Let's Talk About Suicides, Society, and Accountability

A mental health expert unpacks the social burden of suicides.

SuicideIndia has a lot of NGOs and organisations that have suicide helplines.

(Photo: iStock)

(Trigger warning: this story discusses themes of suicide.

If you feel suicidal or know someone in distress, please reach out to them with kindness and call these numbers of local emergency services, helplines, and mental health NGOs If you or anyone you know )

Sunita looked back at her life. Dreams, aspirations, career goals, travel to a metropolitan to make everything possible. She loves theatres and chose acting over studies as a career. The everyday glamour of the silver screen mesmerized her.

And now? A couple of years into the profession, she couldn’t connect reality to her dream-world. It was all so, so very different.

Struggling to get noticed, career demands, lack of sleep, peer pressure, ethical dilemmas, distance from family and constant struggling to “look attractive” in her roles – was getting too much.

She hated her life, waiting this all to end.

Imran was a fantastic painter. He loved music and wanted to pursue higher studies in Arts. Forced and literally blackmailed into Medical studies by his parents – he kept pondering about the fees that got him the seat.

He never even wanted to become a doctor!

He missed his flute, his games and his canvas. As years passed, the tough demands of medical education strangled him along with pressure for higher grades.

He wished for a 'silent end' to all of these!

Realising one needs help, and willing to reach out can sometimes feel very difficult a task. 

(Photos: iStock)

Do the Stories of Sunita and Imran Sound Familiar?

They are far from fiction, a reality embedded in our daily lives. The recent chain of alleged suicides among young aspiring models has generated buzz among public, media and health professionals alike – but to what cause?

Are we really willing to change our outlook and drop our stigma?

It’s high time we STOP making an invariable assumption that every suicide is linked to mental health or depression.

Social, cultural, and environmental factors play an equal role in suicides, especially in impulsive deaths. We see ‘desperate dream chasing’ and ‘reality-expectation’ mismatch in Sunita while Imran became a victim of unrealistic parental expectation and social pressure.

There are several other factors that can lead a person to end his/her life. Farmer suicides, student suicides, child and elder abuse, intimate partner violence, drug addiction, casteism, racism, discrimination, marriage against will, loneliness, isolation, unemployment and debts are all such social contributors.

While depression is a severe mental illness that carries a high risk for suicide – NOT every individual who has died by suicide needs to be 'mentally ill'!

Social, cultural, and environmental factors play an equal role in suicides, especially in impulsive deaths.

A suicide can have more reasons than a 'mental illness'. 

(Photo: Stock)

We see ‘desperate dream chasing’ and ‘reality-expectation’ mismatch in Sunita while Imran became a victim of unrealistic parental expectation and social pressure.

There are several other factors that can lead a person to end his/her life.

Farmer suicides, student suicides, child and elder abuse, intimate partner violence, drug addiction, casteism, racism, discrimination, marriage against will, loneliness, isolation, unemployment and debts are all such social contributors.

According to The World Health Organization, in India, suicide is an emerging and serious public health issue.

Further, suicide is highly under-reported. The only official data source is the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

Based on the Global Burden of Disease Data, for every 100 deaths by suicide in India only 63 get reported through the NCRB.

While the mental disorders as causative factors are highlighted, the social causes are often under-rated.

After the recent events in this state, many of my media colleagues have asked me “why this profession”? Why are young actors and models easier victims of suicide?

Well, it’s not exactly so!

Suicides among medical students, IT professionals, and engineering graduates are all on the rise. Each profession has its own stressors.

The life of a famous actor has its own stressors, and while not visible to the public eye,can be extremely toxic too. 

(Photo: iStock)

However possibly the trigger factor in film industry is the one-sided glamorous portrayal of celebrityhood that acts like opium for masses.

We hardly see the struggling life of an established actor/actress, what they had to endure or how they established themselves in the industry.

We are enthralled by the “end product” – that is worshipped and idealized by millions like Sunita.

While the dreams are crowded in false hopes, the path of struggle that leads to the dream is often unaccounted for.

This leads to sudden change in lifestyle, problems in coping and psychological shock that creates the “reality-expectation mismatch”, eventually frustrating a person to end his/her life.

Domino Effect

A 'reality-expectation mismatch can cause frustration and confusion, accompanied by more negative feelings. 

(Photos: iStock)

There is the “Domino effect” as well.

Death due to suicide in an individual can trigger or motivate another person in similar profile (usually related to the former person) to end their lives. This social modelling can also happen through media portrayals (Werther effect), especially when suicides are sensationalized.

On the other hand, discussing optimistic narratives of recovery in media and turning around in once-suicidal individuals can have positive effects and aid in suicide prevention. Known as Papageno effect, this is unfortunately not the norm in most cases.

We cannot blame media alone.

There is not just one stakeholder here.

It’s a collective responsibility especially with a good understanding between mental health professionals, journalists and policy makers.

Media reporting of suicides can be improved by adhering to the Press Council of India (2019) and the WHO/IASP guidelines (2018).

Suicide prevention helplines (KIRAN by the MoHFw, GOI and the Indian Psychiatric Society 1800-5320-807, 8pm to 2am) and stories of recovery should come to the forefront.

The yellow ribbon: symboilising suicide awareness. 

(Photo: iStock)

Psychological and social wellbeing is not synonymous with mental disorders.

People can be under distress, contemplate ending their lives and need help even without being diagnosed to have depression, anxiety or schizophrenia.

Early identification of individuals at risk and encouraging them to seek professional help, free from stigma are the key factors for suicide prevention.

In addition, the social dimensions discussed above need addressal. It has been research proven that restricting access to pesticides, sex education to prevent domestic violence, prevention of abuse in children and seniors as well as fostering healthy family communication can prevent suicides.

In high-risk professions, periodic monitoring and counseling of vulnerable individuals are necessary.

It’s Time to ACT now!

(Dr Debanjan Banerjee is a psychiatrist with NIMHANS, and Life Fellow, World Association of Mental Health)