SELF-IMMOLATION HIGHLIGHTS HEAVY TOLL OF LEBANESE CRISIS
▶ People have been pushed to the brink by financial problems, the Beirut blast and Covid-19
A Syrian man died in Lebanon after setting himself on fire and two other men attempted suicide through similar acts in the past seven days as the country’s economic crisis worsened.
The Syrian set himself on fire last Friday in the eastern Bekaa Valley. The National News Agency reported that he had serious financial problems.
Two days earlier a Lebanese taxi driver set fire to his car and sat inside, sustaining burns to his legs, a witness told The National.
The man was taken to a hospital in Burj Al Barajneh, a southern suburb of Beirut, and was treated by the Lebanese Red Cross. He said financial problems were behind the act.
Another man attempted to set himself alight on Tuesday as bus and minivan drivers in Tripoli protested against coronavirus restrictions that bar them from working during the country’s lockdown.
The man said he received a fine was unable to pay, before attempting to set himself on fire. Demonstrators stopped him in time.
“We are receiving similar cases every day, not necessarily of people setting themselves on fire but people hurting themselves because of the economic crisis,” said Georges Kettaneh, Lebanese Red Cross chief.
Psychologists and NGOs said the mental health of many people in Lebanon had been deteriorating since the beginning of the economic crisis in 2019. The effects of the deadly blast at Beirut port last August intensified the distress for many.
Lebanon went back into lockdown on Thursday and the strict measures are expected to compound the financial effects of the crisis. Shops have been forced to close and supermarkets and restaurants can only make deliveries.
Activists said the government failed to respond to the psychological problems caused by the country’s crises.
Dr Pia Zeinoun, a clinical psychologist and co-founder of Embrace, which manages the country’s suicide prevention helpline, said there was a surge of people seeking help in the past year.
“We have seen an increased number of calls after the August explosion and since the onset of the economic crisis,” she told The National.
Between August and November last year, the helpline was called 2,239 times, almost three times the number of calls made during the same period a year earlier.
The helpline is operated in collaboration with the National Mental Health Programme, which Lebanon’s Ministry of Health started with support from the World Health Organisation, UN children’s fund and International Medical Corps.
Dr Rabih Chammay, who leads the programme, told The National that economic crises could take a heavy toll on the public.
“People will feel so desperate that they may attempt to harm themselves,” he said.
About 30 per cent of people who called the helpline between August and November last year said they had either socio-economic concerns or were distressed by the blast.
Experts say new Covid-19 restrictions could affect more people.
“Lockdowns are very difficult on individuals. There is loneliness, an economic impact, the fact that you cannot see loved ones,” Dr Zeinoun said.
“The number of new cases during the previous lockdowns were not as high as they are today. Now, more people fear what is to come in Lebanon.”
But cases of self-immolation are uncommon, Dr Zeinoun said.
There has not yet been a significant increase in the number of calls made to the helpline because of the latest coronavirus measures, but Dr Zeinoun said people were “definitely not OK”.
In a survey of 400 Lebanese, 55 per cent said they felt sad every day for a month after the blast, Embrace said.
The economic crisis was partly caused by a shortage of foreign currency and decades of widespread corruption and mismanagement.
More than 55 per cent of the population has been pushed below the poverty line, according to data released by the UN in August. The poverty rate is now almost twice as high as it was in 2019.
The country has been run by a caretaker government since August, after Hassan Diab resigned as prime minister because of the port blast.
The formation of a new government led by Prime Ministerdesignate Saad Hariri has stalled over disagreements about ministers.
Politicians failed to create a plan to deal with Lebanon’s financial collapse, leaving many people with no option but to leave the country or rely on NGOs for support.
Psychological services, financial aid and political reforms are all needed to improve the long-term mental health of people in Lebanon, Dr Chammay said.
“If you have a broken pavement and people are falling and breaking their legs, how do you help? You have to fix the pavement while helping those who are already hurt,” he said.
“Neither solution works alone. The same applies for the situation in Lebanon.”
On Monday, caretaker Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni said the government would spend 75 billion Lebanese pounds ($8.6 million at the black market exchange rate) to help families hit hard by Covid-19 restrictions.
Mr Diab promised poor families money and food assistance during previous lockdowns, but Human Rights Watch said those efforts failed.
“The government’s plans to provide food assistance never materialised, and it repeatedly delayed promised financial relief, succumbing to political bickering over how to distribute the meagre aid,” the group said.
Embrace said more than 200 people sought help each month at a clinic the group opened in Beirut in August. But NGOs said more government support was needed before the situation would improve.
“Other governments have offered stimulus packages and unemployment benefits,” Dr Zeinoun said.
“People need all of these things. They need housing, food, education. This will help remove a lot of stress.”
While government action is crucial to addressing the problems in the long run, experts said that raising awareness and speaking to loved ones in distress was vital to preventing further acts of self-harm and suicide.
“There is no easy solution. We have to talk to people around us who are unwell and encourage them to speak to trusted people about their difficulties and emotions or call the national helpline and ask for guidance, encourage them to reach out. We all have a role to play,” Dr Chammay said.