September 10 marked World Suicide Prevention Day. International Association for Suicide Prevention with the World Health Organization (WHO) established World Suicide Prevention Day to raise awareness about prevention of suicides.
As per the International Association for Suicide Prevention, “On this day, we encourage all to ‘Create Hope Through Action’ to draw attention to this important public health issue globally and to disseminate the message that suicides are preventable. By encouraging understanding, reaching in and sharing experiences, this theme gives people the confidence to take action. It highlights the fact that there is an alternative to suicide and aims to inspire confidence and light in all of us.”
In Kashmir context, suicide cases keeping on cropping up time and again. Interestingly, the Kashmiri language does not have a word for suicide. Not a long ago, it was compared with places like Kuwait where the suicide rate is amongst the 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.
Every death by suicide leaves behind a trail of questions and a deep sense of helplessness.
As a society, everyone including parents, teachers, clinicians, officers and politicians should be asking why and what they can do to prevent it. While no one can say with precision why suicide has become such a crisis globally 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.
Suicide is considered a preventable cause of death and does not always involve a history of mental illness.
It is important to realise that suicidal thoughts come and go, and that if one makes it through the most difficult moments, he or she has a chance at feeling better. Discussing the problem with someone who can help one keep safe is very important.
Often when the stigma around suicide is addressed, people feel more comfortable seeking help and understanding their problems and exploring the solutions, rather than taking an extreme decision. The day created awareness about suicide and information should be raised regularly to prevent the suicides. While suicide is an extreme decision and can happen due to a lot of reasons, it is important to raise awareness to make people believe that there is more to life, and they should not end their lives.
