In an attempt to bring down the high incidence of suicides in the district, a district-level committee is all set to be constituted under the chairmanship of the Collector very soon.
According to District Crime Records Bureau (DCRB) sources, as many as 491 persons (307 men, 163 women, eight boys and 13 girls) have ended their own lives during 2009.
This year, already 302 persons had committed suicide in the district till June 30.
The new committee would have District Revenue Officer, Additional Superintendent of Police, Project Officer of Mahalir Thittam, Joint Director of Medical Services and Rural Health, Deputy Director of Health, District Social Welfare Officer and representatives of industrial associations and non-governmental organisations, as its members.
Collector C. Samayamoorthy told The Hindu that a helpline would be set up in the district shortly to provide solace to people who display a tendency to commit suicide. It will not divulge the names of the callers in public.
According to him, the committee will study the suicides category-wise before taking steps accordingly segment-wise to wipe out the tendencies that lead one to end his or her life.
The DCRB statistics pointed out that most of those who committed suicide in the district had consumed either poison or cow dung powder to end their lives. It was followed by suicide by hanging.
Main reason
K. Sakthivel, psychiatrist at District Headquarters Hospital, said studies indicate that the main reason for suicide in the district was vulnerable personality traits which lead a person to take a spontaneous decision to end his or her life at the slightest of provocations.
“This is followed by psychiatric diseases like depression, schizophrenia, and then alcohol/ drug dependency as well as genetic reasons,” he added.
