Over 1.5 lakh people commit suicide in India every year. (Source: File Photo)
The ever-growing global suicide rate has become one of the deadliest enemies of mankind. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year, which is one person every 40 seconds.
What comes as a surprise is that the number of people who die of suicide is more than double the number of people who die of homicide globally. According to the annual survey of Our World in Data, “the number of deaths through suicide surpasses the number of deaths through terrorism, war, conflict, and executions throughout the world.”
While the number of people who committed suicide in 2016 according to Our World In Data survey is 817,148, the number of people killed in homicide and terrorism is 390,794.
Globally, there is a geographical variation in the rates of reported cases of suicides. Countries like India, UK, and the USA contribute a major part to the number of annual global suicides worldwide. According to the 2015 National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, there were a total of 1.33 lakh suicides in India, of which 42,088 were women.
Suicide is a complex subject and while many factors like depression, stress, or trauma can be associated with the risk of suicide, these studies can be seen as an alarming signal to work towards suicide prevention. Certain global foundations and NGOs like Movember foundation, Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA) among others are contributing a lot in spreading awareness about mental health.