are more likely to succeed in killing themselves, it’s an act that affects the rich and the poor almost equally. Many suicide cases are repeat offenders, Saig pointed out, recalling one of his patients who had attempted to kill herself three times, each time by overdosing on medication.
“The high suicide rate as I’ve noted is not just in the expatriate community but among Saudis as well,” he said.
The most common way of committing suicide, according to the doctor, is by overdosing on painkillers or drinking cleaning products.
He also said that the summer vacation season and the period around school exams are the peak times for suicide.
In response to what he says is a persistent problem in Saudi Arabia, Saig co-founded an awareness-raising organization called “No to Suicide” in October.
“The club to date has helped nine suicide attempt victims,” he said. “We all know that prevention is better than cure, so the key word here is to talk; always speak to your children/teenagers about what’s happening in their lives. Encourage them to be honest and — this is very important — always reward their honesty with understanding and forgiveness.”
The club engages in outreach program at local college campuses and there are plans to take the cause to the Internet to spread awareness in other Muslim countries. (The organization currently has a website forum at: http://thakafa.net/vb.)
“We are also hoping to open awareness centers where people can come and talk to social workers,” he said. “And of course the identity of these people are kept strictly confidential.”
Saig says the regular procedure once a suicide case is admitted to a hospital is to first treat the patient for physical symptoms or wounds. Then the authorities are informed.
“The police provide protection from the victim’s family if it is needed, and social workers are called in to comfort the victim and speak to the family as well,” he said.
“After that for some time the victim is kept away from the family so that he or she can receive consoling by professionals.”
Family pressure is a key factor behind many suicide attempts. N.G. said that it was family treatment that pushed her to attempt suicide. Even afterward, she said, the family berated her.
“They accused me of bringing shame to them,” said N.G.
Saig says that the repercussions of attempting suicide aren’t just how relatives react but also the long-lasting physical harm to the body. Taking a whole box of some other over-the-counter pain reliever can cause irreparable damage to the liver, for example.
N.G. pointed out that people who commit suicide aren’t weak but rather afflicted with psychological problems brought about by depression, often caused by a constant feeling of helplessness or being misunderstood by relatives and loved ones.
“Anger due to mistreatment by people can manifest into self-hate,” she said. “When I tried to commit suicide I wanted to punish my family for the way they were treating me, and I hated my life. I couldn’t see any hope of things changing.”
Today N.G. says she’s cured of the desire to end her own life.
“I’m a different person and I know that suicide is not the way to solve problems, but it was a hard lesson to learn,” she said.
