The prevalence of suicide attempts in Africa is estimated at 9.9%. Among young people, the median lifetime prevalence of self-harm with and without suicidal intent is as high as 10·3%.
Adolescent suicide is a growing but under-acknowledged public health crisis in Africa. Alarmingly, suicide attempts among youth range from 3% to as high as 42% in some cohorts. In Ethiopia for instance, The pooled estimate of suicide attempts among Ethiopian adolescents and youth covering the age range from 10 to 24 years was 12.38% . While each death is tragic, it also signals deep systemic gaps in mental health care, social protection, and youth empowerment. Young people are dying by suicide at alarming rates—often in silence and stigma.
Most adolescents who attempt or think about suicide are navigating environments marked by poverty, violence, poor mental health support, and societal stigma. Some are survivors of abuse, others are living with HIV, dealing with substance use, or bearing the brunt of gender inequality.
Adolescent suicide in Africa is driven by a complex interplay of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, poor family and social support, exposure to violence, stigma, HIV status, body image concerns, gender identity struggles, academic stress, socioeconomic deprivation, and a glaring lack of political will, data systems, and mental health services to adequately respond to this growing crisis.
These findings demand a multisectoral response. We must integrate mental health into schools, improve family and community support systems, train health professionals in youth-responsive care, and develop policies that confront stigma and structural violence. The time for silence is over.
No mental health, no health!
SOURCE: https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-025-06574-0