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Is suicide the only solution?

At present, suicide has become a hotly debated topic in the global society. Because of this, discussing this topic only on September 10th as it is the suicide prevention date is a meaningless situation.When there is a problem, instead of finding a solution, it is a great weakness of people to provide quick and temporary solutions. Here, as a result of this weakness, it can be seen that people often turn to suicide to escape from the problems that arise.

The constant focus is to prevent this scourge, either regionally or within states. The World Health Organization has indicated that a person commits suicide every 40 seconds in the world. Young children between the ages of fifteen and nineteen are more likely to commit suicide. Regarding suicide, more than 90,000 people have tried to commit suicide in 2022. At the same time, it can be pointed out that the rate of suicides higher in developing and underdeveloped countries compared to develop countries and it is about 77% ( WHO,2021).

Sri Lanka was one of the countries with the highest suicide rate in the world. Data shows that 574 women and 2833 men have committed suicide in 2022 and one suicide occurs every four hours in Sri Lanka(ColomboXnews,2023). Ms. Anusha Edirisinghe, a senior lecturer at the University of Kelaniya, stated that family crisis is one of the main reasons for suicide in Sri Lanka.”

Major factors leading to suicide

Economic crises, alcohol and drug use, mental health deterioration, excessive duties and educational pressure, conflicts and uneducated can be pointed out as the main factors affecting suicide. Whatever the reason may be, directly or indirectly, the reason leads to stress and thereby increases the need for committing suicide. According to a research report, the suicide rate is at most 75% due to the severity of poverty in low and middle-income countries(Poverty and suicide research in low- and middle-income countries: Systematic mapping of literature published in English and a proposed research agenda. (2016). PubMed Central (PMC)). Thus, the factors that block the ways of improving life such as poverty have become the ultimate reasons for reducing the life span of human lives.

Effected People

People who are more likely to commit suicide include people who are mentally abused, people who abuse alcohol and drugs, parties who cause and intervene in conflicts, people in the LGBT community, people living in isolation, prisoners, previous suicides. It can indicate people who have attempted to take, people who are very mentally disturbed, people who have personal family disputes.

Actions that can be taken

Saving people from suicide is not just one person’s job. Society as a whole has the responsibility to identify the people who are suffering from disorders and to save them from that condition. Also, media users have a great responsibility. Suicides are increasing in the country due to reporting of suicide by some media in a very creative way and in such a way that someone is referring to it. Because of this, the individual is responsible for avoiding unnecessary reports and using the media very carefully. People around him can identify that a person is suffering from a certain mental illness. As soon as they can be identified, it is the responsibility of the people to deal with them very well. Also, using words in a way that does not hurt someone else’s feelings, behaving very well when dealing with a person who has suffered a loss or injustice, not having conflicts with people who get angry unnecessarily, and not making fun of a person suffering from mental pressure, etc. By not discriminating against a person, when a person is mentally depressed or suffering from any disease, it is possible to reduce these suicides by referring them to the necessary medical help to get them back in the right direction.

Actions that can be taken

01. If you don’t have someone to talk about your problems, feel free to reach out to relevant voluntary organizations such as Sumithuro.

02. If you think you are suffering from depression, do not be afraid to seek help from a government hospital or a private hospital. Keep in mind that seeing a psychiatrist is not a cure for your condition. It’s the smartest choice of action you can take to protect yourself.

03. Take good care of yourself and your friends around you. Paying attention to their behaviour patterns will be the most valuable action you can take to protect their lives.

04. You are not alone enough to commit suicide. You love yourself. I love you too. So you have no reason to suicide. You must understand that problems come and go just as quickly. So stay until happy comes to you.

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Nelum Sathsarani Rathnayaka

Nelum Sathsarani Rathnayaka

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