Dr. Raminder Jit Singh
The word “Suicide” has been defined as an act or instance of taking one’s life voluntarily and intentionally; the deliberate and intentional destruction of one’s own life by a person; one that commits or attempts self-murder. An increasing number of suicides is an alarming situation and a matter of concern these days. It is a social evil and threat to mankind and humanity itself as a whole. Suicide estimates suggest fatalities worldwide could rise to 1.5 million by the year 2020. Suicide is a largely preventable public health problem, causing almost half of all violent deaths as well as economic costs in the billions of dollars, says the World Health Organization (W.H.O). Suicide is a slur on Society and even State of Jammu & Kashmir has not been left untouched by the menace of suicides. It is not unusual to see the reports of suicides in daily newspapers.
According to the latest report on statistics available on the ‘Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India’ published by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) of Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India, in the year 2011, 287 people in the State of Jammu & Kashmir lost their lives by committing suicide. 287 suicidal deaths which include 143 females and 144 males are higher than 2010 when 259 persons committed suicide, an increase of 10.8% as compared to the National average of 0.7% the report says.
The report reveals the highest incidence of suicide in the age group of 15-29 with 127 deaths which includes 87 females and 40 males, followed by the age group of 30-40 with 92 deaths which includes 53 males and 39 females. The fact that 76.3% of suicidal deaths in Jammu & Kashmir are by persons below the age of 44 years imposes a huge social, emotional and economic burden on the society. Studies reveal on average, a single suicide intimately affects at least six people. If a suicide occurs in a school or workplace, it has an impact on hundreds of people. A total of 50 people have ended life in the age group of 45-59; which include 39 males and 11 females. The menace of suicides has not left kids and elderly untouched with nine each ending life in the age group of up to 14-years and 60 above.
As regards the causes are concerned, suicides in Jammu & Kashmir are generally committed due to failure in examinations, quarrel with spouse, quarrel with parents-in-law, divorce, dowry, love affairs, cancellation or the inability to get married, extra-marital affairs and conflicts relating to the issue of marriage, all these factors play a crucial role, particularly in the suicide of women. Poverty, debts and educational problems are also associated with suicides in Jammu & Kashmir. Unemployment and financial stress has become a major cause of suicides among the youth in Jammu and Kashmir. The effects of modernization have led to sweeping changes in the socioeconomic, socio philosophical and cultural arenas of people’s lives, which have greatly added to the stress in life, leading to substantially higher rates of suicide.
Before the advent of Insurgency in Jammu & Kashmir in 1989-90, incidents of suicides especially in Kashmir were virtually zero. Because of lingering violence over the years, Post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) are fast gripping the people of Jammu & Kashmir. In Kashmir’s one and only hospital for mental and psychological diseases about 1200 patients had got themselves registered in 1989, in the same hospital in the year 2011 about one lakh patients got themselves registered. According to Mental health practitioners in Kashmir because of the social stigma attached with mental health problems majority of patients do not go to hospital as a result the number of patients suffering from psychological diseases may be much more than the estimates of sociologists. According to a survey conducted by Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, 55 percent population of the Valley is the victim of some psychological ailment or the other.
The scourge of suicides has not left uniformed services untouched. There has been a sharp rise in suicides in the Army and other Para-military forces deployed in Jammu and Kashmir. With prolonged deployment in counter-insurgency operations and being posted in far-flung areas and unable to take care of problems being faced by their families, has taken adverse toll on mental health of soldiers. In a recent research carried out by Prof Bashir Ahmad Dabla a leading sociologist and head of the Sociology department of Kashmir University, has revealed that 1,500 to 2,000 soldiers have committed suicide in the last two decades. In the year 2011, around 15 personnel from Army and other Para-military forces committed suicide in Jammu & Kashmir.
According to NCRB report, 2 males have ended their life on account of cancellation of marriage while 3 others and a woman committed suicide owing to termination of marriages. Similarly, according to the report 2 males and a female committed suicide for suspected illicit relations while 4 persons of fairer sex ended life due to dowry and 2 others after divorce. 17 persons committed suicide due to illness; they include 2 males and a female with paralysis, a female suffering from cancer, 6 persons which includes 5 males and a female due to mental illness and 8 persons which includes 7 males and a female owing to prolonged sickness, says the report.
NCRB Report further adds, 12 people who include 11 males and a female ended life owing to drug abuse while three males and two females took the extreme step for failure in Examination. Six males and a female ended life for fall in ‘social reputation; while 48 others which include 18 males and 30 females committed suicide owing to family problems. 6 males and 20 females ended life owing to failure in love affairs, while two from fairer sex group took the extreme step after being physically abused. 3 males committed suicide due to poverty while 6 persons which include 4 males and 2 females committed suicide owing to property dispute while four others all males took the extreme step due unemployment.
Of all the 287 persons, 40 were students which include 13 males and 27 females, 36 unemployed which include 18 females and 18 males, 71 self employed which includes 50 males and 21 females, four of them were retired persons, while 50 others belonged to different professions. Even as reasons for most number of suicides (137) remained unknown.
According to the NCRB report, consumption of poison is the commonest mode of committing suicide with 107 deaths which include 31 males and 76 females, followed by hanging which resulted in 42 deaths which include 27 males and 15 female, jumping from buildings/other heights resulted in 28 deaths which includes 22 males and 6 females, self immolation resulted in 12 deaths which includes 8 males and 4 females , fire resulted in 12 deaths which includes 11 males and a female, touching electric wires resulted in 9 deaths which includes 5 males and 4 females , alcoholism (all males), overdose of sleeping pills (all males), drowning resulted in 5 deaths which includes 3 males and 2 females and coming under running train resulted in the death of 1 male. 60 others have chosen other means to end life.
The psychological, social and financial impact of suicide on the family and society is immeasurable. Jammu & Kashmir is grappling with numerous issues from Insurgency to illiteracy to unemployment and other health related issues and hence, suicide is accorded low priority in the competition for meager resources. Even though, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India will be providing assistance of Rs 8.50 crore to the state government for the up gradation of academic, clinical and diagnostic facilities at the Psychiatric Hospitals in Srinagar and Jammu, but given the enormity of the problem combined with the paucity of mental health service there is immediate need to support and promote NGO’s that work in the field of suicide prevention. The NGO’s through their suicide prevention centers can undertake the task of informing and educating the public about the problem of suicide through various mass media like television, radio, newspapers, magazines, etc. The humane touch and elderly advice of the personnel of these centers can help a lot on providing solace to the individuals. Since these Organizations are in better position to help in promoting public education about suicide they are quite successful in bringing down suicide rates, for example in Great Britain, the suicide rate is said to have gone down ever since the ‘Samaritans’ Organization came into existence and continued their activities in this field.
Reducing suicide requires a collective, concerted effort from all groups in the society. It high time for Jammu & Kashmir Government to initiate a Mental Health Programme which involves reducing the availability of and access to pesticides, reducing alcohol availability and consumption, promoting responsible media reporting of suicide and related issues, promoting and supporting NGOs, involving religious leaders, improving the capacity of primary care workers and specialist mental health services and providing support to those bereaved by suicide, providing psychiatric evaluation and treatment to people who have attempted suicide, training teachers, police officers and practitioners of alternative system of medicine and faith healers. All these steps can help to mitigate the problem of suicides in Jammu & Kashmir.
Poet John Donne said, “Death be not proud”. At the same time it is necessary to say, “suicide be not proud” because it takes something very precious from the society that cannot be replaced.
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