!SUICIDE PREVENTION!

Written by: J Shiruti & Yashi Shah

Edited by: Yashi Shah

Suicide Prevention Day is marked on the 10th of September each year. This day was standardized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention. It is an alternative to boost awareness across the world that suicide can be prevented. The ongoing pandemic has encompassed mental fitness majorly. Keeping up at home, low physical movement, limited socializing, and startling changes in the way everything functions have made it significant to accentuate suicide prevention.

Suicide is now recognized as a public health theme in almost every nation. Suicide ratios have been heightening deliberately to the degree that it has become one of a major cause of demise worldwide. It is important to observe the early indication of signs and factors that can lead to suicidal thoughts such as:

• Depression
• Hopelessness due to various reasons.
• History of trauma
• Alcoholism and drug addiction
• Career-related obstacles
• Mental disorders
• Relationship failures and many more.

Do you commit suicide or do you die by suicide? A tricky question, isn’t it? When we talk about suicide, we often end up saying, “He committed suicide”. But you commit murder or robbery or adultery because all of these are deemed to be crimes or sins. Suicide is no crime. Rather say “He died of suicide”. 

Suicide is also not a choice. When tried to established into a definition it is defined as ‘the act of intentionally causing one’s death’ but how can it be intentional? For something to be intentional, it has to be well thought off but suicide stems off from a thought process gravely disordered due to trauma, substance abuse, or mental illness. If a person can’t make a rational choice due to impairment of thoughts and mind, his decision is not a ‘choice’.

Suicide is multifactorial in disposition, incremental due to several reasons which are refined and regulate over a duration of time. There are several ways in which you can prevent suicides around you :

• Be a good listener to your loved ones.
• Introspection is the major key.
• Support and uplift people with depression and mental health issues.
• Do not stigmatize suicidal beliefs.
• Do not hesitate to share your unfavourable feelings.

Suicide was the dominating cause for over 300 ‘non-coronavirus deaths’ registered in India due to trouble accelerated by the nationwide lockdown, indicated by a new set of data collected by a group of experimenters. In India, suicide is said to be the most predominant cause of death in the age group of 15–29 years. These statistics are frightening to hear and it is a lofty time to educate people about the risk aspects and the fallouts of suicides. Stay helpful and care for the people around you.