padmanabha
9th September 2006, 10:37 AM
[tscii:1b0d7f0b9b]“If God exists, then the whole will is His and I can do nothing. If he doesn’t exist, then all will is mine and I must exercise my own will, my free will…the supreme gesture of free will is to kill oneself.”
‘But you are not the only one to kill yourself; there are plenty of suicides.”
“Yes. But they all have a reason. I am the only one to do it without reason, just to establish my free will.”
FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY
(THE POSSESSED)
Kirilov had concluded that God does not exist. Therefore he must die. It did not matter to him when. His anarchist friends insisted he wait until they were through with a few political assassinations, and since it was unimportant to him, take the blame in the suicide note. Kirilov agreed.
Kirilov was a suicide maniac. Ordinary people do not reason like him. Yet they die.
Just a kilometer away from my residence a mother (26) killed her two daughters and committed suicide yesterday.
At Wayanad, one of the northern districts of Kerala, three farmers including a woman committed suicide yesterday.
The reason for the former it is said was about the menu prepared for Onam and the later is debt.
Kerala’s concern
Increasing number of suicides in Kerala is causing great concern. The population of Kerala forms only less than 3% of INDIA’S population but 10.5% of suicides occurring in India happens in Kerala.
The average rate of suicide is four per day. The middle aged commits suicide than the younger ones, while the reverse is true for attempters. The male to female ratio is 3:1 where as in attempt it is 1:4.
Another phenomenon catching attention is family suicide, in which the parents kill the children and commit suicide.
WHY?
While suicide is an individual act, each society has its own characteristic suicide rate. Statistics are not reliable as the method of compilation varies.
The despair related to family life due to severe financial crisis is the root cause. The parents do not want their children to suffer after their death and are afraid of the stigma attached to it. Hence they kill their children.
All suicide research is retrospective-like the post mortem investigation. Poverty, failure in love, incurable disease, sudden financial collapse, can be identified, but social traditions too stand out as causative factors behind several suicides.
In India, inter caste, inter communal marriages evoke so much social castration that the affected people may chose death. The other significant factor is quarrels with spouse /in laws. The method adopted does not leave much a chance of intervention.
Research has suggested that many people contemplating suicide give prior warnings. Whether the attempt results in death depends on a number of factors.
But this cry for help is appearing to assume a very significant position today.
Isolation, broken homes, breaking of moral codes and values, and addictive habits are destroying the immunity against suicide.
The ubiquity of this tendency doesn’t necessarily mean the entire society is mentally sick, waiting for a flame to light the fuse. Instead it suggests the vulnerability of people to stress or to depression.
Why?
The main reason is the breaking up of the joint family system. We have no agony aunt in our houses to share our problems, nor do we want to listen patiently to the problems, and suggesting solutions.
We have a number of suicide prevention cells and other voluntary agencies working round the clock.
They never stop physically someone who sees no other way. But they work to change social altitudes.
Suicide among farmers is very high in Kerala. They decide to take this drastic step to escape form debt.
In the recent Assembly election it was highlighted. When the government changed, the problem remained unsolved.
The increase of dependency on alcohol is another alarming reason for suicide. In Kerala the sale of liquor touched a record sale of 98 crores during Thiruvonam season!
Depression is yet another cause of suicide in Kerala. Mild and moderate problems are enough. Instead of finding a solution for the problem, they decide to escape from it.
Aspirations and needs are very high. Resources are limited. Children are pampered. Most of them are vulnerable to depression.
How and Why?
I think,
Fortunately Kerala has not faced any severe natural calamities. But this has a reverse effect on the people. They are unaware of crisis management. Emotional immunity is absolutely lacking. (Touch wood-I never intend /desire calamities to occur any where in the world-loka samastha sukhina bhavandu)
Kerala is the only state in India where the voluntary agencies come forward to help the parents and the children during the periods of Examination and announcements of results. THE agencies advertise, to avert suicides. They requests children to feel free, and are “a call away.”
Parents want their children to be only doctors and engineers. They ignore the wards interests.
When payments seats are available these uninterested children are forced to learn what the parents want to. They can not score even average marks. So they commit suicide.
The condition of attempted cases is still pathetic. Social stigma is so great that they venture into further attempts.
