Kerala sheds tag as ‘suicide capital’

KOZHIKODE: What could be the best news that the State could get, when it observed World Suicide Prevention Day on Thursday while spreading the message of the World Health Organization ‘Reaching out and saving out’? That there is a decline in its suicides rates.

The State which was so far carrying the tag of the capital city for suicides has now come down from this position, as the study by the Kerala State Mental Health Authority proves that there is a decline in the number of suicides in Kerala.

Thanks to the numerous awareness programmes and formation of suicide prevention centers like the one running in Kozhikode- Thanal suicide Prevention center, which has been working actively to make people aware about the importance of one’s life.

Unfortunately, if a decade ago suicide rates were more among the people above the age group of 40, now its youngsters between the age group of 20 to 30, of which a majority of them are young spouses.

Talking about the current scenario of suicide rates in Kerala, Dr PN Suresh Kumar, the former director of Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience (IMHANS) and present secretary of Thanal said, “It is a known fact that our State was once ranked as the highest in suicide rates in the country, but efforts to bring down suicides in Kerala seem to be paying off, with this decline in the rate”.

The rates have reduced from 30.8/ lakh to 20.1/lakh during the period from 2003 to 2013, which was a good sign, he said.  

Family stability and marital stress like adjustment problems with the spouse and other family members, stigma of separation and financial constraints are considered as some of the major reasons for suicides among the young.  

“It’s clear that responsible, caring adults need to be aware of and informed about this disturbing aspect of contemporary youth culture. The time has come to think carefully and systematically about what we can do as a society to turn back the tide of self-destructive behavior”, Dr Suresh explained.