HYDERABAD: The suicide rate in Telangana witnessed a decline of 1.88% in 2022 when compared to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data from the previous year.
In 2021, Telangana was fourth in the country in terms of suicide rate. A year later, the state has managed to go down two spots and has seen a meagre decrease in reported suicide cases, according to the ‘Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India 2022’ report.
It shows that 9,980 cases of suicide were reported in the state in 2022, down from 10,171 cases in the previous year. In Hyderabad too, suicide cases have decreased from 571 cases in 2021 to 544 cases in 2022.
Statistically, 7,769 of those who died by suicide were men and the rest were women. In 2022, a majority of people killed themselves due to family problems, illness, bankruptcy, marriage-related problems and failure in exams.
Meanwhile, increased awareness and continuous efforts taken by mental health professionals is slated to be one of the factors towards the reduction in suicide rate. Speaking to TNIE, consultant psychiatrist Dr Daljeet Kaur said, “After the pandemic, a lot of online counselling services have begun. There are also suicide helplines put up by the government and private institutions for people to access in their time of crisis.”
Citing recent incidents of student suicides, Dr Kaur said, “A lot of parents are now coming to psychiatrists along with their children to see if everything is fine. There is an increased awareness and the stigma towards seeking help has slightly reduced.”
reasons listed
Family issues: 5,390
Illness (Physical + Mental): 1,658 + 831
Bankruptcy: 1,163
Marriage issues: 153
Exam failure: 66