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Momodou
Denmark
11512 Posts |
 Posted - 14 Nov 2013 : 13:41:39
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Cerebral Malaria?
Can cerebral malaria cause people to commit sucide?
Two days ago Daily Observer reported that a young man who was diagnosed with malaria comitted sucide and today again they write that a woman who is said to have been suffering from Malaria jumps into the river at Basse.
I did a quick search on the internet but can't find any relation of cerebral malaria and sucide.
The folling are very tragic.
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‘Malaria patient’ commits suicide
By Omar Wally
The Daily Observer: Published on Tuesday, November 12, 2013
A man said to be plagued by cerebral malaria Monday night hanged himself in his room.
Family sources, who confirmed the veracity of the story to the Daily Observer Monday afternoon in an interview, said the 25-year-old Busumbala resident, Joseph Sarjo, was found hanging in his bedroom in the early hours of Monday morning. They informed the Daily Observer that the deceased was diagnosed with cerebral malaria, which affected his brain and eventually led him to commit suicide although they would not comment in detail about the condition of the deceased a night before.
When contacted to shed more light on this development, the public relations officer of the Gambia Police Force (GPF), ASP David Kujabi, could not confirm the tragic incident at the time of going to press.
Woman jumps into Basse River, leading to death of her child
By Momodou Jawo
The Daily Observer: Published on Thursday, November 14, 2013
Residents of the metropolitan town of Basse in the Upper River Region (URR) were left in shock after a woman reportedly jumped into the Basse River with her nine-month old baby, who eventually drowned in the process.
This atypical incident has left a bad taste in the mouths of many a dweller in Basse, creating room for speculation as to what circumstances might have led to this tragedy. In fact the incident was a divisive issue among the natives of the area in that while some believe that the woman is mentally unstable, others including immediate family members confirmed the woman was mentally sound and stable.
However, the Daily Observer’s regional correspondent revealed that the medical report of Kadijatou Jallow (the accused) obtained at the Basse Major Health Center, indicates that she was not suffering from any mental illness before the incident.
Speaking to the Daily Observer, the husband of the accused, Cherno Wurry Jallow, acknowledged that his wife is not insane, though admitting that she has been suffering from malaria for the past 10 days. “She was suffering from malaria and has not been eating for a few days. I don’t know whether if it’s the malaria that compelled her to do this act,” she added.
Meanwhile, at the time of going to the press, this reporter could not confirm whether there have been any charges pressed against the accused. Efforts to reach the regional police commissioner proved futile.
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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kisley
United Kingdom
214 Posts |
Posted - 14 Nov 2013 : 17:50:33
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I googled cerebral malaria and found this. It was written in 2001 so there is probably more up to date information out there.
Behavioral and psychiatric problems
The relationship between severe malaria and behavioral problems has long been documented in adults, where severe malaria has been associated with psychotic and depressive disorders, memory impairments, irritability, and violence.19–22 Several of these studies have suffered from methodological problems, not least of which is the problem in establishing a definitive diagnosis of malarial disease (studies were undertaken among discharged soldiers from the World War I, diagnosed as ‘‘neurasthenia,’’ or retrospectively with traumatized veterans of the Vietnam war).19–22 Nevertheless, there remains some evidence to suggest that cerebral malaria may result in major long-term neuropsychiatric symptoms.
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2614/ |
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Momodou
Denmark
11512 Posts |
Posted - 15 Nov 2013 : 08:17:59
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Kisely, thanks. Despite that Malaria is one of the biggest health problems in the world specially in tropical Africa, Asia and South America, I have never heard it connected with suicide. I have my doubt about the Observer story and the Suicide theory because the suicide rate would have been higher in the Malaria belt if it was true.
Suicide is almost unheard of in the Gambia and I might be wrong but I believe one can count the number with your ten fingers during the period 1970 until now.
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2013 : 22:33:37
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Momodou do you think the suicide rate is genuinely that low or do you think death is recorded as something else due to social stigma?
Suicide rates seem to be related to daylight hours ie sunshine and also to social cohesion.
Gambia has high rates of both, so perhaps is protected.
Also I presume suicide is a 'sin' in Islam, the same as in Christianity, which perhaps stops people doing it, even if they feel desperate?
Are anti depressant medications available in Gambia? Are any talking therapies available?
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