By Dr Sandi Syiem
Every year the 10th of September is commemorated as the World Suicide Prevention Day. The theme this year is “Creating Hope through Action” – to remind the world that YOU are a key player in this effort to reduce the incidence of suicide. Everyone can do their little bit by their actions, which may be as simple as talking to someone who has attempted to or is planning to end their lives. We often are afraid to interact with such a person, not knowing what to say or do. But even the simple act of acknowledging such a person goes a long way in helping this person feel a person again – and relieve some of the unbearable psychological pain from which there is no relief but by taking their own lives.
An attempt to end one’s life is not a coward’s way out as some may point out for it requires a tremendous amount of courage to even contemplate such a step. Any talk of suicide has to be taken seriously and not disparagingly as it usually is.
Every suicide is potentially preventable and we have to note that a suicide does not happen without significant warning signs — like talking of death or suicide, the uselessness of their lives, insurmountable difficulties, hopelessness and uselessness of everything in their lives. They may become calm or even happier than in the recent past or more moody, irritable and reckless.
A rule of thumb is to note with concern any recent change in a person’s talk, behaviour or actions. It is not easy in this day and age for us to be responsible parents, siblings or friends and we have to remember that our brothers and sisters are not only the biological ones but all those who come into contact with us.
In the new normal that is the post-pandemic world mental health issues have lost some of the stigma and are being talked about. We have to continue talking and keeping mental health in our consciousness for us to be able to secure some succour for those suffering from such problems. The one statistic that is important is that every 40 seconds someone in the world has lost their lives to suicide. For every completed suicide there are at least twenty attempts that are not recorded and every completed suicide affects at least thirty people significantly. This translates into significant numbers of mentally affected persons for which the world, especially our country and our state is not equipped to tackle meaningfully.
Traditional wisdom has it that female sex, marriage and religion have a protective influence but recent research show otherwise.
In India In 2021, one woman took her life every 9 minutes out of which more than half were housewives. More females below the age of 18 died by suicide than males of the same age and the leading causes were ascribed to family problems, love affairs and failure in examinations.
A Lancet study of 2018 on this subject opined that the conflict between women’s increasing education and empowerment versus their continuing lower status in Indian society could be a significant reason. Meghalaya too is showing similar trends. In the Western world, more than 90% of suicides are linked to mental illness but in India they are more related to social insecurity – poverty, unemployment and family issues. This is more apparent in younger people who often act impulsively without reasoning out their actions.
In a country where 53% of children surveyed by the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare in 2007 admitted to have been subjected to some form of sexual abuse; through the social insecurities of adolescence and adulthood; to an elderly population steadily rising and subject to innate mental health and socioeconomic pressures and attendant elder abuse, statistics will not be able to reveal the true picture of suicide due to the twin devils of ignorance and its attendant stigmatisation of the suicidal person.
SAN-KER has been at the forefront of the fight against these two evils and this day marks another milestone in SAN-KER’s continuing efforts – we started the day with a cycle rally of 24 km where 73 participants completed the course with the youngest participant being all of 6 years and on an ordinary simple bicycle — not a geared modern contraption. Certificates from the International Association for Suicide Prevention were distributed and the total distance uploaded to their website.
A public awareness programme was held that afternoon where a short talk on suicide and the relevance of commemorating this day was given by Dr S Syiem and Rev VTS Langstieh. Relevant questions and doubts were addressed and clarifications made to the general satisfaction of the audience consisting of high school and professional students and their teachers. A moving dance recital and three heart rending poetry readings were the highlight of the programme. These young people had found expression of their trauma, guilt and shame through their art bringing with it a catharsis of the mind and soul. It was indeed moving and SAN-KER expresses our continued solidarity with those suffering in silence. We encourage others to follow the example of these four and express their psychache (psychological pain) through art or by just talking to someone and that someone is YOU who is reading this.
Remember not to be judgemental and admit your inability to provide professional help. Your ear and presence will go a long way is supporting those who are suffering and enlighten others that suicide is a cry for help and not to be taken lightly.