Alarming rise in suicides in Pakistan

Letter April 29, 2017
Our government should arrange seminars and awareness programmes to educate people on how to cope with this

KARACHI: In Pakistan, suicide has been a long-term social issue, which has always been neglected due to cultural and religious aspects of our society. Most of the cases are unreported because of the stigma attached to it and in general, to mental disorders.

An unofficial survey conducted over a period of two years, reported over 300 suicidal deaths in Pakistan from 35 different cities. The findings showed that men outnumber women by 2:1 and that the majority of men who commit suicide tend to be unmarried; the trend for women, however, is the opposite. Research also indicated that the majority of the subjects were under the age of 30 and that “domestic problems” are the main reason stated for suicide. Others include unemployment, health issues, poverty, homelessness, family disputes, depression and a range of social pressures. Hanging, use of insecticides and firearms are the most common methods for carrying out suicides in Pakistan.

Our government should arrange seminars and awareness programmes to educate people on how to cope with temporary problems and to be aware of mental disorders that lead to suicide.

Andrew John

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29th, 2017.

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