Increasing Suicide Rate Among Indian Women Sparks Alarm

Married Women
Image used for representation only.

Suicide rates in India are already high and adding up to that a study conducted by Lancet Public Health Journal states that 37 per cent of women committing suicide in the world are Indians.

The study found that India’s rate in global suicide deaths increased from 25.3 per cent in 1990 contribution to 36.6 per cent in 2016 among women, but at the same time, the age-standardised suicide death rate (SDR) among women in India reduced by 26.7 per cent from 20 per 1 lakh population in 1990 to 14.7 per 1 lakh population in 2016.

It further states that four out of 10 women who commit suicide are from India and in which most of them are under 40.

According to Rakhi Dandona, one of the lead authors of the study and a professor at Public Health Foundation of India, the worse part is that married women account for the highest proportions of suicide deaths in India.

There are various reasons for the cause of suicide for women in India like arranged and early marriage, young motherhood, low social status, domestic violence and economic dependence.

Rakhi Dandona further added that, “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.”

Pune365 spoke to citizens and experts to gauge their views on the increasing rate of suicides in India.

Shraddha Dhopatkar, Counsellor, says, “Most of the suicides are associated with mental health issues. There is a dire need for the country to eradicate mental health and also plan a suicide prevention strategy.

“Depression can be tackled in numerous ways because of which many suicides can be prevented. But sadly in India, mental disorder is conveniently termed as madness.

“A person having suicidal tendency will never seek for help, therefore keep a close eye on your closed ones and seek for professional help if you find a difference in their behaviour.

“Some suicidal signs are constant talks about ending life, end of social Life, reckless behaviour, insomnia and so on.”

Therefore, care enough to ask often, keep probing them, be with them always. Depression is a phase of life but if not handle properly may have negative impacts on Life, Shraddha added.

India has always been in the bad books for women. However, the cause behind the increasing suicide in married women is dowry. The suicides are going to increase in India, because we don’t have a powerful law to stop dowry harassment and until this does not change the rate is going to keep increasing, says Anita Solanki, Teacher.

A newly married woman, Gauri, says, “Marriage has changed my life completely. There are so many added responsibilities in your daily life that makes it stressful.

“Many women even in metro cities are harassed for one thing or the other, the expectations from the married women are unending and technically it is impossible to deal with so much of physical and mental abuse.”

The only way to stop the suicide rates in India is by educating people that women are not a commodity and should not be taken for granted, Gauri added.

Ankita Malekar