Page 7 - Suicides

UK government likely to curb Paracetamol sale to reduce suicide cases

According to the report, the strategy highlights that reduction in suicides have stalled since 2018

Afraid of suicides, grandparents on sabbatical shift to Kota with children

From mothers on sabbatical to grandparents and homemakers, many people are choosing to shift to the coaching hub Kota with their children to ensure they are not stressed while preparing for entrance exams and do not take any extreme step. Neeru Devi from Bihar's Sitamarhi has shifted to Kota, the country's coaching hub, at the age of 80 to be with her grandson who is preparing for the IIT entrance exam at an institute here. "We would not have been at peace back home," she said, shedding light on the mounting pressure faced by students preparing for medical and engineering entrance exams here. The year 2023 saw the highest number of student suicides -- 22 so far -- with two ending their lives in a gap of a few hours on August 27. Last year, the figure was 15. Packed schedule, cut-throat competition, constant pressure to do better, the burden of parents' expectations and homesickness, are among the common struggles of the students here. Many parents are now averse to putting their .

LIVE: No body other than Centre can conduct caste census, govt informs SC

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

2 NEET aspirants commit suicide in a day in Rajasthan's Kota, 22 this year

Within four hours, two NEET aspirants allegedly committed suicide in two separate incidents in Rajasthan's Kota on Sunday, taking the total toll to 22 this year, police said. Avishkar Shambaji Kasle (17), jumped from the sixth floor of his coaching institute's building in Jawahar Nagar at around 3.15 pm, minutes after walking out of a room on the third floor of the institute after taking a test, they added. The institute's staff rushed Kasle to a hospital but he succumbed on the way, Vigyan Nagar Circle Officer (CO) Dharmveer Singh said. Four hours after Kasle's death, 18-year-old Adarsh Raj, who was also preparing for the competitive exam, hanged himself in his rented flat in under Kunhadi police station area at around 7 pm, police said. When the teen's sister and cousin brother reached the flat around 7.30, they broke open his room, which was locked from the inside, and found Raj hanging from the ceiling, Circle Officer (Kunhadi) KS Rathore said Raj was reportedly breathing when

Alarming rise in suicides by Indian men between 2014 and 2021: Lancet study

BOYS DON'T CRY: A Lancet study shines a light on male suicide rate in India

LIVE: Wagner chief, who led revolt against Putin, dies in plane crash

Catch all the latest news updates LIVE from across the globe here

Amid rising suicides, NITI Aayog plans healthcare programme for children

The programme, for both government and private schools, will focus on policy interventions for mental health promotion, prevention and interventions to school children

CM Gehlot forms committee after rising suicide cases among students

"I've called a meeting and formed a committee who would submit a report (on students' suicide)," Gehlot said at the launch of Mission-2030

Kota hostels to have device on ceiling fans to stop student suicides

Worried by a spate of suicides by hanging, the authorities in this coaching hub have taken a desperate measure ordering hostels to install a spring device on ceiling fans to stop students from taking their lives. Twenty students preparing for competitive exams in Kota have died by suicide so far this year, authorities say. Last year, the figure was 15. The anti-suicide measure was discussed on August 12 at a meeting between Kota officials and other stakeholders. On Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner O P Bunkar issued the directions, demanding strict compliance. Action will be taken against hostel owners and their managements if the directions on fans are not followed, the administration said. This is how the device works: If an object weighing more than 20 kilos is hung from the fan, the spring attached to it expands, making it impossible for someone to commit suicide by this method. Simultaneously, a siren goes off. Back in 2017, the Kota Hostels Association had discussed the ...

As Kota suicides climb, authorities ask PGs to install spring-loaded fans

Kota student suicide: Authorities added that the hostels and PGs that don't comply with the order would be 'seized and the necessary action taken against the owners'

Supreme Court to hear PIL for setting up of National Commission for Men

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on July 3 a PIL seeking framing of guidelines to deal with suicide by married men subjected to domestic violence and constitution of a 'National Commission for Men' to safeguard their interests. According to the apex court website, a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta has listed the PIL for hearing on Monday. The plea filed by advocate Mahesh Kumar Tiwari has cited the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data published in 2021 on accidental deaths in India which said 1,64,033 people died by suicide across the country that year. Out of these, 81,063 were married men, while 28,680 were married women, the petition said. "Around 33.2 per cent men ended their lives because of family problems and 4.8 per cent due to marriage related issues in the year 2021. In this year total 1,18,979 men have committed suicides which are about (72 per cent) and total 45,026 women have committed suicides which are about 27 per cent," the plea sa

Screen inmates' mental health to prevent in-prison suicides: NHRC

The NHRC has suggested screening inmates' mental health at the time of admission and constant monitoring of at-risk prisoners to bring down instances of suicides among them. The human rights body also recommended improving prison architecture and its environment to mitigate suicide attempts by prisoners in judicial custody. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said it has observed that most of the unnatural deaths of prisoners occur due to suicide. In an advisory issued to the central and state governments and the Union Territories, the NHRC emphasised keeping barracks and toilets, where most suicides take place, free of such objects as can be used for hanging, for instance, iron rods, grills, fans, and hooks. It also suggested encouraging visits by family members of the prisoner and or at least phone talk to keep inmates off the edge. The commission gave the suggestions in a letter which was also sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Bureau of Police Research and Developme

