VIJAYAWADA: Despite taking several measures to control deaths and suicides related to consumption of drugs and other narcotic substances such as ganja, and alcohol, the State reported a 48.3 per cent spike in number of suicide cases due to drug abuse and alcohol addiction in 2021 compared to 2020.
The State reported 571 deaths related to drug abuse and alcohol addiction in 2021 as against 385 in 2020. The data was revealed in the ‘Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2021’ report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) recently.Ironically, the deaths due to drug abuse and alcoholic addiction have been gradually increasing in Visakhapatnam city over the past four years.
Not just Visakhapatnam city, the incidents of deaths due to drug abuse and alcohol addiction across the State also observed a steady increase from the year 2018. There were 196 cases in 2018, but the cases almost doubled in 2019 with 302 cases and 385 such deaths were reported in 2020.
According to the NCRB report, 8,067 suicides were reported in the State in 2021 compared to 7,043 in 2020. The State stood eighth in the county for the second consecutive year in overall suicides and sixth place in suicides due to drug abuse and alcohol addiction.
Expressing concern over the increasing suicide deaths related to drug abuse and alcohol addiction, Vijayawada- based psychiatrist Vishal Indla said there is a need to identify depression among youngsters, especially those who addicted to drugs or alcohol, to prevent them from taking the extreme step.
In association with Vijayawada Commissioner’s Task Force (CTF), Vishal Indla and his father (renowned psychiatrist) Indla Rama Subba Reddy have been giving counselling to ganja addicts and people suffering from other addictions. In the past one year, the father-son duo gave counselling to more than 1,000 ganja addicts.
Vishal said the de-addiction centres and counselling sessions for the youngsters in recent days are proving worthy with more than 50 per cent of them being reformed.“One can observe changes in depressed persons such as erratic food habits and sleeping patterns and hopeless behaviour. If the family members and friends try to build an emotional connection with them, there are less chances of people taking the extreme step,” Vishal Indla observed.