Suicide: a deep sense of helplessness

Suicide -an intentional act of taking away one’s own life whether it is Rational, Euthanasia, assisted or altruistic suicide.Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the helplessness, fear and anxiety as business is zero, schools and colleges are closed ,everywhere there is fearful, threatened environment that only increases stress levels. Suicide is not an act of cowardness, it needs and takes real courage to face death, and failure of finding solutions to problems forces one to take this extreme step. We have to identify crises building within ourselves, and learn how to avert it. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 8, 00,000 people die by suicide every year which means one person dies in every 40 seconds. As we all know the situation of Kashmir, I think it is Allah’s mercy that the suicidal rates were still low in Kashmir, it is true that we are psychologically resilient. Now, in Kashmir suicide deaths and suicide attempts are high, at least one suicide is recorded every alternate day. We are stressed, traumatized generation, we are grown with, violence, stressed, unstable, disturbed and conflicted situations, the result is our devastated psyche and it is a matter of concern. Low levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are both directly associated with suicide and indirectly associated through its role in major depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia and obsessive–compulsive disorder. Post-mortem studies have found reduced levels of BDNF in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, in those with and without psychiatric conditions. Serotonin, a brain neurotransmitter, is believed to be low in those who die by suicide. This is partly based on evidence of increased levels of 5-HT2A receptors found after death. Other evidence includes reduced levels of a breakdown product of serotonin, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, in the cerebral spinal fluid. Direct evidence is however hard to gather. Epigenetic, the study of changes in genetic expression in response to environmental factors which do not alter the underlying DNA, is also believed to play a role in determining suicide risk. There could be many reasons one wants to end his /her life some of them may be :-
Mental disorders -BPAD, schizophrenia, personality disorders.
Physical disorders -chronic fatigue syndrome
Substance abuse- alcoholism etc
Withdrawal syndrome
Financial or academic difficulties
Relationship problems –breakups/death of closed one
Family or social situations
Experience of trauma
Unemployment /poverty etc
Rigid thinking
Poor coping skills
Hopelessness
Loss of pleasure in life
Loss of job might be a contributing factor
Demanding parenting or parents pressure
Feeling trapped in a stressful situations
Social isolation
Medical conditions like HIV etc
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, at least 90 percent of all people who die by suicide suffer from one or more mental disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or alcoholism. Struggle with self-esteem issues, self- doubt, self -hatred, guilt ,shame and feeling of alienation makes a person thought about suicide .It needs a collective effort to Reduce the incidence, through Support , counseling by counselors, friends or loved ones can help .Limiting access to stimulating factors or methods. Family must be empathetic with listening ear with the suffers. Let them know and make them realise that your life is important and these suicidal feelings are temporary.Access to therapy.
Learn to deal with stress in a healthy and positive lifestyle changes, such as a healthy diet, plenty of sleep, and getting out in the sun or into nature for at least 30 minutes each day.
Our heart seems to burst,pain seems to overwhelming and permanant but there are ways Just HANDOVER,all our tears,all our sufferings,all our pain to the one who own’s them_The Allah .HE is The Only to whom we can share what we are going through ,He is The one who created us,and the creater of anything knows how to operate the things because he owns them so he know how to operate us .We should not loss hope ,ending our lives is not the solution but we have to discover and develop our capabilities to face the life challenges ,to overcome the pain.Suicidal feelings or thoughts -a desperate attempt to escape sufferings, is not a defect in our personality or charactor ,it doesn’t mean they are psychotic or insane it only means they are grief-striken, the pain is unbearable at the moment ,but when we learn the coping skills we find strength and renew our hopes and make our life worth-living.we should give ourselves time to subside our pain Even though we are in a lot of pain or stress ,dont be alone as it can make suicidal thoughts or suicidal action even worse make promise to ourselves we are not going to do anything drastic during this moment ,will wait upto tommorrow or at least” 24 hours “.Dont prevent yourself from seeking help ,talk to someone who won’t try to argue or judge about the situation as it releases a lot of pressure at the moment no matter how much self-loathing, hopelessness, or helplessness you are currently experiencing find a compassionate listener. Learn to deal with stress in a healthy and positive lifestyle changes, such as a healthy diet, plenty of sleep, and getting out in the sun or into nature for at least 30 minutes each day. Exercise is also extremely important as it releases endorphins, relieves stress, and promotes emotional well-being, practise breathing exercise and challenging self-defeating thoughts.
(The author is working as Nursing Officer at GMC Srinagar & Associated hospitals. Views are her own) [email protected]