4 out of 10 women dying from suicide in the world are Indians
Suicide is the leading cause of death in the 15 to 39-year age group in India, particularly women, says a study. Women account for around 37 per cent of the total global suicide deaths in the world, which means four in every 10 women who commit suicide across the world are from India. The Global Burden of Disease Study 1990-2016 published in the Lancet Public Health journal also found that suicide death rates (SDR) among men are high in India. In 2016, the country accounted for 24 per cent of the total suicide deaths among men in the world. Women make more suicide attempts, but it is men who die more,” Professor Rakhi Dandona from Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and lead author of the study, said. Worldwide, the age between 15-19 years is the phase where the majority of the women commit suicide, found the study. Between 1990 and 2016, there was an increase of 40 per cent in the number of suicide deaths, with an estimated 2,30,314 deaths in 2016 indicating that ‘disproportionately high suicide deaths in India are a public health crisis’, Professor Rakhi Dandona said. “Having said that, the suicide death rate (SDR) has reduced by 15 per cent from 1990 to 2016,” she added. The suicide death rate for women in India is 15 per one lakh women - double that of the global suicide rate for women in 2016 - which is 7 per one lakh women. The report also showed that suicide deaths are high among married women. Marriage is known to be less protective against suicide for women because of arranged and early marriage, young motherhood, low social status, domestic violence, and economic dependence, the study noted. While the study observed that young men are a vulnerable group, and marriage does not seem to be a protective factor for them either. Personal and social reasons, financial problems, poor health are considered major reasons for suicide in India. “With their increasing proportion in the population, the reasons for suicide and mental health issues in the elderly need to be explored urgently within the National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly in India to address the increasing suicide deaths in this age group,” Dandona added. -PTC News
