Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33889235›Full record

ArticleThe Pan African medical journal2021

Suicide epidemic in Malawi: what can we do?

Gift Treighcy Banda, Natasha Banda, Anthony Chadza, Chisomo Mthunzi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Pan African medical journal, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. A Nation of Disasters: Lessons on Systemic Risks and Cascading Impacts From Malawi's COVID-19 Experience.Risk analysis : an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Gift Treighcy BandaGlobal Health, Department of Communications, Free Spirits Mental Health Awareness Group, Blantyre, Malawi.
Natasha BandaQueen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Department of Logistics, Free Spirits Mental Health Awareness Group, Blantyre, Malawi.
Anthony ChadzaThe Catholic University of Malawi, Counselling, Free Spirits Mental Health Awareness Group, Blantyre, Malawi.
Chisomo MthunziGlobal Health, Department of Communications, Free Spirits Mental Health Awareness Group, Blantyre, Malawi.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Suicide continues to be a global health concern, affecting all continents. Although some studies have associated it with mental disorders such as severe depression, research also shows that a significant number of cases occur due to emerging life stresses. It is one of the leading causes of death among young people and is steady on the rise in Malawi. Malawi's suicide cases disproportionately affect young males from rural areas. These cases are also higher than those of neighbouring countries. During the lockdown period to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic between April and September 2020, Malawi saw a rise in suicide cases, most of which were due to the resulting financial hardship. There is need to tackle the suicide epidemic holistically, on all tiers of intervention. People need to be equipped with socially acceptable coping mechanisms which are easily adaptable to a low resource setting. There is a need for initiative to be taken in training individuals who can manage mental ill health without overwhelming the health system. The entire health system and health policies should acknowledge the importance of mental ill-health and its consequences. Malawi needs to prioritise mental health issues, realising that indeed, there is no health, without mental health.

Indexed as

COVID-19Adaptation, PsychologicalCommunicable Disease ControlFemaleHealth PolicyHumansMalawiMaleMental DisordersQuarantineRural PopulationSuicidemental healthnoncommunicable diseasepublic healthSuicide

Identifiers

PMID33889235
PMCPMC8028359

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.