Role of the media: the print media provide the modus operandi in detail, while the electronic media provide visual support. The media should show some restraint while making these stories sensational.
[/tscii:1b0d7f0b9b]
‘But you are not the only one to kill yourself; there are plenty of suicides.”
“Yes. But they all have a reason. I am the only one to do it without reason, just to establish my free will.”
FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY
(THE POSSESSED)
Kirilov had concluded that God does not exist. Therefore he must die. It did not matter to him when. His anarchist friends insisted he wait until they were through with a few political assassinations, and since it was unimportant to him, take the blame in the suicide note. Kirilov agreed.
Kirilov was a suicide maniac. Ordinary people do not reason like him. Yet they die.
Just a kilometer away from my residence a mother (26) killed her two daughters and committed suicide yesterday.
At Wayanad, one of the northern districts of Kerala, three farmers including a woman committed suicide yesterday.
The reason for the former it is said was about the menu prepared for Onam and the later is debt.
Kerala’s concern
Increasing number of suicides in Kerala is causing great concern. The population of Kerala forms only less than 3% of INDIA’S population but 10.5% of suicides occurring in India happens in Kerala.
The average rate of suicide is four per day. The middle aged commits suicide than the younger ones, while the reverse is true for attempters. The male to female ratio is 3:1 where as in attempt it is 1:4.
Another phenomenon catching attention is family suicide, in which the parents kill the children and commit suicide.
WHY?
While suicide is an individual act, each society has its own characteristic suicide rate. Statistics are not reliable as the method of compilation varies.
The despair related to family life due to severe financial crisis is the root cause. The parents do not want their children to suffer after their death and are afraid of the stigma attached to it. Hence they kill their children.
All suicide research is retrospective-like the post mortem investigation. Poverty, failure in love, incurable disease, sudden financial collapse, can be identified, but social traditions too stand out as causative factors behind several suicides.
In India, inter caste, inter communal marriages evoke so much social castration that the affected people may chose death. The other significant factor is quarrels with spouse /in laws. The method adopted does not leave much a chance of intervention.
Research has suggested that many people contemplating suicide give prior warnings. Whether the attempt results in death depends on a number of factors.
But this cry for help is appearing to assume a very significant position today.
Isolation, broken homes, breaking of moral codes and values, and addictive habits are destroying the immunity against suicide.
The ubiquity of this tendency doesn’t necessarily mean the entire society is mentally sick, waiting for a flame to light the fuse. Instead it suggests the vulnerability of people to stress or to depression.
Why?
The main reason is the breaking up of the joint family system. We have no agony aunt in our houses to share our problems, nor do we want to listen patiently to the problems, and suggesting solutions.
We have a number of suicide prevention cells and other voluntary agencies working round the clock.
They never stop physically someone who sees no other way. But they work to change social altitudes.
Suicide among farmers is very high in Kerala. They decide to take this drastic step to escape form debt.
In the recent Assembly election it was highlighted. When the government changed, the problem remained unsolved.
The increase of dependency on alcohol is another alarming reason for suicide. In Kerala the sale of liquor touched a record sale of 98 crores during Thiruvonam season!
Depression is yet another cause of suicide in Kerala. Mild and moderate problems are enough. Instead of finding a solution for the problem, they decide to escape from it.
Aspirations and needs are very high. Resources are limited. Children are pampered. Most of them are vulnerable to depression.
How and Why?
I think,
Fortunately Kerala has not faced any severe natural calamities. But this has a reverse effect on the people. They are unaware of crisis management. Emotional immunity is absolutely lacking. (Touch wood-I never intend /desire calamities to occur any where in the world-loka samastha sukhina bhavandu)
Kerala is the only state in India where the voluntary agencies come forward to help the parents and the children during the periods of Examination and announcements of results. THE agencies advertise, to avert suicides. They requests children to feel free, and are “a call away.”
Parents want their children to be only doctors and engineers. They ignore the wards interests.
When payments seats are available these uninterested children are forced to learn what the parents want to. They can not score even average marks. So they commit suicide.
The condition of attempted cases is still pathetic. Social stigma is so great that they venture into further attempts.
Role of the media: the print media provide the modus operandi in detail, while the electronic media provide visual support. The media should show some restraint while making these stories sensational.
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