News
Eight people a day take own life
View(s):By Anushiya Sathisraja
Sri Lanka’s suicide rate remains high with an average of eight persons taking their lives daily but the rate would be 20 times higher if all suicide attempts succeeded. According to Family Health Bureau statistics, suicides in Sri Lanka remain high among all age categories between 17-55 years, with 3,058 suicides recorded last year. The welcome news is that the rate has been dropping, with 3,144 people taking their lives in 2014 and 3,455 suicides the year before that.
Vice -President of the Sri Lanka Sumithrayo , Nilakanthi Iromi Gomez pinning the first ribbon on President Maithripala Sirisena
Males outnumber females in suicides by nearly threefold.
Suicide is now among the three leading causes of death among those aged 15-44 (male and female). If all attempted suicides were completed the rate would be 20 times higher.
Consultant psychiatrist at the Mental Health Institute, Dr. Neil Fernando called for trained staff and life-saving equipment, especially to preserve breathing, in more hospitals saying “research shows that patients admitted to hospitals with ICUs have more chances of survival than others”.
Worries about school performance, pressure from parents to achieve academic excellence, economic and other losses affecting the family, bereavement, being accused of wrongdoing by school authorities or law enforcement agents were some of the situations rated as highly stressful by adolescents, he said.
Teenagers experiencing multiple and ongoing stresses of this nature should be considered as having a potential for suicide, he explained.“Teenagers and young adults are impressionable and sensitive, and especially vulnerable to social and peer pressure,” Consultant Community Physician in Family Health Bureau Dr. Kapila Jayaratne said.
Children younger than 10 years have attempted suicide.
In the case of teenagers, social and peer pressure are the most common causes for suicide, as was seen in recent student suicides.
“Adults and children can handle pressure, but teenagers are different,” Dr. Jayaratne explained. “They are going through dramatic biological and psychological changes and it can be a very difficult time for them. Teenagers are often extra-defensive or aggressive, and quick to react. Adults and teachers should understand this.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that more than 800,000 people commit suicide each year – one person every 40 seconds.
Meanwhile the first ribbon issued to commemorate the World Suicide Prevention Day and also to mark the 20th anniversary of the Sri Lanka Sumithrayo Rural Programme was pinned on President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat, on Tuesday.
The Vice -President of the Sri Lanka Sumithrayo , Nilakanthi Iromi Gomez pinned the first ribbon on the President. A copy of the Sri Lanka Sumithrayo magazine was also presented to the President.