Sir,
This refers to the writeup’Suicide Prevention-a challange in India’ published on the eve of World Suicide Prevention Day. (DE, Sep10, 2018).There is no doubt that suicide rate is on the increase in the world including India.Almost everyday there are newspaper reports of people, including the youth and the middle aged having committed suicide.The fact that against the global average of 10.7 per 100000, the suicide mortality rate in India is 15.7. Even in our state, the number of people resorting to this extreme step seem to be on the rise.There may be many reasons for people to resort to the extreme step of ending their life.People may commit suicide due to failure in business/exams, inability to clear debts, poor performance in exams, harrassment by employers, failure of love affair, quarrels with family members,prolonged illness, sexual abuse, death of a loved one, depression, alcoholism etc.Whatever be the cause, taking the extreme step is not an act of wisdom.Life is the most beautiful gift from God and we ought not to end it till He takes it by His own will.Parents ought to equip their children with problem solving skills right from their childhood to enable them to face the harsh realities of life in a bold, realistic and brave manner.They should not set high and unrealistic aspirations for their children.They ought to advise their children to give their best but not feel demoralised if they fail to get the desired results or face failure.The children ought to be trained to face life as it unfolds and adapt themselves to the changed circumstances.They must be brought up in an atmosphere of love, warmth and affection amidst relations such as grandparents, uncles, cousins etc where they can learn valuable interpersonal skills of life. Parents should note the warning signs such as withdrawl of their children from friends and family, increase in use of drugs, frequent threats to die, helplessness etc and take measures to ensure that they spend quality time with their children and take them to doctors/psychiatrists for treatment in case they feel that their help is needed. Schools too must have counsellors to guide students as to how to destress themselves, especially during exams and at the time of declaration of results etc. and provide conducive atmosphere for students to learn in a tension free manner.Government too ought to take this issue seriously and take measures to improve working atmosphere in offices and institutions where employees can work in a proper manner and they are not unnecessarily harrassed by their employers and officers. For this purpose, committees need to be formed in each office to sort out issues of the employers and employees in a cordial manner and maintain a healthy environment. All these steps, if followed in letter and spirit, can help lower the suicide rate in our country.
Ashok Sharma,
Housing Colony, Udhampur
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