Suicides are steadily rising in Pakistan with an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 suicides per year enhancing urgency to raise awareness about the issue, its causes and implications. Pakistan while observing World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10 has also emerged to be a country where mental illnesses are increasingly witnessed even among the most productive age group.
To understand the scope of the problem in Pakistan and to discuss the socio-economic, legal and other aspects of suicide, the Suicide Prevention and Research Interest Group (SPRING) at the University is organising a seminar and workshop on Suicide: Hidden Realities in Pakistan, to be held at the AKU Auditorium on September 30.
Dr Murad Moosa Khan, Chair and Professor, AKU Department of Psychiatry, providing details of his recently conducted study said almost 34 percent of the population, mostly under 30 years of age, suffered from common mental disorders and more than 90 percent of suicides could be linked to depression. International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) has organised the day this year with the theme that more than a million people world-wide die by suicide each year.
"The more depressed you are the more hopeless you become," said Dr Khan adding that suicide attempts that did not succeed have a psychological, social and economic cost. He reiterated that one of the factors in suicide was hopelessness. World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that the cost of attempted suicides, in terms of loss of productivity and health and social care, is billions of dollars per year. These attempts require medical treatment, and in many cases, render the main breadwinners incapable of earning a living, further burdening family income.
"More people kill themselves than die in all wars, terrorist activities and homicides," said Professor Brian Mishara, IASP President. "Many millions more make suicide attempts severe enough to need medical treatment, and over six million people are affected each year by the disastrous impact of the suicide of a close friend or family member," he added.
Globally, WHO estimates that there is one suicide death every two minutes. In Muslim countries, where suicide rates are generally seen to be lower, Pakistan stands as an anomaly. Suicide results from several factors, including mental illness, poverty, substance abuse, social isolation, losses, relationship difficulties and workplace problems.