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Suicide a new menace

Suicide a new menace
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Reducing suicide requires a collective, concerted effort from all groups in the society

Aamir Altaf

Over the past 45 years the global suicide rate has risen by 60% and it’s more common than accident deaths, proving to be a worrisome public health issue. Every year one million people take their own life and suicide is thought to be vastly underreported.

Researchers of university of British Columbia published the largest study ever done on the motivations for suicide and what they found was that many of the assumed motivations for suicide aren’t reality. Things like impulsive personality type’s attention seekers or financial problem weren’t the cause for 100% of the participants. They found that suicide was a way to solve a problem, the problem of ongoing and overwhelming emotional pain, a problem of hopelessness so profound that it consumes you completely.

Suicide happens when a person can’t escape their misery. It has been found that depression is the highest risk factor for suicide. Clinically depression makes someone 32 times more likely to commit suicide and lots of other mental illnesses are high risk too. Men are three times more likely to kill themselves than women. For men being young and uneducated are risk factors but the biggest one being single, from women the biggest risk factor is being unemployed, ongoing bullying, harassment, serious relationship problems, chronic illness etc.

Indian National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has published yearly reports on suicides since 1967. This includes details from various states and Union Territories. Their reports showed an increased suicide rate per 100000 of the total population from 6.3 in 1978 to 8.9 in 1990.

The reported rate then fluctuated rising between 2006 and 2011 when it reached 11.2. Arya et al calculated age standardized suicide rates across the years 2011 – 2013 using NCRB data. Male rates ranged around 14 per 100000 while female rates decreased from 9 to 7 per 100000 over the 13 years. The NCRB reported the total number of suicide in India in 2015 as 133623 the rate being 10.6 per 100000 with a male to female ratio 2.2.

According to a 2012 Lancet report, suicide rates in India are highest in the 15-29 age groups. The youth population, the report says that among men 40% suicide were by individuals aged between 15-29 while for women it was almost 60%.

There has been an increase in self harm and suicide ideation among people since the covid-19 pandemic hit says a study Covid 19 blues conducted by Bengaluru based suicide prevention India foundation (SPF).

The covid-19 blues study conducted from Apr 24 to May 28 drew conclusion that job loss or fear of it, stress, isolation /loneliness and financial insecurity were people’s top concerns. Nearly 30% of therapists said they had observed an increase in people who have self- harmed as well as expressed suicidal ideation or a death wish post the outbreak.

Relapses had also increased with nearly six out of 10 therapist’s surveyed saying that individuals who had recovered or were making a recovery have now replaced.

Like rest of the India, Kashmir is also facing an alarming increase in the rate of suicide. 16 people lost their lives in 20 days. These figures are about only the cases that were reported while the unreported ones go undocumented. Some of the reasons are same in Kashmir as rest of India. The conflict and political disturbances plays a major role in exalting the suicidal tendencies. The immediate effect of all these disturbances is depression which in extreme cases leads attempts by a person to end his /her life.

The constant conflict and cycle of violence creates mental disturbances among the people of Kashmir. The mass trauma situation faced by the people in JK for last 30 years has resulted in many people to suffer from the post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Mass Trauma suffered by the victims of long lasting social-political conflicts in the region resulting in mass migration by minority section of the Kashmir population and death, pain, sufferings and loss of property suffered by those remaining in the region have all together contributed to creating such a disturbing war like conflict zones in the erstwhile peaceful valley region.

Several natural calamities have added to the destruction and losses suffered by the people, continuous damage to the people has been the prime cause for the people experiencing PTSD studies conducted show that significant sections of the Kashmiri population suffer from some or the other kind of mental illness, stress and psychological disorders specially depression. And these metal health disorders often lead to increased cases of suicide particularly among youth.

Reducing suicide requires a collective, concerted effort from all groups in the society. There is an immediate need to support and promote NGO’s that work in the field of suicide prevention.

The NGO’s through their suicide prevent centres can undertake the task of informing and educating the public about the problems of suicide through various mass media like television, radio and other medias etc. It is a high time for the government to initiate reducing the availability of and access to pesticides. Reducing alcohol a availability and consumption, primarily responsible media reporting of suicide and related issues, promoting and supporting NGO’s and involving religious leaders. Improving the capacity of primary care workers and special mental health services and providing support to those bereaved by suicide, providing psychiatric evaluation and treatment to people who have attempt suicide.

The suicide rate will not change unless we address the issue of suicide structurally. It needs a multi pronged multi sectorial approach. If you are worried about someone in your life who has threatened to commit suicide or if you are feeling suicidal yourself please do take it seriously.

We may not fully understand this yet but that doesn’t mean that we can’t stop each other through it. So reach out as soon as possible and let someone understand the pain you are in. Encourage the person to seek help from professionals. If you think the person is in immediate danger don’t leave him/her alone, stay in touch with the person and ensure the person has no access to any means of self-harm.

(The author is a freelance writer and a student of Aligarh Muslim university).


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