Suicide crisis

In 2019, the Faisalabad district showed a record increase in suicide rates. Reportedly, 3,010 people were saved through first aid treatment while 262 people successfully took their lives during the year, mostly by consuming poisonous substance such as pesticides or acid. The situation is quite alarming and has turned into a crisis as an average of 320 people were rushed to the hospital each month during the first half of the year. Even though the situation is much dire in Faisalabad, it persists throughout many different regions across the country.

Many claim that the reason for the rise in suicide is due to the deplorable condition and lifestyle that the people live in owing to financial problems, marital issues and domestic disputes. However, one cannot eliminate psychological factors, as the world, especially underdeveloped and developing countries, are seeing a surge in mental illnesses. Hospitals and healthcare facilities are doing a commendable job in trying to save the lives of those that no longer find a reason to live, but for how long? The solution is not to save the people who have already tried to take their lives but prevent it from happening in the first place. The local and provincial government need to step up and acknowledge the crisis in order to take preventive measures, especially against the sale and purchase of poisonous medicines.

Psychological and trauma centers need to be established either as individual institutions or within existing hospital and healthcare centers for frequent psychiatric evaluation and therapy in a way that is affordable and accessible to the masses. Suicide prevention campaigns should be held frequently to try and tackle the stigma around mental illness. It is ok to seek help. Families need to be made more aware of the signs and symptoms of mental illness and how to react in such situations rather than brushing it off as something insignificant. The situation can only be tackled through collective help and all stakeholders need to work together to try and eradicate the problem.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2020.

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