stop suicide

Stop suicide

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150727/jsp/knowhow/story_33764.jsp

---

Your Health - Dr. Gita Mathai

---

• 

A physician friend was fascinated by a WHO statement that India had the largest number of suicides when there seemed no statistics available to ratify this claim. As he started looking for facts, he found that in his district there were hardly any suicides, just 11 per 1,00,000 people. Then he stumbled upon the actual problem. No one wants it on record that a family member committed suicide, to which a religious and social stigma is attached. So the sympathetic administration often puts the cause of death as "other". In reality, the suicide rate in India is closer to 58 per 1,00,000 people.

Both men and women attempt suicide - about four times more women than men are likely to attempt it but men are more likely to succeed in their first attempt. The decision to commit suicide may be due to financial problems, stress, a major psychiatric illness such as depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, an incurable medical condition like cancer or an autoimmune disease or, in the case of the aged, a desire to stop being a financial burden to the family.

Suicidal tendencies can suddenly pop into the minds of people who abuse alcohol, sleeping tablets or are on psychiatric medication. The tendency is aggravated if there has been a death in the family, financial forfeiture or loss of a job. Smoking and tobacco use also increase the risk of suicide. The exact mechanism by which the tobacco alters the brain chemistry is not known.

Gamblers become depressed when they suffer financial losses, especially if they have gambled with family money, lost property or savings. Gambling is a surreptitious way of getting an "endorphin high." It is an addiction and finally more money has to be gambled frequently to achieve the same effect. The rebound "down" is when the suicide occurs.

Whole families commit suicide in India. The parents kill the children and then themselves. This is most often associated with financial losses. Chit fund losses are particularly notorious for this outcome.

Teenagers and young adults cannot cope with rejection and failure in academics, the work place or relationships. While studying survivors of a suicide attempt, researchers found that it takes an average of 10 minutes from the thought to the act. Also regret sets in, according to survivors, but it is too little, too late.

Teenage and young adult suicides often occur in clusters around the time of the board exams or when results of professional courses are announced. Parents are often oblivious that their children are stressed and depressed.

Laughter has great anti depressant value. Children laugh 100-150 times a day. Adults laugh 10 times a day and elders 4-5 times. The incidence of depression also creeps up.

If a person threatens or attempts suicide, it is an urgent appeal for help. The person should be referred to a psychiatrist who will evaluate him or her for risk, depression and requirement for medication. A combination of antidepressants and psychotherapy works best.

Suicide prevention is everyone's responsibility. For confidential helplines (for India) log on to suicide.org.

Dr Gita Mathai is a paediatrician with a family practice at Vellore. Questions on health issues may be emailed to her at yourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in