Huge increase recorded in suicide cases this year By S. Raza Hassan
KARACHI: An increase in incidents of suicides was witnessed during the first six months of the current year as compared to the corresponding period of the last year, official statistics show.
According to the data compiled by the capital city police, a rise of well over 100 per cent was witnessed in suicide cases between January 1 and June 30, 2010, with 43 suicide cases being registered by the police during this period.
However, in the corresponding period of 2009 a total of 18 suicide cases were registered by the police.
Similarly, at least 18 cases of attempt to commit suicide were registered during the said period of 2010 while during the corresponding period of the past year 10 cases of attempted suicide were registered by the police, the data shows.
However, experts believe that the real figures would be around two to three times higher.
The data pertaining to suicides was issued by the police after many years. In the past the police used to give less importance to suicide figures.
The most recent and depressing case of suicide, which largely went unnoticed especially in the electronic media, was the suicide of a factory worker who killed his three minor children and wife and later hanged himself on September 17 in a Korangi locality.
The incident was a typical example suicide in which a person disturbed by poor economic conditions decided to end his and dependents’ lives.
The factory worker also left a suicide note which said: “I, Arif, son of Nasir, am killing my children and wife due to poverty and price hike as I am unable to bear their expenses. I apologise to my mother — if possible, please forgive me as I am responsible for this act. Allah Hafiz!”
Atif earned Rs5,000 a month and was paying Rs3,000 house rent while his two children were enrolled in a local school.
The apathy of the government over such issues can be gauged from the fact that no government functionary or politician bothered to even issue a statement expressing sorrow over the tragic incident.
On the other hand, the under-reporting of the suicide was also an issue.
It is evident from the fact that a negligible number of such cases have been treated as suicides at the Civil Hospital Karachi during 2009.
According to statistics, only six cases were treated as suicides, which were predominantly deaths by hanging, at one of the city’s major public sector hospitals.
Similarly, during 2008, only four such cases were taken as suicides at the Civil Hospital, record of the police surgeon office shows.
Causes behind suicides
An assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Dr Haider Ali Naqvi, said that in the present conditions the rising tend of suicides was not surprising.
He said that police estimates were “generally an underestimate”.
The real figures would be two to three times higher and that was because of the reason that suicide was considered a crime punishable under Section 325 (attempt to commit suicide) of the Pakistan Penal Code, he said.
Although convictions were rare, harassment by police and law-enforcement agencies of those who tried to commit suicide was not uncommon, Dr Naqvi added. Therefore, very few cases were registered with the public sector hospitals, he said.
Most cases were reported to private hospitals and labelled as ‘accidents’, he said.
Shedding light on the causes of the increasing cases of suicide, Dr Naqvi said that economic difficulties, social change, turmoil, corruption, rising incidence of mental disorders (depression, drug use, etc), among other things, could be the factors.
He said the vulnerability of people at the poor social stratum to various factors was increasing and they were further slipping down the social ladder and in such severe circumstances suicide was seen as the only option by a depressed person.
“Needless to say that the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer, and there is no sustained effort on the part of the government or non-governmental organisations to address the issue,” Dr Naqvi said.
According to the data compiled by the capital city police, a rise of well over 100 per cent was witnessed in suicide cases between January 1 and June 30, 2010, with 43 suicide cases being registered by the police during this period.
However, in the corresponding period of 2009 a total of 18 suicide cases were registered by the police.
Similarly, at least 18 cases of attempt to commit suicide were registered during the said period of 2010 while during the corresponding period of the past year 10 cases of attempted suicide were registered by the police, the data shows.
However, experts believe that the real figures would be around two to three times higher.
The data pertaining to suicides was issued by the police after many years. In the past the police used to give less importance to suicide figures.
The most recent and depressing case of suicide, which largely went unnoticed especially in the electronic media, was the suicide of a factory worker who killed his three minor children and wife and later hanged himself on September 17 in a Korangi locality.
The incident was a typical example suicide in which a person disturbed by poor economic conditions decided to end his and dependents’ lives.
The factory worker also left a suicide note which said: “I, Arif, son of Nasir, am killing my children and wife due to poverty and price hike as I am unable to bear their expenses. I apologise to my mother — if possible, please forgive me as I am responsible for this act. Allah Hafiz!”
Atif earned Rs5,000 a month and was paying Rs3,000 house rent while his two children were enrolled in a local school.
The apathy of the government over such issues can be gauged from the fact that no government functionary or politician bothered to even issue a statement expressing sorrow over the tragic incident.
On the other hand, the under-reporting of the suicide was also an issue.
It is evident from the fact that a negligible number of such cases have been treated as suicides at the Civil Hospital Karachi during 2009.
According to statistics, only six cases were treated as suicides, which were predominantly deaths by hanging, at one of the city’s major public sector hospitals.
Similarly, during 2008, only four such cases were taken as suicides at the Civil Hospital, record of the police surgeon office shows.
Causes behind suicides
An assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Dr Haider Ali Naqvi, said that in the present conditions the rising tend of suicides was not surprising.
He said that police estimates were “generally an underestimate”.
The real figures would be two to three times higher and that was because of the reason that suicide was considered a crime punishable under Section 325 (attempt to commit suicide) of the Pakistan Penal Code, he said.
Although convictions were rare, harassment by police and law-enforcement agencies of those who tried to commit suicide was not uncommon, Dr Naqvi added. Therefore, very few cases were registered with the public sector hospitals, he said.
Most cases were reported to private hospitals and labelled as ‘accidents’, he said.
Shedding light on the causes of the increasing cases of suicide, Dr Naqvi said that economic difficulties, social change, turmoil, corruption, rising incidence of mental disorders (depression, drug use, etc), among other things, could be the factors.
He said the vulnerability of people at the poor social stratum to various factors was increasing and they were further slipping down the social ladder and in such severe circumstances suicide was seen as the only option by a depressed person.
“Needless to say that the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer, and there is no sustained effort on the part of the government or non-governmental organisations to address the issue,” Dr Naqvi said.
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