Suicide in India
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Suicide in India is slightly above world rate. Of the half million people reported to die of suicide worldwide every year, 20% are Indians,[1] for 17% of world population. In the last two decades, the suicide rate has increased from 7.9 to 10.3 per 100,000[2], with very high rates in some southern regions.[3] In a study published in The Lancet in June 2012, the estimated number of suicides in India in 2010 was about 187,000.[4] A large proportion of adult suicide deaths were found to occur between the ages of 15 years and 29 years, especially in women.[4] Suicide attempters are ten times the suicide completers.
North-south divide in Indian suicide rates
The southern states of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have a suicide rate of greater than 15 while in the Northern States of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir, the suicide rate is less than 3.[5]
Age and suicide in India
The plurality of suicides (37.8%) in India are by those below the age of 30 years, and 71% of suicides in India are by persons below the age of 44 years,.[6] This imposes a huge social, emotional and economic burden.
Domestic violence and suicide in India
There was a 64% correlation between domestic violence of women and suicidal ideation,[7] and domestic violence was also found to be a major risk factor for suicide in a study in Bangalore.[8][9]
Methods of suicide in India
Poisoning (36.6%), hanging (32.1%) and self-immolation (7.9%) were the common methods used to commit suicide.[10]
Suicide motivated by politics
Suicides motivated by ideology doubled between 2006 and 2008.[3]
Three pronged attack for suicide prevention
A three pronged attack to combat suicide suggested in a 2003 monograph was (1) reducing social isolation, (2) preventing social disintegration, and (3) treating mental disorders.[11]
Additionally, a set of state led policies are being enforced to decrease the high suicide rate among farmers of Karnataka[12]
See also
References
- ^ Singh A.R., Singh S.A. (2003), Preface, Towards a suicide free society: identify suicide prevention as public health policy, Mens Sana Monographs, II:2, p0, 1,[cited 2011 Mar 7]
- ^ [http://www.indianjpsychiatry.org/text.asp?2007/49/2/81/33252 Vijaykumar L. (2007), Suicide and its prevention: The urgent need in India, Indian J Psychiatry;49:81-84, serial online, cited 2011 Mar 7
- ^ a b Polgreen, Lydia (March 30, 2010). "Suicides, Some for Separatist Cause, Jolt India". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Attention: This template ({{cite doi}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60606-0, please use {{cite journal}} (if it was published in a bona fide academic journal, otherwise {{cite report}} with
|doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60606-0instead. - ^ Vijaykumar L. (2007), Suicide and its prevention: The urgent need in India, Indian J Psychiatry;49:81-84, serial online, cited 2011 Mar 7
- ^ Accidental Deaths and suicides in India. National Crime Records Bureau. Ministry of Home Affairs. Government of India: 2005
- ^ World Health Organization, (2001), World Health Report. Mental Health - New Understanding - New Hope. WHO: Geneva.
- ^ Gururaj G, Isaac M, Subhakrishna DK, Ranjani R., (2004), Risk factors for completed suicides: A case-control study from Bangalore, India, Inj Control Saf Promot, 11:183-91.
- ^ Deshpande, R S (2009), Agrarian Transition and Farmers’ Distress in Karnataka. In D. Narasimha Reddy and Srijit Mishra (eds.) ‘Agrarian Crisis in India’. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, New Delhi.
- ^ Accidental Deaths and suicides in India, (2005), National Crime Records Bureau. Ministry of Home Affairs. Government of India
- ^ Singh A.R., Singh S.A. (2003), Towards a suicide free society: identify suicide prevention as public health policy, Mens Sana Monographs, II:2, p3-16. [cited 2011 Mar 7]
- ^ Deshpande, R S (2002), Suicide by Farmers in Karnataka: Agrarian Distress and Possible Alleviatory Steps, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 37 No 25, pp2601-10
External links
- Singh A.R., Singh S.A. (2003), Towards a suicide free society: identify suicide prevention as public health policy, Mens Sana Monographs, II:2, p3-16.
- Vijaykumar L. (2007), Suicide and its prevention: The urgent need in India, Indian J Psychiatry;49:81-84.