Overcoming the Suicides in India

Nishita Sharma
Jun 24, 2020
4 min read

Updated: Dec 16, 2020

India has the highest suicide rate in the South-East Asian region, according to World Health Organisation’s latest reports and even though through ages suicide has been bemoaned and even condemned in Indian culture, more than one lakh lives are lost every year to suicide in our country.

Today suicide is an important issue in the Indian context. India being the world’s youngest economy, also reports to have majority of suicides (37.8%) by those below the age of 30 years. The fact that 71% of suicides in India are by people below the age of 44 years imposes a huge social, emotional and economic burden on our society. Thus, suicide is a major public and mental health problem, which demands urgent action.

MAJOR RISK FACTORS OF SUICIDE IN INDIA

Suicidal behavior is determined by a number of individual, mental and social factors.

INDIVIDUAL FACTORS INCLUDE:

Divorce
Dowry
Failure in love affairs
Cancellation or the inability to get married (according to the system of arranged marriages in India).
Illegitimate pregnancy extra-marital affairs and such conflicts relating to the issue of marriage.
Domestic violence
Poverty, Unemployment and Debts
Sudden change in economic status
Educational problems
Professional and career problems
Physical Illnesses
Physical abuse
Suicide pacts and family suicides (Generally to exhibit protest against societal norms and expectations).

MENTAL HEALTH RELATED FACTORS INCLUDE :

Mental health disorders occupy a premier position in causing suicide..

Some of them are:

Depression
Alcohol dependence and abuse
Personality disorders for example, Lack of ego strength, lack of frustration tolerance, emotional instability, maladaptive coping and impulsivity.
Mood disorders, particularly depressive disorders
Schizophrenia
Neurotic disorders
Stress-related disorders
Somatoform disorders

It should be noted here that the rate of personality disorders among those who attempt suicide in India ranges from 7 to 50% in various studies.

SOCIAL FACTORS INCLUDE :

The effects of modernization specifically in India have resulted in a train wrecking change not only in the socioeconomic arena but also a sweeping change in socio-philosophical and cultural arena in the lives of Indian citizens which,

Adds to the stress in life, leading to substantially higher rates of suicide.
Breakdown of the joint family systems in India, that otherwise provided emotional support and stability, previously

SIGNS INDICATING THAT ONE MIGHT NEED HELP

According to American Psychological Association (APA), If one is experiencing several of the following listed below they should consider speaking about it and seeking help from a certified mental health worker.

Sleep or appetite changes — Dramatic sleep and appetite changes or decline in personal care
Mood changes — Rapid or dramatic shifts in emotions or depressed feelings
Withdrawal — Recent social withdrawal and loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed
Drop in functioning — An unusual drop in functioning, at school, work or social activities, such as quitting sports, failing in school or difficulty performing familiar tasks
Problems thinking — Problems with concentration, memory or logical thought and speech that are hard to explain
Increased sensitivity — Heightened sensitivity to sights, sounds, smells or touch; avoidance of over-stimulating situations
Apathy — Loss of initiative or desire to participate in any activity
Feeling disconnected — A vague feeling of being disconnected from oneself or one’s surroundings; a sense of unreality
Illogical thinking — Unusual or exaggerated beliefs about personal powers to understand meanings or influence events; illogical or “magical” thinking typical of childhood in an adult
Nervousness — Fear or suspiciousness of others or a strong nervous feeling
Unusual behavior

SUICIDE PREVENTION

Contrary to popular myth that suicides cannot be prevented, probably suicides are the only form of death that can be prevented. Suicide should be never an option for the temporary problems we encounter through the passage of life.

Let us look at what all should be adopted as a solution to this problem. In order to effectively weed out the capable causes discussed above and prevent taking any detrimental step, it is extremely crucial to:

1. BREAK THE SILENCE

Many suicides can be prevented in India if we, Break the silence on Mental health. In 2017, things started to look up when the Mental Healthcare Act was passed, though it’s the beginning of a long journey though unless we collectively push in to push for crafting a suicide prevention strategy at various levels by,

Spreading awareness
Bursting the myths related to suicide prevention and mental health.
Establishing ,rooting and accepting the fact that talking about mental health related issues is no stigma, nothing to be ashamed of or be guilty about. Accept it as naturally as one would accept any physical ailment.

2. REACH OUT

Asking for help, by discussing about the issues troubling oneself with trusted friends and family members is always an initial step towards recovery, as it not only makes one feel heard but also a belief that things will be fine and the individual is not alone till the things get well.

3. SEEKING PROFESSIONAL HELP

Sometimes it happens that we do not feel comfortable opening up to talk about a certain things to our family and friends, more because we often don’t know how to approach that conversation with them or it can also be the case that we do not have people around with we could talk on sensitive issues like these, in that case help is available in the form of:

24*7 Multilingual, Mental health crisis helpline. Here is a link to access urgent telephonic help and guidance all over India with all the information available. http://www.healthcollective.in/contact/helplines//

Consider seeking help from Certified Mental Health Professionals, trained in dealing with such problems. They are trained not just in dealing with the crisis situation but they are also trained and taught to be extremely ethical in their field of work and absolutely non-judgmental while dealing with varied cases, from a very young age. They are all there, present, only and only to provide genuine help ones you choose to reach out to them.

If facing difficulty coping with daily life problems that might be affecting your functional competence somehow, reach out to the Certified Counselors or Psychotherapists to learn about the strategies that be adopted to not just cope but also function in a relatively smoother way.

While it is always important to speak up and reach out, it is equally important for us to develop a habit to empathetically ask, “ARE YOU OKAY?” to people around us and not judge the answer.

"A stumble in the road is just a stumble in the road, never the end of our journey. SO we will step out, fix the stumble, move ahead and walk this journey with great love, kindness, bliss and glory for not just ourselves but for the society and world at large."