Suicide: A Leading Cause of Death

Nowadays, we are hearing the news of suicide from time to time whether it is national or international. In this article, I am going to discuss suicide, its potential risk factors, some research findings regarding it, and its possible prevention strategies. 

Suicide

Simply, suicide refers to the ending of your own life due to your own action to die. If someone ends their own life it is called death by suicide. Suicide attempts mean that someone tried to end their life but bot died yet. Suicide is the major cause of death worldwide and becomes a major public health problem globally. 

According to Thapaliya, Sharma & Upadhyaya (2018), suicide is characterized by the higher use of a substance like organophosphate insecticides, larger numbers of married women that have a causative factor such as interpersonal relationship problems and other life events. However, the national police data of completed suicide cases of the recent five years (2010–2015 CE) shows that there is a rising trend of hanging cases in all the development regions of Nepal whereas a slight decrease in the trend of pesticide poisoning.

Although routine national data are not available in Nepal, the available evidence reflects that suicide rates are relatively high. 

Potential Risk Factors of Suicide

The presence of a mental disorder is a known risk factor for suicidal ideation and attempts. The risk of suicide increases by several times when more than one mental disorder is present. Mood disorders, stress, particularly major depression and bipolar disorder, are major causes of suicide attempts. In our practices, the disturbance on interpersonal relationships between husbands, wives, spouses, and beloved once also acts as the root cause of suicide ideation. Stress and depression are also the factors that originate the suicide attempts. Cultural influences, religious sanctions, stigmatization of the mentally ill, political imperatives, and socio-economic factors have also played a significant role. In the context of rural areas, there is a trend of hanging and having a rodenticide causing suicide. 

On the other hand, social media also plays a major role in the ideation of suicide. The media portrayal of suicide has been associated with copycat suicidal acts, particularly if the reported suicide is sensationalized. Additionally, media can be a source of misinformation about suicide also, often giving the impression that it is predominantly caused by immediate stressors (e.g., problems with work, study or relationships) rather than linked to mental illness and/or substance abuse. For these reasons, improving media reporting of suicide has been viewed as an important suicide prevention strategy.

While talking about today’s situation, the suicide rate is high rather than the death rate by Coronavirus. Having food starvation, lack of money, loss in business/investment, high bank loan, frustration, and stress might be the potential cause for suicide ideation.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has already predicted that there will be a rise in the number of mental health problems due to the global pandemic of COVID-19.

Some Research Findings

Over 16000000 people worldwide attempt suicide every year and about 800000 people die by suicide. In 2012, suicide accounted for 1.4% of all deaths worldwide. In Nepal suicide prevalence 8.2/100000 populations. 4500 suicides were reported in 2016. Suicide occurs at all stages of the lifespan. It is the second-leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds globally in 2012. While 75% of global suicides occurred in low- and middle-income countries. (Marahatta, Samual, Sharma, Dixit & Shrestha, 2017)

According to WHO (2019), one person dies every forty seconds due to suicide in the world. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 15-29 years, after road injury. Among teenagers aged 15-19 years, suicide was the second leading cause of death among girls (after maternal conditions) and the third leading cause of death in boys (after road injury and interpersonal violence).

The study conducted among 116 survivors of suicide attempts showed that 87.1% were preceded by at least one psychosocial factor, mainly interpersonal conflicts (72.1%). The most common psychosocial factor was an argument with a spouse leading to impulsive attempts. Among women, the attempts could be temporally correlated with emotional distress after arguments and conflicts with their husbands regarding their alcohol use, domestic violence, or husband’s alleged second marriage. Surprisingly, even trivial arguments regarding day to day affairs with the spouse. (Thapaliya, Gupta, Tiwari, Belbase & Poudyal, 2018) 

According to the data compiled by the Nepal Police, the suicide cases across the country increased by 16 percent in the first month of the lockdown. A total of 482 suicide cases were filed during mid-March to mid-April in police stations across the country against 414 cases for the period between mid-February and mid-March. A total of 875 people have committed suicide during the lockdown period in Nepal. The country has been under lockdown since March 24. According to them The highest number, 742 died by hanging themselves followed by 114 people who committed suicide by consuming poison. The deceased had used burning, stabbing, drowning, jumping from heights as major ways of attempting suicides during the review period.

 What can be done to prevent suicide? 

Most of mental health problems can be solved by talking about it. Suicide is a permanent solution to temporary problems. It can be stopped through the help of a closed one. We should provide an open space to talk about mental health everywhere. The prevention of suicide can be started by recognizing the warning signs and taking them seriously. Almost everyone who attempts suicide has given some clue. So we should not ignore them. We should try to understand their feelings and mood. By connecting and talking to them with him/her, we might prevent their suicidal attempts. We can get more involved in the community, reaching to survivors and breaking the stigmas regarding suicide. 

Training, workshop, and awareness sessions about mental health also can reduce suicidal ideation in an individual. As mental health itself is a sensitive topic, the proper knowledge is necessary while conducting this kind of program. 

The government should also be focused on it. As mental health is one of the important aspects of health, it should be given more priority.

With this regard, the Tribhuwan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) has started an initiative. They have a 24-hour mental health hotline number. You can call them if you have a mental health problem.

{The 24-hour mental health hotline number of TUTH is: 9840021600}

 

References:

Marahatta, K., Samual, R., Sharma, P., Dixit, L., & Shrestha, B.R. (2017). Suicide burden and prevention in Nepal: The need for a national strategy. WHO South East Asia Journal of Public Health, 6 (1), 45-49. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316014722_Suicide_burden_and_prevention_in_Nepal_The_need_for_a_national_strategy

Thapaliya, S., Gupta, A.K., Tiwari, S., Belbase, M., & Poudyal, S., (2018). Pattern of suicide                                      attempts in southern Nepal: A multi-centered retrospective study. An Official Journal of NMC, 3 (1), 41-47. Retrieved from https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/medphoenix/article/view/20761

 Thapaliya, S., Sharma, P., & Upadhyaya, K. (2018). Suicide and self harm in Nepal: A scoping      of Psychiatry, 32, 20-26. Retrieved from http://www.cmcnepal.org.np/wp-                        t/uploads/2017/12/1-s20-S1876201817302885-main.pdf