Will Pakistan Be Able to Cure its Long-Standing Suicide Epidemic

As of today, September 10, countries across the globe will observe the World Suicide Prevention Day reinforcing their commitment and efforts towards the prevention of suicide.

With a substantial increase in suicide rates in recent years, governments have established national suicide prevention hotlines to deal with this dilemma. Due to measures taken by relevant authorities, most countries across the world have been successful in dealing with this issue. A report by the WHO affirms that there is a decline that points towards progress. Howbeit, there are still over a million people per year who die because of it. It remains to be a major public health concern.

While there is much attention drawn towards this matter in the west, with verified online therapy platforms and NGO’s working round the clock to cater to this question, countries like Pakistan are still struggling to recognize the severity of suicide and the importance of suicide prevention.

Despite being the 5th most populous country in the world, there are no official statistics on the suicide rate in Pakistan. The country does not include the figures in the national annual mortality statistics that are reported to the WHO. Although there are no official figures recorded by the government, researchers continue providing reports based on their private research. One such research deduced that 15-35 people commit suicide every day in Pakistan. Moreover, recent cases and reports indicate alarming suicide rates and rampant growth over the years.

To understand the causes and why there isn’t any action taken to prevent the spread of this epidemic, there are a lot of factors that need to be taken into consideration. Firstly, Pakistan’s population is predominantly Muslim (98%). In Islam, suicide is declared as an unforgivable sin with the perpetrators being condemned to hell. Besides, sociologists have also postulated that religion plays an important role in the suppression of suicide. This explains the stigma attached to suicide. Secondly, as a country where only 0.40% of the expenditure is invested towards mental health, the exponential rise of mental health problems hardly comes as a surprise. Traditional beliefs that have attached a stigma towards receiving mental health care, prevent a lot of the people suffering from seeking the help that they require. Furthermore, 24% of Pakistan’s population lives below the national poverty line which restricts them from receiving quality mental healthcare from psychological and psychiatric professionals.

Pakistan has been dealing with this dilemma for decades and continues to ignore it, however, the nation cannot afford to continue to ignore it when it’s an all-time high because the repercussions it will have on the future generations will be traumatic.

Regardless of the convolutions of suicide and poor actions taken towards mental health care, suicide is preventable if a holistic approach is taken by taking into account biological, psychological and social factors. There is a dire need for the government to decriminalize suicide, increase the expenditure on mental healthcare, and a national helpline that will assist those on the verge of committing suicide.

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