The Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Authority, Dr Akwasi Osei, says the Authority received over 100 calls on their suicide hotline within the past three days alone.

Dr Osei made the revelation during an appearance on 3 Fm to discuss the spike in suicides being reported in Ghana these days.

According to him, he’s surprised by the high patronage of the number – 02021814666 – especially considering it’s not a toll free line like most helplines.

READ ALSO: Tracey Boakye Plagiarises The Devil Wears Pravda Poster For Her New Movie 

He said the Authority is in talks with the telcos to set up toll free hotlines.

Recently, there seems to be a rise in suicide cases across the country, with as many as ten reported within the past fortnight.

Dr Akwasi Osei gave a breakdown of what causes most of the cases – and he said 95% of suicide patients have a history of mental illness.

Of these, 80% kill themselves due to depression, whilst the others take their own lives due to a combination of other mental disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and others.