Health
Mental Health Expert Calls for Family Support Amid Rising Suicidal Behaviour Among HIV-Positive Youths
A MENTAL health expert has called for strengthened family support systems for young people diagnosed with HIV, warning that adolescents and youths exhibiting suicidal thoughts and behaviour are at heightened risk without consistent care at home. In July, a Zambian-led study revealed alarmingly high levels…
Picture: Mwebantu
A MENTAL health expert has called for strengthened family support systems for young people diagnosed with HIV, warning that adolescents and youths exhibiting suicidal thoughts and behaviour are at heightened risk without consistent care at home.
In July, a Zambian-led study revealed alarmingly high levels of suicidal behaviour among adolescents and young adults living with HIV (AYPLHIV) in Lusaka, with nearly one in three showing signs of suicidal thoughts or actions.
According to the study which was presented at the 13th IAS Conference on HIV Science staged in Kigali, Rwanda, suicidal behaviour is prevalent among AYPLHIV in Lusaka, strongly influenced by stigma, common mental health disorders, and sociodemographic factors.
The study which is under peer review stage found that suicidal behaviour was significantly more common among females, with 34.3 percent of young women affected compared to 23.6 percent of young men. The overall median age was 20.
Mr Kennedy Chanda, the National Coordinator at the Mental Health Reforms Movement, said in an interview that families and communities need to pay close attention to young people exhibiting suicidal thoughts and behaviour.
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“The advice I would give to families is that they need to accept these youths as they are. Parents and guardians are the first level of care, and families must be supportive so that adolescents feel loved and safe at home.
“Talk to them. When someone is experiencing suicidal thoughts, what they need most is someone to talk to—someone who can sit with them, listen without judgment, and make them feel heard and understood,” he said.
He said an HIV positive diagnosis is not death sentence thus suicide can never be the answer.
“HIV is not a death sentence. There is medication available today that allows people to live healthy and productive lives, so suicide should never be the answer. While the statistics are alarming, there are many places and people where young people can seek help instead of resorting to suicide,” he said.
(Mwebantu, Wednesday, 17th December, 2025)
Source: Mwebantu — Read more
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