Suicide prevention needs care, nuance

Suicide prevention needs nuance, careful deliberation and thoughtful understanding of social realities, prejudices, material conditions and economic hurdles, and not kneejerk outrage that seeks to apportion blame and pin it on individuals instead of finding long-term solutions

The shocking death of a 20-year-old actor by suicide has unleashed a wave of unverified propaganda and speculation, led to the arrest of the woman’s 28-year-old former partner on charges of abetment of suicide, and caused renewed conversation on mental health and suicide. There is no doubt that the police investigation must be allowed to reach its logical conclusion, shorn of sensationalism. But the blunt force of law enforcement is a poor deterrent for suicide, depression and mental health problems. Conversations on mental health are in their infancy in India, but governments are realising the importance of investing in the mental well-being of citizens and creating infrastructure that allows people to seek support without feeling stigmatised. The government last month rolled out a national suicide prevention strategy that hopes to establish reliant surveillance mechanisms for suicide prevention, district programmes at the grassroots level and focus on vulnerable groups. But the key will be how it’s implemented, just as the better rollout of guidelines on mental health at work and the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, can also help mitigate this scourge.

Roughly 164,000 people ended their lives in the country last year. The largest chunk among them is low-income individuals, according to data, with groups such as daily wage workers and housewives seen as particularly susceptible to suicide (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Roughly 164,000 people ended their lives in the country last year. The largest chunk among them is low-income individuals, according to data, with groups such as daily wage workers and housewives seen as particularly susceptible to suicide. So, suicide prevention needs nuance, careful deliberation and thoughtful understanding of social realities, prejudices, material conditions and economic hurdles, and not kneejerk outrage that seeks to apportion blame and pin it on individuals, instead of finding long-term solutions.