By Khalid Kizito Ssekabembe, Law Student at Makerere University and CEHURD Intern

I write this article in deep pain, carrying a heavy conviction that far too many young people in our country are suffering and dying in silence. Today, Uganda has increasingly become a society where young people who are struggling with their mental health may face judgement rather than compassion. When a young person gathers the courage to tell their parents, friends, teachers, religious leaders, or society that they are suicidal or struggling with their mental health, they may be met with a wall of judgement, religious or cultural condemnation, or dismissal.

Even in an era where counselling and mental health awareness are increasingly discussed, young people continue to experience severe psychological distress. Our collective response remains inadequate, and in some cases, society appears to prioritise punishment over compassion. This reality is also reflected in our laws, where attempting to take one’s own life remains a criminal offence under the Penal Code. If we do not wake up as a nation and intentionally work to protect and support young people, we risk losing an entire generation to a crisis that can no longer be ignored.

As a young man who has recently finished university, I have witnessed firsthand how pervasive this crisis can feel among young people. I am not suggesting that every young person experiences suicidal thoughts, but I believe that the pressure surrounding today’s youth creates an environment in which many struggle silently. We live in a high-pressure environment marked by academic stress, limited employment opportunities, financial difficulties, relationship challenges, and intense family expectations. Yet, mental health remains severely neglected.

Mental health is often discussed casually, but meaningful attention, resources, and sustained interventions have not always followed those conversations. Too many young people are expected to endure their struggles quietly until the situation becomes critical.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people aged 15–29 globally, with about 700,000 people reportedly dying by suicide (World Health Organization). In Uganda, recent statistics indicate that, in 2024 alone, 190 suicide attempts were recorded, 59 resulted in deaths, and 18 were reported as attempted, with young people disproportionately affected.

Definition of Suicide

Suicide is death caused by self-directed injurious behaviour with the intent to die as a result of the behaviour. Suicide is a global health concern, with 79% of annual cases occurring in low- and middle-income countries.

However, suicide remains illegal in many African countries, including Uganda. The criminalisation of suicide attempts can create additional fear and stigma around seeking help. A person experiencing suicidal thoughts should be encouraged to seek immediate support rather than be made to fear punishment or condemnation.

Although suicide rates in Uganda decreased from 15.91 per 100,000 population in 2000 to 9.9 per 100,000 in 2017, the rates remained highest among young people, with approximately 700,000 university students. The university population represents a particularly important group to consider.

University students transition from adolescence to adulthood, a stage associated with numerous physical, psychological, social, and spiritual stressors. For some, these pressures can become overwhelming and contribute to serious mental health challenges. Previous studies have reported high numbers of suicides among university students.

If the government and society were to pay closer attention to these critical triggers and provide meaningful interventions, we could significantly reduce mental health crises and potentially prevent deaths. Some of the most pressing and often overlooked factors include the following:

1. Academic pressure, bullying, and institutional neglect

The tragic reality of youth suicide in Uganda is linked to academic pressure, school bullying, and institutional neglect. These issues represent some of the most pressing challenges facing young people today. Far too often, children are placed in environments where their worth is measured almost entirely by academic performance. When parents condition affection or approval on academic performance and teachers use discouraging or humiliating language, schools cease to feel like places of learning and instead become environments of psychological distress.

For example, the Daily Monitor reported a story involving a Senior Four student at Kagamba SS in Ntungamo District who took his own life after reportedly scoring poor grades in his O-Level examinations. This tragic outcome occurred despite his extensive efforts to study in an attempt to perform well.

Studies have found that university students commonly experience suicidal behaviour towards the end of their academic programmes. An investigation published by Cambridge University Press on 30 April 2021 also found that only four students took their own lives during their first year. This may be attributable to the compounding pressure students experience as they progress through university. Among students, academic disappointment may therefore be one of the significant risk factors associated with suicidal distress.

Many suicide deaths occur in hostels, rental accommodation, or the homes where students live. This highlights the importance of ensuring that students have safe environments and people with whom they can communicate. Communication has also changed with advances in technology. While written suicide notes were historically one way individuals communicated their distress, social media posts, private messages, and other forms of digital communication have increasingly become part of how young people express emotional pain.

2. Breakups and romantic relationship challenges

A number of variables related to adolescent romantic relationships have been associated with the risk of suicide attempts or deaths among adolescents. These include incongruent partnership role identities, negative sexual experiences and stressful events, breakups, and relationship disputes. Nevertheless, the extent to which romantic relationship issues contribute to suicide risk remains difficult to establish.

For example, one study found that 76% of suicide attempts among adolescents who presented at an inner-city emergency department were related to relationship disputes, including conflicts involving peers, family members, and romantic partners (National Institutes of Health).

