Suicide among elderly on rise in Kerala

Kochi: Kerala is facing the twin reality of overall suicide rate coming down in the past two decades while the suicide rate among the elderly population above the age of 60 going up, making it an unenviable position.

In 1995, 32 persons in one lakh population in the state committed suicide and it has come down to 21.6 in one lakh population in 2015, according to the National Crime Records Bureau statistics. “However, the percentage of elderly population above the age of 60 in this was 12 in 1995 which shot up to 19 percent in 2015,” said social activist and psychiatrist Dr C.J. John who associates with Mythri, an NGO engaged in prevention of suicides. The number of suicides in 2015 in the state was 7,692.

Dr John said that districts like Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam are witnessing an upward trend in suicides, bucking the overall trend of decline across the state. “The reasons for this have to be probed and found out,” he said.

He, however, said that the neglect of the elderly population by the younger population is leading to the increase in suicides among them. “As a society we do not give enough emotional support to the elderly. An ‘empty nest’ syndrome is plaguing the households where the elderly are left behind while the younger ones have sought greener pastures in the US/Europe/the Gulf or metro cities,” said Dr John.

“Even when children who were with them neglected them, grandchildren used to be companions but today home works and electronic gadgets make them busy and elders are left to fend for themselves,” he said.

“The elderly have to be empowered to fight this loneliness. Elders forum in Kochi’s Changampuzha Park and Panampilli Nagar are healthy models which enable elders to lead a healthy community life and keep them engaged through various activities and support each other even in small daily life requirements. Being financially independent is also another need in the sunset years and everybody should be taught to plan in this manner,” said Dr John.