One person suicides every 3rd day in Kashmir affecting the people left behind adversely.
Almost every 2nd day someone takes his/her own life by committing suicide and many more people attempted suicide since lockdown was imposed in the valley. Every suicide is a tragedy that affects families, communities and entire region and has long-lasting effects on the people left behind. Suicide occurs throughout the lifespan and was the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year-olds globally in 2016. The youth of Kashmir has almost lost all their shells of living a decent, sustainable and standard way of livelihood. Some suicides are directly associated with higher level of unemployment resulting in suicidal thoughts which ultimately leads to death.
Experts aren’t sure yet why it often happens with teenagers, but researches include:
- Increased access to guns.
- Increased use of alcohol.
- The influence of Internet social networks, such as Facebook, WhatsApp.
- Increased rates of suicide among older teens who have experienced love-related Trauma.
- Another leading research is that the rise in teen suicides may be because fewer teens are being treated with antidepressants when they have depression.
This follows the 2003 FDA warning about antidepressants and suicide. However, since untreated depression is itself a risk factor for suicide, fewer teens taking antidepressants could have the unintended effect of leading to more suicides. Worldwide, about 90,000 teens commit suicide each year, with about four million suicide attempts. That means that one teenager dies from suicide about every five minutes. Globally, suicide is the second leading cause of death among people between the ages of 15 and 29. Many suicides happen impulsively in moments of crisis with a breakdown in the ability to deal with life stresses, such as financial problems, relationship break-up or chronic pain and illness. It is also experienced that conflict, disaster, violence, abuse, or loss and a sense of isolation are strongly associated with suicidal behavior. It is estimated that around 20% of global suicides are due to pesticide self-poisoning, most of which occur in rural agricultural areas in low and middle-income countries. Suicide is preventive but complex. We know suicide is not inevitable but is a complex issue. Therefore suicide prevention efforts require coordination and collaboration among multiple sectors of society, including the health sector and other sectors such as education, labour, agriculture, business, justice, law, defense, politics, and the media. These efforts must be comprehensive and integrated as no single approach alone can make an impact on an issue as complex as suicide.
Some measures to prevent suicide and suicidal attempts:
- Reducing access to the means of suicide (e.g. pesticides, firearms, certain medications)
- Reporting by media in a responsible way
- School-based interventions
- Early identification, treatment and care of people with mental and substance use disorders, chronic pain and acute emotional distress,
- Training of non-specialized health workers in the assessment and management of suicidal behaviour
- Follow-up care for people who attempted suicide and provision of community support.
Conclusion
The suicide mortality rate is an indicator of target 3.4 of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, to reduce by one third premature mortality from non communicable diseases through prevention and treatment, and promote mental health and well-being. Government should help media with these efforts by releasing public service announcements that raise awareness, identifying and treating mental and substance use disorders as early as possible, and ensuring those vulnerable to suicide receive the care they need before it is too late. Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.
Mudasir Koul is an author at The Chenab Times