Although, officially, the number of suicides in India has come down by thirty percent from 1990 to 2021, the need to address what compels people to take this ultimate step has become even more urgent. It is possible that the rate has come down because certain traditional causes such as depression, extreme hardship, chronic illness, loneliness, old age, a failed love affair, etc., are prevented through lifestyle improvements, social interventions, family support and improved financial conditions. However, a new set of causes has emerged with the increase in addictive practices, heightened expectations, extreme financial emergencies, and emotional imbalance owing to a skewed perspective of life created by lack of connectedness with the everyday world.
The reports that come in every day of parents taking the lives of their children and their own because of financial setbacks, some youngster doing so because use of the smartphone is curtailed, or being denied entry into a preferred course, or the inability to pass an exam, indicate that the level of desperation has gone up manifold in a pattern of life that is intense along a very narrow path, particularly in the towns and cities.
Earlier, with religious beliefs playing a major role in people’s lives, the prohibitions against taking one’s life were very deeply ingrained in the psyche. As such, it functioned as the first safety barrier. Had it not been so, the difficulties faced in earlier times would have taken a much heavier toll. Now, however, this philosophy of life is greatly lacking as education and social life have become more ‘secular’. The culture of immediate gratification has taken a strong hold and even the slightest disappointment makes people lose sight of the larger picture.
Under such circumstances, new ways of social intervention need to be devised so that the problem does not totally get out of hand. Emotional balance must be inculcated from the school level onwards by involving youngsters in yoga, meditation, mindfulness, sports, etc., and training teachers and mentors to recognise red flags that may be evident. Family bonds need to be made stronger, as against the practice of reclusive existence. The quality of mental health professionals has to be improved, particularly in the context of the Indian situation, and their numbers increased. Toxic and addictive content on the internet requires to be curbed if not eliminated altogether. People must learn to be at peace with themselves, even if they are not in a position to be happy.
