Why does suicide intrigue so many young people?

At the time of writing this article, some words from Salvador Dali were hovering in my mind: “I really love life.” Why? “There’s everything in my life that I dreamed of one day.”

Yes indeed! When there is nothing left to get in life; or life deprives one terribly; or a great deal of refusal to life emerges out of frustration etc.; thus life is no longer a bed of roses for one, rather it becomes a thorn. So ultimately he/she falls on the thorns of life and bleeds. And one gradually develops a tendency to say: ‘I don’t want this transitory life’.

Yes, whether a person’s frustration develops for a big or a trivial reason, he/she cannot suppress that particular emotion sometimes. And then he/she plans to commit ‘suicide’. The cause of suicide seems very trivial to us, but that trivial reason becomes a much bigger ground for that specific person in a particular moment.

Let’s try to discover why young people’s minds are more inclined to suicide.

Suicide is death caused by injuring oneself with an intention or wish to die. A suicide attempt is when someone injures themselves with any intent to end their life. It is said that suicide is a work done from an unusual thought of the psyche. It is a serious public health problem.

According to the World Health Organization, 800,000 people commit suicide worldwide each year and there are many more people who attempt suicide. Suicide occurs throughout the lifespan and is the fourth leading cause of death among 15-29 year-olds globally. 2,191 people commit suicide every day while 16 people per lac.

 Experts say that in most cases depressed young men and women take their own lives. Suicide can be seen among elderly people as well. In Japan, for example, suicide rates are higher among the elderly. According to WHO, suicide does not just occur in high-income countries, rather it is a global phenomenon. Over 77 per cent of global suicides occurred in low- and middle-income countries in 2019. The Scandinavian region, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, eastern European countries, and Japan have the highest suicide rates (over twenty-five per lac). In the last 50 years, suicide rates around the world, mainly in developing countries, have increased by 60 per cent.

 Of the people who die by committing suicide around the world, 2.06 per cent are Bangladeshis. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), more than 10,000 people committed suicide across the country in 2019. On average, 35 people die every day. At present, 8.5 people commit suicide per lac. In the first year of the pandemic, suicide surged by 17.36 percent. The tendency of suicide was higher among women during that time.

A study by a social and voluntary organization called the Anchal Foundation reveals some terrible facts and figures. The report, based on information collected from three national dailies, 19 regional newspapers, hospitals, and police stations, says: Between 8 March 2020 and 28 February 2021, 14,436 men and women committed suicide. Out of these suicides, 8,228 cases of female and 6,208 cases of male suicide are recorded. It is noted here that during this time, 8,462 people lost their lives to the coronavirus. In 2021,101 students from different universities in the country committed suicide.

According to the Bangladesh Police Headquarters, on average 10,000 people commit suicide in Bangladesh every year by hanging and consuming poison. According to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) data, from April 2020 to September 31, 2021, 2,166 suicide cases have been filed in Dhaka city alone.

Of these, 49 per cent are between the ages of 20 and 35, 35 per cent are between the ages of 5 and 19, and 11 per cent are between the ages of 36 and 45. The lowest suicide victims are 5 per cent between the ages of 46 and 80 years.

According to psychologists, people can’t bridle their emotions at a particular moment when they are depressed. He/she then feels alone and picks the path of suicide. Mental health expert Azharul Islam says, “People commit suicide mainly out of despair. They can’t free themselves from anxiety.” No matter how trivial the causes of suicide may be, it becomes a big issue for a suicidal person.

Experts also opine that suicides are on the rise due to family complications, deteriorating relationships, depression with studies, frustration with life, financial crisis, poverty, etc., and the irony is that the family, society, and the state have not taken effective measures to remove the ‘suicide contagion’. 

According to the Institute of Pathology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), several studies conducted in Bangladesh during the Covid period show that 46 per cent of the people had symptoms of depression and 33 per cent had symptoms of anxiety.

Associate Professor at the National Institute of Mental Health Dr. Helal Uddin Ahmed says in an interview with the Deutsche Welle Bangla, “It is the result of profound depression from loneliness.”

Sociologist Prof. Dr. Nehal Karim believes that the tendency of suicide is on the increase due to depression created by financial and social inequality. Apart from this, people are also going to commit suicide for personal and family reasons. “When someone feels unnecessary, life becomes pointless to him and subsequently he steps forward to a morbid action.”

Tansen, the head of the Anchal Foundation, opines that there are many reasons behind these suicides, including family problems, frustrations, complications with relationships, loneliness in city life, uncertainty in careers, and financial problems.

Dr. Mohit Kamal, a former Director of the National Institute of Mental Health and a psychiatrist as well says, “If a student wants to commit suicide; if he is depressed, he has to be given mental support. Counseling should be imparted to them by the respective educational institutions. If you don’t do it, then suicide will be considered a deliberate killing or murder. And this murder will be termed as ‘institutionally persuaded suicide’”.

Director of the Non-Communicable Disease Control (NCDC), Prof. Dr. Robed Amin says, “An action plan has been taken to address suicide as a psychological problem in Bangladesh. It’s almost in the final stages of approval. If it is approved, steps for preventing suicides will be executed.”

None of us want the unnatural death of any person. We all hope for natural death for all. But unnatural deaths or suicides are increasing alarmingly day by day.

After all, people who are inclined to commit suicide, especially the youth, have to be supported mentally and motivated to stay positive. The counselling system in educational institutions should be strengthened.

The writer is a freelance contributor. He can be contacted at rana.edru@gmail.com