THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An unusually high number of suicides driven by poverty was reported in Kerala in 2023. As many as 16 persons, including 13 males and three females, took their own lives because of poverty, according to the report ‘Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2023’ released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) recently. Nationally, the total number of poverty-related suicides stood at 1,059.
In 2023, the state recorded an 8% increase in total suicides -- from 10,162 in 2022 to 10,972. At 30.6, the state ranked third among all states and union territories in suicide rate, after Andaman and Nicobar Islands (49.6) and Sikkim (40.2).
The national average was 12.3. The suicide rate in Kerala has witnessed a steady climb, from 26.9 in 2021 (5th position) and 28.5 in 2022 (4th position). Suicide rate refers to the number of suicides per one lakh population. The state also recorded the second highest number of “mass/family suicides”, 17, after Tamil Nadu which had 58.
A review of the report’s previous editions showed that 2023 witnessed the highest number of poverty suicides in Kerala during the past ten years, since 2013. Under the poverty category, zero suicides were reported in 2013 and 2014 and the decade’s second highest number was reported in 2017 when 11 persons exhausted by poverty ended their lives.
Drug abuse or alcohol addiction was cited as the reason for the suicides of 1,059 Keralites in 2023. This constituted around 9% of the country’s total deaths under this category, 12,019. The number of intoxicant-related suicides saw a near three-fold increase in the past decade -- from 400 in 2013 to 1,059 in 2023.
Dependance on intoxicants can intensify suicide behaviour, pointed out Dr Mohan Roy G, Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Kollam. “Alcohol or drug abuse is among the common reasons behind suicides, especially among young adults. The rising preference for drugs over traditional alcohol could also be a reason for the increasing intoxicant-related suicides in recent years,” he said.
According to Dr Mohan, there is a significant rise in the prevalence of mental health problems after the Covid-19 pandemic. He also raised concern over the NCRB’s categorisation of suicides.
“In most cases, multiple reasons would have forced a person to kill himself. Unfortunately, the NCRB report is based on the casual observation of a police officer who investigates the death. The officer records the information he gets from the family of the friends of the deceased,” he said.
Considering the alarming increase in suicidal behaviour among people, Kerala should adopt a scientific system to identify the exact reasons, Dr Mohan said.
“A psychological autopsy by trained personnel will help identify the real reason or reasons behind each suicide. Proper data will enable the government to devise effective prevention strategies,” he added.