Suicide means to ends his/ her life by his/ her own hands. Often the suicide is the last position to put an end to pain and sufferings that someone is going through. The viral video of a married girl of some part of the India who committed suicide did it because she had enough of her in laws and wanted to put an end to her pain and sufferings. While some make a video before suicide , some just end their life without any explanation or clue. In kashmir multiple ceases of suicide were reported after the 12th class results were reported . Suicides news from Kota had become a daily routine a year back. The students were giving up because they were unable to come up to the expectations of families or were unable to deal with the pressure their families were putting on them . Parents see their children as tool to settle scores or brag while they sit in a gathering. Family functions have become spots for bragging rather then being spots to enjoy. This must end . Different people are good at doing different thing. Can we compare Tiger and Whale by making them boy have race on land? NO whale will die. Can we as Elephant and monkey to have tree climbing competition? No, we can’t.
We need to stop comparing . This doesn’t only demotivates your child but also makes him/her depressed . This eventually leads to mental disorders.
Mental disorders are also responsible for the suicide. Mental disorder like depression, bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), nihilistic beliefs, physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome) and substance use disorders (including alcohol use disorder and the use of and withdrawal from benzodiazepines) are risk factors. Some suicides are impulsive acts due to stress (such as from financial or academic difficulties), relationship problems (such as breakups or deaths of close ones), or harassment/bullying. Those who have previously attempted suicide are at a higher risk for future attempts. Effective suicide prevention efforts include limiting access to methods of suicide—such as firearms, drugs, and poisons; treating mental disorders and substance misuse; careful media reporting about suicide; and improving economic conditions. Even though crisis are common, they have not been well studied. Suicides have well defined signs called “Suicide Warning Signs”. Any of these could be potential warning signs for suicide:
1: Severe sadness or moodiness. Long-lasting sadness, mood swings, and unexpected rage.
2:- Hopelessness. Feeling a deep sense of hopelessness about the future, with little expectation that circumstances can improve.
3:- Sleep problems.
4:- Sudden calmness. Suddenly becoming calm after a period of depression or moodiness can be a sign that the person has made a decision to end their life.
5:- Withdrawal. Choosing to be alone and avoiding friends or social activities also are possible symptoms of depression, a leading cause of suicide.
6:- Changes in personality or appearance. A person who is considering suicide might exhibit a change in attitude or behavior, such as speaking or moving with unusual speed or slowness.
7:- Dangerous or self-harmful behavior. Potentially dangerous behavior, such as reckless driving, engaging in unsafe intercourse, and increased use of drugs or alcohol, might indicate that the person no longer values their life.
8:-Recent trauma or life crisis. A major life crisis might trigger a suicide attempt. Crises include the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, diagnosis of a major illness, loss of a job, or serious financial problems.
9:- Making preparations. This might include visiting friends and family members, giving away personal possessions, making a will, and cleaning up their room or home. Some people will write a note before ending their own life. Some will buy a firearm or other means like poison.
10:- Threatening or talking about suicide. From 50% to 75% of those considering suicide will give someone — a friend or relative — a warning sign. It may not be an outright threat. They may talk an unusual amount about death or say things like “It would be better if I wasn’t here.” However, not everyone who is considering suicide will say so, and not everyone who threatens suicide will follow through with it. Every threat of suicide should be taken seriously.
The frequency of the suicide is 12 per 100,000 per year. The deaths from suicides as per the date of 2016 are 793,000 which means total of 1.5% of deaths happen because of suicides. The prevention of suicides are limiting access to methods of suicides, treating mental disorders and substance misuse, careful media reporting about suicides , improving social and economic conditions. The most commonly used method of suicide varies between countries, and is partly related to the availability of effective means. Common methods of suicide include hanging, pesticide poisoning, and firearms. Suicides resulted in 828,000 global deaths in 2015, an increase from 712,000 deaths in 1990.This makes suicide the 10th leading cause of death worldwide. Approximately 1.5% of all deaths worldwide are by suicide. In a given year, this is roughly 12 per 100,000 people. Rates of completed suicides are generally higher among men than among women, ranging from 1.5 times as much in the developing world to 3.5 times in the developed world. Suicide is generally most common among those over the age of 70; however, in certain countries, those aged between 15 and 30 are at the highest risk.Europe had the highest rates of suicide by region in 2015.There are an estimated 10 to 20 million non-fatal attempted suicides every year. Non-fatal suicide attempts may lead to injury and long-term disabilities. According to the figures regarding the accidental deaths and suicides across India in 2020 were revealed by the National Crime Records Bureau for Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that was released earlier in last week of October. As per the data, Jammu and Kashmir reported 287 suicide cases, including 157 males and 130 females, with a projected mid-year population of 133.4 Lakh. In the Srinagar district, 200 percent increase in the number of suicide cases, with 6 cases reported in 2020 against the 2 cases in 2019.NCRB data revealed that, in J&K, 29 suicide cases of marriage related issues were reported and 14 suicide cases of non-settlement of marriage issue and one suicide case of bankruptcy or indebtedness was reported.
“In J&K, seven suicide cases of dowry-related issues and eight suicide cases of extramarital affairs were also reported in the year 2020 and 15 suicide cases of failure in examination,” reveals the data.
As per the data, over 20 suicide cases of family problems, five suicide cases due to illness, and as many cases of insanity or mental illness were reported in J&K in 2020. Further, 25 suicides of love affairs, one each suicide case of fall in social reputation, drug abuse and alcoholic addiction were reported in J&K.
The data further reveals that In the same year 13 suicide cases due to poverty, 46 suicide cases due to unemployment and one suicide case due to poverty were reported. The report also states that 101 suicide cases, of which the reason is unknown and 23 suicide cases with other reasons were reported in J&K.
In the Western world, attempts are more common among young people and among females. Views on suicide have been influenced by broad existential themes such as religion, honor, and the meaning of life.The Abrahamic religions traditionally consider suicide as an offense towards God due to the belief in the sanctity of life. During the samurai era in Japan, a form of suicide known as seppuku ( harakiri) was respected as a means of making up for failure or as a form of protest. Sati, a practice outlawed by the British, expected the Indian widow to kill herself on her husband’s funeral fire, either willingly or under pressure from her family and society. Suicide and attempted suicide, while previously illegal, are no longer so in most Western countries. It remains a criminal offense in some countries. In the 20th and 21st centuries, suicide has been used on rare occasions as a form of protest, and kamikaze and suicide bombings have been used as a military or terrorist tactic. Suicide is often seen as a major catastrophe for families, relatives and other nearby supporters, and it is viewed negatively almost everywhere around the world. We need to make sure that we communicate to people around us . Communication can help at a large extent to curb suicides. We need to be very careful while we speak to people around us, because in today’s world every next person is suffering or is depressed.
The writer is a law student and a human rights activist.
