Despite the active functioning of helplines and counselling services for supporting those in distress, the recent spike in the number of unnatural deaths continues to be a concern for the district amid its fight to survive the pandemic threat. The death of nine persons within a week has come as a shocker for many in the counselling field.
To the dismay of the Health Department, some of those who took the extreme step had been tested positive for COVID-19. Psychiatric counsellors say one of the major reasons behind the suicides was the pandemic-induced financial crisis which dealt a heavy blow to many low-income families. Mental illness too was a reason.
The death of a father and his mentally-challenged daughter at Ramanattukara last week was one of such shocking incidents in the district. According to their family sources, the father was in a miserable situation as he could not continue the treatment of his daughter owing to the pandemic-induced financial crisis and curbs on movement.
“Free counselling service has been in place since the initial days of COVID-19. It has been found helpful for many to overcome trauma during quarantine period and treatment,” says a nun who is currently part of a leading counselling network in the State. She also points out that family members of COVID-19 patients should be mindful of changes of their dear and near ones after their recovery and seek medical support in case they show symptoms of depression.
Financial constraints are the villains in low-income families. Small-scale traders and taxi drivers are the most vulnerable group as the pandemic crisis had hit many of them badly.
“On Thursday, two autorickshaw drivers were found dead in two different spots in Kozhikode district. There were many such incidents in other parts of the State. It was mainly the extreme restrictions during the lockdown period that claimed their lives,” says N. Sajid, an autorickshaw driver from Vadakara. He adds that the mental and financial support extended by drivers’ associations had come as a relief for many in the field.
Some of the hoteliers in the district also attribute the cause of increasing unnatural deaths to the worsening financial situation. A hotel entrepreneur from Vadakara had ended his life recently due to financial problems. According to them, a temporary aid or waiver of taxes with retrospective effect by the government will give the much-needed relief for many ailing segments.