According to the Daily Monitor, Reagan Opito, a Senior Three student at Aboke High School in Kole District, reportedly died by suicide following an alleged disappointment. The deceased reportedly left a suicide note indicating that he had decided to end his life because his “longtime girlfriend had terminated their relationship.”

We have also seen very young men who have invested heavily in romantic partners, sometimes paying their partners’ tuition, entertainment expenses, and other costs. When such relationships end, some experience intense emotional devastation. The same can happen to young girls who experience painful relationship disappointments, particularly when they feel that they have compromised their personal boundaries in a relationship.

3. Family disputes and divorce

Family disputes and divorce frequently destabilise a teenager’s home environment, sometimes stripping away their core sense of emotional security. This instability can trigger intense psychological distress, manifesting as severe depression and persistent anxiety.

According to research by Crown Adolescent Health, divorce can be a pivotal moment in a family’s life, often reshuffling relationships and daily routines. Studies have shown that teenagers from divorced families are at greater risk of developing mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.

What matters most is that children and teenagers should not be left to carry the emotional consequences of family conflict alone. Parents may separate, but their responsibility to protect and support their children must remain.

4. Peer-to-peer bullying

The mechanisms currently in place to protect children from peer-to-peer bullying are profoundly broken. Countless students experience the isolating trauma of reporting bullying to school administrations, only to witness no action being taken.

I can speak strongly about this as a victim. I once attended a school where I also faced serious bullying. I tried to report what was happening, but nothing was done. That experience taught me how devastating institutional silence can be.

When a student reports bullying and receives no meaningful protection, they begin to believe that they have no voice and that their suffering does not matter. When these students finally seek professional help, they are too often met by school counsellors who adopt a judgemental posture rather than an empathetic one. Judgemental counselling invalidates a child’s pain, breaches their trust, and worsens the crisis, effectively closing the last available door to safety.

To address this crisis before more lives are lost, governments must treat youth mental health with the same financial and structural urgency as physical health. Schools, too, must establish effective systems for reporting bullying, protecting victims, and holding perpetrators accountable.

5. Social media, unrealistic expectations, and digital pressure

The digital revolution has transformed Uganda’s social fabric. While technology has created enormous opportunities for communication, education, creativity, and business, it has also exposed young people to cyberbullying and unrealistic lifestyle standards, fuelling unprecedented levels of loneliness, inadequacy, and severe drops in self-esteem.

This psychological crisis is driven by the toxicity of social media and a high rate of compulsive use, as young Ugandans increasingly struggle to live like wealthy socialites. Driven by the desire to achieve affluent, bourgeois lifestyles overnight, many fall into despair when reality fails to match the curated perfection seen online.

6. Digital pressure

In Uganda, this digital pressure has escalated into a public health emergency, manifested in rising reports of TikTokers and content creators involved in suicide cases. The real, unrelenting struggle to maintain numbers, views, and a large following drives vulnerable individuals into extreme mental distress.

This crisis is exacerbated by parental negligence. Many parents give children smartphones without guiding them on what they watch, whom they interact with, and how they should respond to harmful online content. This raises an important question for every parent: Do you know what your child is watching online?

Consequently, societal role models have shifted from accomplished professionals, such as lawyers, to internet socialites. Today, Ugandan children openly declare that they want to become like popular social media personalities and TikTokers, valuing viral fame over academic or professional merit.

Parents and society therefore have a responsibility to teach young people that their value is not determined by followers, likes, views, material possessions, or online recognition.

What must we do?

As I conclude, addressing this systemic crisis requires a coordinated response from both state authorities and the family unit. The government, as the body responsible for the welfare of its citizens, must strengthen mental health services for young people and invest in accessible support programmes. It must consider implementing stronger digital safety policies, age-verification regulations, and nationwide mental health support initiatives tailored to the realities of today’s digital generation.

The decriminalisation of attempted suicide in Uganda, as outlined in the Penal Code Act, should also remain part of the national conversation. Young people experiencing suicidal thoughts should be encouraged to seek help rather than fear punishment.

At the same time, parents must reclaim their role as primary mentors and sources of emotional support while taking time to understand what their children consume online. Schools should become safer spaces where students can report bullying, academic pressure, abuse, and mental health struggles without fear of humiliation.

Religious leaders, teachers, counsellors, health professionals, communities, and young people themselves all have a role to play. Mental health education should not begin only when someone is already in crisis. It should become part of how we educate and raise young people.

Most importantly, we must change the way we respond when someone says, “I am not okay.” We should not immediately judge them. We should not dismiss their pain. We should not tell them simply to pray harder, work harder, or be stronger. We should listen. We should take them seriously. We should connect them to appropriate support.

Suicide prevention is not the responsibility of one institution. It is a collective responsibility. We must choose compassion over condemnation, listening over judgment, and prevention over regret. Our young people are worth saving, and the time to act is now.

A version of this article was first published in the Daily Monitor on page 12 on 9 October 2026.