Suicide cases up again

Malawi has registered an increase in suicide cases during the first quarter of 2026 from 92 to 95 during the same period last year, police records have shown.

Data provided by National Police Headquarters in Lilongwe show that the Northern Region has again registered the highest number at 37 from 32 cases last year.

The Central East Region, which covers Kasungu, Dowa, Ntchisi and Nkhotakota has recorded 31 cases from 30 last year while Central West Region covering Lilongwe, Mchinji, Dedza, Salima and Ntcheu, recorded four from two cases.

South West Region comprising Blantyre, Chikwawa, Nsanje, Neno and Mwanza has registered nine cases from four last year.

On the other hand, South East Region covering Thyolo, Mulanje, Chiradzulu and Phalombe as well as Eastern 

Region have recorded declines from 16 to seven cases and eight to seven cases, respectively.

Northern Region police spokesperson Cecilia Mfune said the most concerning districts are Mzimba, Mzuzu, Rumphi, Nkhata Bay and Karonga where 27 males and 10 females aged between the ages of 14 and 68 committed suicide.

In a separate interview, Central West Region Police spokesperson Foster Benjamin explained that 80 percent of suicide cases recorded involve men who he said shy away from reporting their problems.

He said: “Men are most vulnerable and end up committing suicide because of high levels of depression among them which they do not report to friends, relatives, their religious leaders and even to police.”

In an interview yesterday, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences clinical psychologist Chiwoza Bandawe said an increase from 92 to 95 cases in the first quarter may appear small but it is quite significant because suicide is underreported hence a rise could suggest a deeper and ongoing crisis.

He said considering that Malawi has recorded over 2 000 cases between 2022 and 2025, it becomes clear that such is not an isolated trend but a sustained public health concern because each year the numbers keep rising.

Bandawe noted that suicide is not an individual issue but reflects how society is protecting its people.

He said the numbers reflect a population under considerable psychological and economic strain, saying economic hardship is the major contributor with the high cost of living and unemployment creating a sense of hopelessness particularly among men who often feel the pressure to provide.

“For every completed suicide, there are about 10 to 20 attempts which reflects a bigger crisis

and yet only one in ten of those who need help, do get it,” said Bandawe.

In a separate interview, mental health clinician Solomon Chomba attributed the rising suicide cases to the high cost of living, difficulties in coping with the pressures of the harsh social-economic climate, hence resorting to maladaptive traits such as suicide.

He said statistics show that most of those committing suicide fall in the age range of 10 to 35, meaning that the country is losing its most productive citizens.

St. John of God Hospitaller prog r amme s manage r Christopher Mhone stressed that the country is going through economic hardship, resulting in emotional distress and a sense of despair among the citizenry.

He said: “We need to invest in economic sectors that would safeguard the interests of families. For example, there is potential growth in the mining sector where government and investors can have shareholding and that would systematically reduce dependence on people’s earnings.”

Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare spokesperson Linda Moyo said government is implementing a number of interventions to help address factors contributing to suicide and other mental health challenges.

She said these include strengthening psycho-social support services through social welfare offices at district level, promoting community based child and family support systems, and enhancing referral mechanisms for individuals.

National Police information shows that the most affected age group is between 20 and 39 years, with reasons bordering on marital disputes, drug and substance abuse and unsettled debts, among others.

On April 10 2025, Parliament passed the Mental Health Act, which replaced the outdated Mental Treatment Act of 1948.

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