No Better Time Than Now

Suicide. Some fear it. Some joke about it. Some fantasise about it. Suicide, as some people believe is a way out of the pain. It is often intertwined with emotions like hopelessness, depression and intense sadness.

India is no stranger to the suicide squad. WHO even goes as far as to say we have the highest rate in Southeast Asia. Students have it the worst, as the maximum amount of deaths occur within the 15-29 age range. That being said, there is no demographic that is immune to this. Women and men in India are reported to have almost identical rates, which illustrates that suicide is not gender-biased.

Though the very act of taking one’s own life is an individual activity, the fuel to the fire is the environment around the person. We see this from the Government-published statistics of 2014, as family-related problems take the lead (identified) cause amongst those who committed suicide. The second highest cause of suicide is an illness. This further draws the attention to the desperate need for attention towards the mental illness in India.

September is suicide prevention month. To those of you that contemplate suicide or look towards it as the solution to the pain and anguish in your life, you know as well as everyone else that it isn’t the answer. Everything that happens in one’s life is temporary, be it the good or the bad. There is no one emotion nor the intensity of an emotion that will stay forever. Emotions come and go and though they have a crippling effect sometimes, it is worth talking to someone about it. Someone is always listening. If it’s not someone you know or dear to, it’s the suicide helplines. If it’s not the helplines, it’s us.

In light of Suicide Prevention Month, it’s an honour to shine the spotlight on some sources that raise awareness in the right way. Here are three organisations that have substantial content:

1. NAMI; National Alliance on Mental Health

2. WHO; World Health Organisation

3. AASRA; an Indian NGO committed to Suicide Prevention

It is imperative to note that COVID not only affects the body but also the mind. The act of physical distancing means a relatively larger population has not been in touch with their dear ones or has caused massive mental distress, which may have the ability to trigger darker thoughts. These darker thoughts create darker emotions and these emotions are the catalyst to acts that may harm oneself in any way. There have been reports of increased suicide rates during the lockdown period, as published by the Economic Times. Self-isolation and exposure to disturbing news constantly for a prolonged time takes its toll on the mind and it is crucial for us to

There has not been a more urgent time to unite. It is time for us to de-stigmatise, one word at a time. The numbers speak louder than the millions of opinions, and the more we stick to the valid numbers, the more we are liberated by the shackles that taboo has locked us up in. The time is now.

A Cauldron of Thoughts by Dhruv Aditya Damodhar