With 13 suicides being reported in 25 days of August, Bistupur-based suicide prevention centre, Jeevan, has sought public’s support to curb the situation. Members of Jeevan, who have been working on educating people, complained that the Government has not done enough for mental wellbeing of people.
However, concerned over the situation, the organisation has decided to raise the frequency of its awareness and has also welcomed suggestions from society and people in general.
The officials informed that there are a total of 80 billboards and signboards of Jeevan across the city. The centre, with 32 volunteers, has already organised sessions on good parenting and awareness sessions among school students but they feel there is more to be done. Officials added that those who wish to contribute with an innovative idea, can email their suggestions to jeevanngo2006@gmail.com.
"With our limited resources, we are doing our best but a lot still needs to be done. In the past 25 days, there have been 13 suicides and the figure will increase further. We are brainstorming on ideas that would let us reach maximum people and we are open to suggestions that can help us reach maximum people," said M. Ram, founder of Jeevan.
The suicide rates in the city have been somewhat consistent with 196 suicides in 2016, 201 in 2017 and 208 in 2018. So far, in 2019, 73 people have committed suicide out of which 13 suicides took place in August.
He said that a number of psychological problems such as depression and anxiety are also becoming common in the age group of 20 to 40 years. The pressure to perform on the professional front, insecure relationships, pressure to meet the increasing expenses of maintaining a hi-fi lifestyle, etc cause a lot of mental turmoil among the young.
‘The mental disorders occur due to a combination of bio-psycho-socio factors. The biological factor, no doubt, is the key factor behind all the psychological diseases and psychological and social factors which are directly related to the lifestyle of person also play a major role in it,” said another expert. He further advised that with a balanced diet, regular physical activities, and some peace of mind, one can surely overcome depression.
“A hectic lifestyle that causes stress plays a major role in responding all the diseases whether it is diabetes or brain stroke. Both mental and physical stress is responsible for the early onset of the diseases. One must consult a psychiatric on time,” noted Ram.