Last year, as NCRB data bears out, Jammu & Kashmir has witnessed higher percentage increase in suicides over 2020 among states and UTs. The overall increase is 13.9% as far as J&K is concerned, the data released recently reveals.
Rate of suicides i.e. the number of suicides per one lakh population, has been widely accepted as a standard yardstick for comparison.
Among the major causes enumerated for taking the extreme step by people as per NCRB include include ‘Family Problems’ and ‘Illness’ as same accounted for 33.2% and 18.6% of total suicides respectively during 2021 in India. ‘Drug Abuse/ Alcoholic Addiction’ (6.4%), ‘Marriage Related Issues’ (4.8%), ‘Love Affairs’ (4.6%), ‘Bankruptcy or Indebtedness’ (3.9%), ‘Unemployment’ (2.2%) ,‘Failure in Examination’ (1.0%), ‘Professional/Career Problem’ (1.6%) and ‘Poverty’ (1.1%) were other causes of suicides, it noted.
Among professions, people who were self-employed and those who were engaged as daily wagers registered the biggest increase in deaths by suicide, followed by salaried workers and students.
The Kashmiri language does not have a word for suicide and it was at one time compared with places where the suicide rate remained lowest in the world. Lately, things seem to be changing for the worse as there has been a substantial increase in such tendencies.
In some cases, the hidden trauma of life comes to the fore and what unfolds is nothing but disturbing and heart-wrenching.
The death of a child is the worst nightmare for the parents, one made even worse when it is self-inflicted.
Every death by suicide leaves behind a trail of questions and a deep sense of helplessness. There is a need to identify the crisis building within ourselves and others, and to learn how to avert it.
The government has responsibility for every citizen and ensuring all people get their due must be its focus.
Also as society, everyone including parents, teachers, clinicians, officers and politicians should be asking why and what they can do to prevent it. Covid-19 has had a debilitating effect on livelihood. In such a situation, suicidal tendencies have shown up to greater extent, especially those who have had a severe impact on their livelihoods or those who have lost dear ones. The economic condition of the people has been badly affected. While no one can say with precision why suicide has become such a crisis among the people especially young, there are several factors elucidated by the various experts which the administration need to work out and address the issue with a reasonable haste.
