Prevention of Suicides

Introduction
• act of intentionally causing one’s own death.

• act of cowardice

• lack of security; absence of loved ones

• break-up of joint family system & work pressures

 Definition of Suicide
The Government of India classifies a death as suicide if it
meets the following three criteria:

(i) it is an unnatural death,

(ii) the intent to die originated within the person,
(iii) there is a reason for the person to end his or
her life. The reason may have been specified in a
suicide note or unspecified.

If one of these criterion is not met, the death may be

classified as death because of illness, murder or in another
statistical category.
 Suicide Data

http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/suicideprevent/en/
 Some Statistics
• Every hour, one student commits suicide in India, according
to 2015 data (the latest available) from the National Crime
Records Bureau (NCRB).
• In 2015, the number of student suicides stood at 8,934.
• India has one of the world’s highest suicide rates for youth
aged 15 to 29, according to a 2012 Lancet report.
• In 2015, Maharashtra reported most student suicides of
any state: 1,230 of 8,934 (14%) nationwide, followed by
Tamil Nadu (955) and Chhattisgarh (625).
Some Statistics
 Suicide – Cases
• Hunger strike –protesting persecution

• Battle or resistance –suicide pilots – suicide

bombers.

• Preserving the honour of a dishonoured

person (killing oneself to preserve the honour
or safety of family members)
 Suicide in India

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_India
 Causes of suicide in India
India has one of the world’s
highest suicide rates for
youth aged 15 to 29,
according to a 2012 Lancet
report

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_India
 Common Expressions
 Can’t stop the pain.
 Can’t think clearly-can’t get control.
 Can’t make decisions.
 Can’t see any way out.
 Can’t sleep, eat or work.
 Can’t get out of depression.
 Can’t make the sadness go away.
 Can’t see a future without pain.
 Can’t see themselves as worthwhile.
 Can’t get someone’s attention.
 Self-mutilation
• deliberately hurting oneself w/o meaning to
cause one’s death.

• cutting any part of the body, usually of the

wrists.

• self-tattooing, self-burning, head banging,

pinching, and scratching
 Multiple Causes
1) death of a loved one
2) a divorce
3) losing custody of a child
4) a terminal/serious illness
5) A serious accident
6) Intense emotional pain
7) Loss of hope
8) Being victimized
9) physical/verbal/sexual
10) Feeling trapped/feeling hopeless
11) humiliated/failure
12) alcohol/drug abuse
13) Not accepted by family/society/friends
14) Low self-esteem
15) Bullying
16) Feeling “trapped”
 Effects of suicide
• On friends and family members –perhaps
feeling that the suicide may have been
prevented –
• Emotional pain, sadness, anger, helplessness
• Isolation, emptiness, avoiding doing things that
bring back memories of the departed, new or
worsened sleep problems, and having no
interest in activities that the sufferer used to
enjoy.
 Warning signs
• buying instruments of suicide

• making a will

• getting his or her affairs in order

• sudden decline or an improvement in the mood

• suicide note
 Warning signs
• Severe anxiety or depression – moderate alcohol abuse,
insomnia, and severe agitation, loss of interest in
activities, hopelessness, and persistent thoughts about
the possibility of something bad happening.
• Since suicidal behaviours are often quite impulsive,
removing guns, medications, knives and other
instruments people often use to kill themselves from the
immediate environment can allow the individual time to
think more clearly and perhaps choose a more rational
way of coping with their pain.
 TREATMENT OF SUICIDAL TENDENCY

• Good social support, have a history of being hopeful and

have a desire to resolve conflicts –only a brief crisis-
oriented intervention.

• Those who have made previous suicide attempts, have

shown a high degree of intent to kill themselves, seem to
be suffering from either depression or other mental illness,
abusing alcohol or drugs, have trouble controlling their
impulses, or have families who are unwilling to commit to
counselling are at higher risk and may need psychiatric
hospitalization and long-term outpatient mental-health
services to achieve recovery from their suicidal thoughts or
actions.
 How To Help
 Be direct. Talk openly.
 Be willing to listen.
 Allow expressions of feelings and accept the feelings.
 Be non-judgmental. Don’t lecture on the value of
life.
 Get involved.
 Become available.
 Don’t dare him/her to do it.
 How To Help
 Don’t act shocked. This will put distance between you.
 Offer hope that alternatives are available but do not
offer glib reassurance.
 Take action - Remove such as guns or stockpiled pills.
 Get help from persons or agencies specializing in crisis
intervention and suicide prevention.
 What Can We Do in College?
 Campuses that provide accessible resources or
student services for academic assistance can
help to reduce these feelings of failure or
alienation.
 Students need to know where and from whom
help is available.
 What Can We Do? Contd...
 Campus personnel who are close to the
students, such as student
advisors/proctors, faculty, and coaches,
need to be informed about what to look
for, as well as how to advise students on
where to go for help.
 Suicide prevention
• Comprehensive plan initiated even before getting discharged from the
hospital –since patient compliance can be low after discharge.

• Sharps removed from the immediate vicinity of the person who has recently
attempted suicide – for e.g., a razor blade may be handed over by the para-
medic a little later (perhaps after the “head has cleared a little”).

• Vigorous treatment; trying to talk to the person (to find out about the
possibility of that person attempting suicide again).

• Talk therapy (psychotherapy), cognitive behavioral therapy .

• School intervention programs –risk factors, symptoms and ways to manage

suicidal thinking.

• Concerns about antidepressants increasing the risk of suicide warrants a

close monitoring of such individuals by registered, qualified and trained
medical practitioners.
 COPING WITH SUICIDAL THOUGHTS
• Silence is the enemy

• Emergency numbers to be kept ready (doctor,

advisor; suicide hotline or ER or mental-
health crisis center); no knives or guns to be
made accessible, stress-relieving activities,
getting together to prevent isolation, writing
down feelings, including positive ones, and
avoiding the use of alcohol or other drugs.