The Alarming number of suicides in Chitral requires more attention – By Tamkeen Nasir
For many decades, the people of Chitral have witnessed many unfortunate events, from natural disasters to the deadly virus that wiped away many lives around the globe. At first, too much attention is directed towards such obstacles, but after some time, people seem to move on with their lives; hence, no proper heed is paid to such happenings and the hype fades away. However, in my opinion, one major issue besides the ones mentioned above has always been neglected by our society: Suicide. In a time well evolved like the present, our society still treats suicide as a minor matter and is often considered a taboo act, which leaves aside the possibility to dig deeper into its root causes and take steps to lessen or avoid it in a civilized manner. This article aims to highlight the major causes of suicide in our community, and how certain steps can be taken to minimize its rising number.
Suicide is the act of taking one’s life in order to escape a certain type of pain, suffering, or mental condition. In most countries, suicide is noticed among young age groups; suicide in old age is very minor in number. When the community of Chitral is addressed, we observe that the individuals who commit suicide mostly belong to the young or millennial age groups. Silence has led a rise in the number of suicides since the last few decades, and yet the cycle continues. The act of suicide also leads to victim blaming among the people, who refer to the victims as “mentally deranged”, “ungrateful”, and at times even “Brazen”. Such ill responses from people further neglect the possibility of taking the deed of suicide earnestly. Due to no proper research done on the suicides in Chitral, the actual causes are still unknown; however, we can infer the reasons ourselves by looking at the general causes of suicide worldwide.
Bilson (2018) states that the idea of suicide may arise when one is not able to cope with an overwhelming situation, which could be the result of financial problems, grief, mental illness and such many others. It is widely observed that among all age groups, youth suicidality affects the society greatly, not only in terms of growth and development but also socio-economic factors. Young lives act as the pillars of our next generation, and if these pillars are cut off, what is there to hold. Some psychologists argue that suicide among youth is common due to many reasons, one of them being higher expectations, mostly from significant relatives and peers. This provokes a sense of helplessness, insecurity, stress and losing of control. Some state that another vital reason behind suicides can be linked to mental disorders, which can affect the social life of many individuals. Research also proves that many young individuals commit suicide due to cyber bullying or lack of digital safety. All the discussed causes can also be paired with the community of Chitral, where the presence of expectations, lack of digital safety and ignorance of mental health are very much vibrant.
Possible solutions to this issue have also been exclaimed by many psychologists, even so, it cannot be assured such measures can totally eradicate or stop the idea of suicide, as humans are often considered the only living creatures on earth that have the tendency to cross extreme limits when things do not go their way. WHO suggests that prevention efforts could require collaboration among many sectors of the society such as the health, education, justice and media sector. This means some development can be achieved if all these sectors work together and enhance their current services to a much higher level. As the concerned individuals of our community, it is our responsibility to take the matter of suicide seriously and create forums and organizations that can work for the safety of people’s lives; such associations should also interact with the community members and encourage them to share their problems with each other and look for solutions together. Lastly, assistance and concern regarding therapy and mental disorders can go a long way if proper initiatives are taken by each member of our society, especially the health and education sectors. So that young lives can be guided towards dealing with their problems and traumas in a more professional way.
