Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Srinagar Oct 10 (KINS): As World Depression Day was observed on Saturday, it has been found that anxiety and depression lead to suicide.
World Depression Day was observed on Saturday with the objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health.
At the same time it has been seen that anxiety and depression lead people to take the extreme step.
The ongoing pandemic has affected mental health majorly. Staying at home, low physical activity, less socialising and unexpected changes in the way everything works has made it important to highlight suicide prevention.
It has been found that Kashmir has witnessed an increase in suicides.
In the recent past several people including some girls attempted suicide. The increased incidence of suicide attempts, particularly among the Kashmiri youth, has become a serious concern for the people.
A police official told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS) that it is the responsibility of every one to prevent suicide attempts. “Anxiety has increased for the last few months. We should not allow depression to take over. Some NGOs are also making an effort by counselling people how to overcome anxiety,” the official added.
Experts believe that first aid for mental health should also become a part of the curriculum in schools and colleges.
“We need to therefore empower educators, parents and other primary caregivers, who are regularly engaged with young people to be able to provide guidance in times of need,” a doctor at Srinagar’s SMHS Hospital told KINS.
“Parental pressure, tough competition in studies and career, lack of moral and religious education are the main reasons for suicidal attempts among youth,” the doctor added.
Similarly, over two dozen security personnel have attempted suicide in Kashmir this year so far.
While last year, 19 security personnel including army and paramilitary personnel committed suicide in the valley.
This year, the rise in suicides among the security forces has been directly linked with the coronavirus pandemic.
It has been found that security forces killing their own colleagues was the result of stress and depression due to long separation from family and long duty hours.
Many researches have been conducted where it has been found that prolonged deployment in counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir was taking a heavy toll on the physical endurance and mental health of security forces.
“Long separation from family, COVID are the main reason for increasing trend of suicides among paramilitary forces,” a senior CRPF official told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).
The official said the authorities had taken several remedial measures to curb on cases of fratricidal and suicides in armed police forces. “The central armed police forces are being provided counseling, workshops are being organized so that they remain mentally fit and refrain from taking such harsh steps,” the official said.
However, the official said the authorities at the top should take some measures by which these incidents could be stopped. “These security forces should not be forced to remain for long periods of separation from their families and they need to give adequate time to spend with their families,” he said.
A psychiatrist said security forces commit suicides because of family issues.
“They are away from their families. Those who commit suicides do not face depression overnight. Some are not able to deal with the problem for long time so they attempt suicide. Fratricidal incidents are also linked to depression,” he added.
Dr. Manish Jain who is a Psychiatrist had said that suicide is now recognised as a public health issue in almost every country. “Suicide rates have been increasing gradually to the extent that it has become one of a major cause of death worldwide. It is important to identify the early warning signs and factor that can lead to suicide,” Dr Jain said.
“Suicidal reactions may vary from anger, distress, ridicule, anxiety, tension, fear, sadness or any intentional determination to end one’s life,” Dr Jain said.
Dr. Jain explains, “The causes for a suicidal intention can be complex, ranging from social, economic, health, cultural, political, religious and other areas of individual’s life. Suicide is multifactorial in nature, cumulative due to number of causes which are progressive and operate over a period of time. Even sometimes an impulsive suicide can be extremely difficult to understand.”
“A passing suicidal thought happens to most of the individuals in a sudden life crisis or a traumatic situation. An Individual passing through any of these phases may think, attempt or complete the act. Some individuals due to their inability to cope with the stress or lack of adequate support mechanisms, finally find suicide as an option. However, the word option itself indicates that there are choices,” he adds.
“The major steps towards preventing suicide are identifying the problem in various dimensions, understanding risk factors, and identifying what works in individual societies. An early recognition of the warning signs and professional assistance can help to save a life.”(KINS)
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