Raj HC takes suo motu cognizance of rising suicides in coaching institutes

The court gave this direction in the matter of taking suo motu cognizance on the incidents of suicide by the students of coaching institutes of Kota

Google's pre-written texts to tackle suicide, aid people to ask for help

Google is also expanding its work with mental health organisations, especially those focused on helping certain populations like children and veterans

Create awareness than ridicule: Cong slams PM Modi over 'suicide note' joke

The Congress on Thursday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a joke made by him involving a suicide note, with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra saying that the PM and those laughing heartily at his joke ought to educate themselves better rather than "ridicule" mental health issues in an "insensitive" manner. Prime Minister Modi, while speaking at a media channel conclave on Wednesday, narrated a joke about a professor reading a suicide note by his daughter and remarking how she had got a spelling wrong despite his efforts for so many years. The joke was made by the prime minister while also remarking that the editor-in-chief of the channel had started speaking well in Hindi. In a tweet in Hindi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said thousands of families lose their children to suicide and "the prime minister should not make fun of them". Tagging the video of Modi's joke at the conclave, Priyanka Gandhi in a tweet said, "Depression and suicide, especially among the youth IS NOT a laughing

The HR ailment of public sector banks

Incidents of suicides highlight the prevalent work culture in PSBs

India punishes those who attempt suicide despite Mental Health Act

Early one Sunday morning, Latha (not her real name) and her husband were woken by police at their door demanding she accompany them to the local station. Having just returned from the hospital where she had received emergency treatment for attempting to poison herself, Latha had been relieved and grateful to finally be back home. But following this police harassment and intrusive questioning by her neighbours, a deep sorrow began to envelop her again. Latha's story is sadly very common in India. In 2021, over 164,000 people were reported to have died by suicide in the country, a 7.2 per cent increase in the number of suicides compared to 2020. Attempted suicide was a punishable offence under Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code until the passing of the Mental Healthcare Act in 2018, which in effect decriminalised suicide by creating a massive exception to Section 309. Section 115 of the act presumes that a person who has attempted suicide is under severe stress. Instead of punishm

Three years into pandemic, Himachal sees 14% decline in suicide cases

The spurt in number of suicides witnessed in the immediate wake of the COVID pandemic due to job loss, poor health, and uncertainty about future, has relented a little, declining by 14 per cent from 889 in 2021 to 758 in 2022. A total of 2,502 persons committed suicide in the past three years between 2020 and 2022 with a majority of them men at 1,710 and the rest 792 women. As per the data procured from the police department, 709 persons committed suicide in 2019 with the number rising to 855 and 889 in 2020 and 2021 respectively during the peak COVID 19 pandemic. According to police, the maximum number of people who committed suicide were labourers (28 per cent) followed by housewives (24 per cent), students (11 per cent), private employees (10 per cent), businessmen and government employees (4 per cent each), farmers (three per cent), and others (16 per cent). The suicide cases were attributed to marriage related issue, financial issues, drug addiction, sickness, unemployment, ..

Farmers committing suicide is not new issue: Maharashtra agri minister

Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Abdul Sattar has said the farmers committing suicide is not a new issue and such incidents had been happening for many years. He was responding to a query by reporters who sought his comment on suicides committed by farmers in his constituency, Sillod, in Aurangabad district recently. "The issue of farmer suicide is not new. Such incidents are happening for many years. I feel suicides by farmers should not take place anywhere in Maharashtra, including my constituency," said Sattar, a member of the Shiv Sena faction headed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. At least two farmers had ended their lives in Sillod during March 3 to 12, police had said. However, sources claimed at least six agriculturists had ended their lives in Aurangabad district in the Marathwada region during the same period, prima facie due to indebtedness. He said a committee has been set up under Agriculture Commissioner to study this issue. Sattar on Sunday inspected losses caused

Feds say cyberattack caused outage of 988 suicide helplines in US

A cyberattack caused a nearly daylong outage of the nation's new 988 mental health helpline late last year, federal officials told The Associated Press on Friday. Lawmakers are now calling for the federal agency that oversees the programme to prevent future attacks. On December 1, the voice calling functionality of the 988 Lifeline was rendered unavailable as a result of a cybersecurity incident, Danielle Bennett, a spokeswoman for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, said in an email. The attack occurred on the network for Intrado, the company that provides telecommunications services for the helpline. The agency did not disclose details about who it believes launched the attack or what kind of cyberattack occurred. Intrado is working with a third-party assessor to investigate the incident and law enforcement agencies have been notified of the breach, SAMHSA said. The national 988 phone number, which can be reached by text, chat or voice calling, has beco