Alarming: Sikkim reports 6 suicides in a week

Sikkim holds the dubious record of being the state with the second-highest instances of suicide after Puducherry, according to NCRB data

Sikkim reported 6 cases of suicides in just a week. The rising number of suicide cases in the state has become a cause of grave concern for the all.

Since the last 7 days, Sikkim has been reporting cases of suicide or attempted suicide almost daily. According to the Sikkim Police’s Daily Situation Report (DSR), in the past 7 days, a total of 6 cases of suicide have been reported. What is even more worrisome is that two of the deceased were children aged 10 and 12, one was 80 years old, and the other 3 were adults.

Sikkim holds the dubious record of being the state with the second-highest rate of suicide across the states of India after Pondicherry, according to the latest figures from the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB). In Sikkim, 39 persons commit suicide per 1000 people.

Speaking exclusively to Northeast Live, Sikkim’s renowned psychologist and former Medical Superintendent of STNM Hospital, Dr. CS Sharma said that Sikkim has been suffering from high suicide rate for the last 10 years.

High levels of stress is one of the factor that lead to suicide, said Dr. CS Sharma. Some of the other factors include: Children tend to act quite impulsively, working parents leave their children at home alone, unemployment and disruption in traditional sources of income.

Speaking about the prevention measures of suicide, the doctor said that preventing suicide requires strategies at all levels of society.

“We must make a concerted effort. There should be a suicide helpline centre in almost all the sub-divisions of the districts in the state. Counsellors will have to be available all the time to speak with patients to reduce his/her suicidal thoughts who are considering suicide and ambulance service has to be available to rescue the patient and evacuate him or her from the situation immediately,” Dr Sharma said.

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