Eight years ago, Revathi* attempted suicide by consuming over half a litre of acid. She doesn’t remember much of what happened next, but recalls that the police were involved.
“When I was taken to hospital, treatment was begun only after a first information report (FIR) had been registered,” she said. This led to a delay and though Revathi is now doing well, she said time may be a crucial factor in other suicide cases.
The Central government’s move to decriminalise attempted suicide has therefore been welcomed by activists in the city.
Lakshmi Vijayakumar, founder of SNEHA, a suicide prevention centre, said the move would have three major benefits.
“First, it will allow somebody who has attempted suicide to be treated immediately without the medico-legal process — which will also remove the stigma. Second, it will be cost effective for the family — private hospitals often charge heavily to treat such patients citing the legal process. And third, it will allow us to gather data on the number of people who attempt suicide in order to plan services for them as, at present, they are often under-reported or reported as accidents,” she said.
Every five minutes, someone, somewhere in India attempts suicide, making it the third major cause of death, according to SNEHA.
For Tamil Nadu, the move to decriminalise suicide will be especially beneficial, as the State has recorded the second-highest number of suicides at 16,601, as per the National Crime Record Bureau’s 2013 statistics.
Chennai tops cities in the State with 2,450 suicides. For every suicide, it is projected there are 15 to 20 attempts, said Dr. Vijayakumar.
“This move was long pending,” said Vandana Gopikumar, co-founder, The Banyan, an NGO that works in the field of mental health.
“It will help de-stigmatise attempted suicide, enabling greater support for people and their families to seek help. However, the government must ensure there is still a legal system in place to protect the rights of people, especially women in vulnerable situations who may, for instance, attempt suicide due to domestic violence,” she said.
Attempted suicide is a cry for help, said R. Padmavati, additional director, Schizophrenia Research Foundation. “Not all people who attempt suicide have a mental health issue, but some do. Depression, for instance, is common in people who attempt suicide. And sometimes, mental health issues are identified when the patient comes in after an attempted suicide. Eliminating the police procedure will go a long way towards helping such people,” she said.
(*Name changed)
