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| Growing suicide rate in valley sends alarm bells ringing | | |
SRINAGAR, AUGUST 11: Growing suicide rate among the younger generation has assumed a alarming proportion in the Kashmir valley, in the month of July 2006, twenty cases of suicide came to fore out of which 15 people died, whileas, five others were saved by the timely medical aid. Experts articulate the growing suicide rate to the outshoot of relentless militancy-related incidents in the valley, low tolerance levels mainly among women, failures etc.
According to the statistics available with here, twelve females were among fifteen persons who committed suicide in the month of July. Shahida (name changed), a 21 year-old girl, who witnessed a shootout in her locality in the year 2005, developed post traumatic stress disorders. According to her family members, the young girl was absolutely normal with no history of psychiatric problems. But after that incident, Shahida suffered from stress disorders: recurrent, intrusive, and distressing recollection of the events, marked irritability, outbursts of anger, difficulty in concentrating, sleeplessness, sadness and disinterest in all social, domestic and college activities. After a minor altercation with her parents on July 01, 2006, Shahida entered inside the bathroom and ended her life.
On July04 2006, a girl from Ruhama Tangmarg consumed a poisonous substance, after, her brother was arrested by the security forces. However, timely medical aid prevented what could have been her premature death. Her family members said that since the arrest of her brother she has stopped socializing or playing with friends and has confined herself to her house. She has lost interest in everything. Over these months, she developed neurological problems. Twice in a month, she attempted suicide, her family members said. Doctors attending upon are of the opinion that, she is in a shock.
A large number of people, mostly from villages, don't even reach the hospitals - they die on the way or in local health centers. The hospital records show that survival of people from rural areas is very low, while those, from Srinagar is higher. The main reason obviously, is the lack of medical care and trained staff in rural hospitals and health centers. It takes hours for emergency patients to reach hospitals in Srinagar. Girl students who fail in examinations or don't come up to the expectations of the parents take are more prone to this kind of acts. Young girls, whose love affairs have failed, also resort to suicides. And married women, ill treated by their, in-laws, also take this harsh step.
The incidents of newly married men attempting suicides are also on the rise. The reason articulated by the doctors is impotency. Doctors hold mental trauma due to shock responsible for impotency. Poverty, unemployment and drug addition are other causes of suicide, and the ready availability of organ phosphorous substances in villages makes it easier to attempt the extreme step.
Records reveal that before the outbreak of turmoil in Kashmir, the percentage of people with psychiatric problems was insignificant and suicides were uncommon. But the number has been increasing every year.
Doctors attending suicide cases, says at least two to five new-suicide or para-suicide cases are registered each week in the hospital's Accident and Emergency Department.
According to a survey conducted by one of the prominent medical Professor in the Department of Medicine, SMHS hospital, last year, a random sample of 164 para-suicide cases showed that 114 were females (69.51 per cent) and 50 (30.49 per cent) males. He articulated fear, stress, tension and uncertainty prevailing in the state as main reasons behind the rise in suicides.
Low tolerance levels are a significant factor in this context. Women are more sensitive, and therefore the incidents of suicides among them are much higher than men. Doctors feel that TV channels that beam programs depicting violence, alien cultures and lifestyles also contribute to abnormal behavior in children and teenagers.
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