A development practitioner, Omar Hafiz, conducted extensive research in South Kashmir to understand the mental health issues for the Mental Health Organization Healing Kashmir. He visited almost all the hospitals across South Kashmir to gather data and consul medical practitioners.
Besides, he met several groups of individuals (businessman, youth, college dropouts etc.) to understand the problem.
Understanding Suicide
1. During the first quarter of every year, observed less suicidal attempts are observed in South Kashmir; there are many reasons for such minimized rate. Reasons for suicide attempts witnessed majorly among youth and daily wage workers are job unavailability due to climatic conditions, relationship issues, examination results, depression due to excessive intake of drugs are the major reasons.
2. On the onset of second quarter of every year, suicidal rate increases slightly as one more category adds to the victim list. They are businessmen. Reasons: no gains in business, annual audits, workload, loans, relationship issues.
3. Third quarter witnesses the highest rate of suicidal attempts throughout the year as people from every category fall victim during this quarter. Major victims are teens, farmers, businessmen, unemployed youths and in every mentioned category, females are highest in number. There are ample number of reasons responsible like relationship issues, incidental guiltiness, peer pressure, loss in business, unemployment, depression due to profitless production in farming.
4. Fourth quarter witnesses a slight downfall in suicidal attempt rate and victims are youths mostly and newly married females but rarely do we notice elder class victimised during this course of time. The reasons are many like peer pressure, drugs intake, relationship issues, studies, loss in businesses and incidental guiltiness.
5. If we look at the figures we could see that 2015 has witnessed less number of suicidal attempts in contrast with 2010 and 2016 has seen the highest number of suicidal attempts in the last 7 years.
The two major reasons that the highest rate of suicides in Kashmir were witnessed in 2010 and 2016 is stagnancy in every sphere of life leading to domestic violence, frustration due to business loss, hopelessness due to zero education on ground, piling up of EMIs with no condition of interest returns due to unstable present state of Kashmir and many more similar reasons.
Mental health issues are increasing in large number that has started occupying masses through somatised means and this thing will increase in large number and will lead to more suicides in coming months.
Immediate need for hospitals is to set strong mental health counselling cells in the respective districts.
(An alumnus of Islamic University of Science and Technology Awantipora, Omar Hafiz, has worked on many social projects like women empowerment, sexual violence, human rights, peace/capacity building, Rohingya Refugee health and education, conflict transformation and child education.
Currently, Omar Hafiz is working for the project of United Nations High Commissioner for refugees as Project officer.)
