Suicide is a social curse that has been haunting Pakistan for years and the number of people ending their own lives is just increasing day by day. All over the world, each year there are nearly 900,000 deaths reported which accounts for more deaths than wars and homicide combined. The numbers of deaths due to suicide are not well recorded for in Pakistan due to restrictions such as social stigmas and legal binding.
An analysis of reports by the forensics have shown that over the span of the past two years, more than 300 deaths by suicide in Pakistan have occurred from 35 different cities. Men outnumber the women by 2:1. Most men who commit suicide are not married while on the other hand most of the women who commit suicide are married.
The world is evolving and so it is getting harder to survive day by day. In this struggle for survival many people do not make it till the end. Studies have shown that the mental state of psychiatric patients in the 1950s is the same as the mental state of teenagers today. There are multiple reasons that lead a man to take his own life out of misery and despair. A person opts for suicide when they find no other way out and think it is the easiest way to end their miserable state.
The most common and popular reason of suicide is poverty. Being a developing country, most of Pakistan’s population lives in poverty and cannot afford to feed themselves or their children. The country is ruled by corrupt government officials with corrupt leadership. The country is in deep debt and its resources are mismanaged. Industries are closing down resulting in an increase in unemployment. The government had failed to provide its people with even the basic necessities of life. The condition of the country has declined so much in recent years that almost 60 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. The people are helpless and are unable to see their starving children and thus opt for death instead.
A major issue that is brushed under the carpet and not discussed in Pakistani society is bullying. With the hardcore way of the how Pakistani children are brought up, a soft hearted, shy or unconfident child is bashed with hate for being too weak. Yaqoob a fourteen year old teenager committed suicide because he was tired of being bullied by his teacher in class. His father considered him weak for not taking the bashing like a man and hence harshly dealt with the kid. He was one of the five teenagers that took their lives in a period of just two weeks.
People as young as twelve years of age have begun committing suicide because of reasons such as relationship problems, academic pressures, parental discord, bullying, use of drugs and identity problems. Many teenagers just face low self-esteem and low self-confidence. Many people link a carefree attitude with teenagers but doctors say that is not the case. Like adults, children and young adults also face depression and extreme emotional distress or disturbances caused by the environment around them.
Use of insecticides, firearms and hanging are the most common methods used by people to commit suicide. With the increasing pressures of the world the average Joe has to face a lot of problems just to survive. Not all of us are strong enough to handle the heat but suicide is not the solution. The government of Pakistan should encourage people to go and take psychiatric health and not tae depression as a taboo. Suicide helplines should be put into effect immediately to counter this growing problem.
