Kerala with a suicide rate of 24.3 has the second position after Sikkim
Picture for representational purpose
KOCHI: Nearly 35 percent of the suicides in India are caused by issues related to alcohol consumption, according to Dr Lakshmi Vijayakumar, editor and international coordinator of the first-ever World Suicide Report (WSR 2014). Kerala with a suicide rate of 24.3 has the second position after Sikkim in the number of suicide deaths in the country.Though the rate of suicides has marginally come down in India during the 12 years between 2000 and 2012 (from 23.3 per one lakh people to 21.1), the country continued to have the dubious distinction of having the largest number of suicides (2.58 lakh people killed themselves in India in 2012 as per WHO estimates), Dr Lakshmi told Deccan Chronicle here on Saturday.
She was in Kochi in connection with the ongoing annual national conference of Indian Association of Private Psychiatry. According to Dr Lakshmi, who is also the founder of Chennai-based organisation SNEHA, using pesticide was the most common method for suicides across the globe and 75 per cent of the victims belonged to low and middle income groups.
“The biggest indicator of an impending suicide is a previous attempt itself. As per an emerging theory, it is not depression as a mental disorder which acts as the main trigger behind suicides, but a combination of cumulative factors which lead to an error in judgement,” she pointed out.
Dr Lakshmi added that people having two special traits were particularly vulnerable perfectionists and constant worriers. “Those who attempt suicides are rather suffering from future myopia as they are not able to think beyond the immediate setback which may be love or debt,” she said.
“A mere contact by postcard or even a text message by a well-meaning person can dissuade someone holding death wish from taking the extreme step. The media can also help by not sensationalising suicides,” she added. WSR also found that internet and computer game addiction was another emerging factor behind the malaise. “Those who are addicted to Internet have little inter-personal skills and social media cannot replace actual human contact. In fact, it has been found that neural circuitry of children addicted to computer games is changed for the worse,” Dr Lakshmi said.
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