Illness takes a toll: ailments are second leading cause of suicides in country

Experts say doctors, family need to keep a close eye on symptoms of depression in the patient

Senior IPS officer Himanshu Roy’s suicide has brought depression and anxiety disorders due to prolonged illnesses into focus. In his suicide note, Roy, who was battling cancer for several years, blamed depression due to his illness as the reason for the drastic step.

Illness is the second leading cause of suicides in India, and experts say that continuous counselling and keeping a close eye on depressive symptoms is the key to stop patients from resorting to such measures.

“Counselling should not be isolated as a psychiatric measure and left to be done only by mental health professionals. All treating physicians and other medical staff who constantly interact with patients need to be able to pick up depressive symptoms, suicidal thoughts and other mannerisms of a patient in possible trouble,” said Dr. Shubhangi Parkar, head of psychiatry at KEM Hospital.

High pressure

According to Dr. Parkar, patients suffering from a prolonged illness are affected as they miss out on a lot in life. “They have to make many lifestyle changes and simultaneously cope with the side effects of medication. All these compromises are bound to put pressure on them.” She added, “For some, inability to go through the pain day after day is the main reason [for suicide].”

Mental health awareness

The 2015 data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) stated that 15.8% of the suicides in India were due to illnesses. This was only second to family problems at 27.6%.

On his blog, psychiatrist Dr. Harish Shetty said Roy’s suicide should be a wake-up call for Indians to escalate the war against depression. “This war is more difficult than the war against terrorism,” the doctor wrote.

According to psychiatrist Dr. Bharat Shah from Lilavati Hospital, a patient suffering from a chronic illness goes through feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. “Sometimes, it is the illness that is the cause and sometimes it is the medication that is causing it. It is of utmost importance for people who are close to the patients, be it relatives or doctors, to recognize the signs,” said Dr. Shah.

He said that sad moods or odd behaviour should not be brushed aside as a “normal reaction” to being ill. “Often, many patients who take their lives are not in a terminal stage. It is the difficulty of coping with the illness that pushes them to take the drastic step,” he said.