Community members have been urged to look out for ‘warning signs’ of suicidal behaviour among individuals, with medics asserting that timely help can avert tragedies for families.
People are also being advised not to ignore vulnerable individuals who express a desire to die and to engage in a conversation with them, if necessary.
Bahrain-based medics have issued the call on the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) today. September is also marked globally as the Suicide Prevention month.
This year’s WSPD theme is ‘Creating hope through action’, which encourages reflection on the importance of collective community engagement to tackle rising suicides.
GDN earlier reported that around 30 expat suicides were registered in the country in 2019 and 37 in 2018. Worldwide, nearly 800,000 people die from suicide every year and in 2020, there were 1.2 million attempts globally.
Child and Family Foundation Centre clinical psychologist Dr Anisha Abraham said the centre has seen a rise in cases involving suicidal ideation.
“We have seen an increase in cases of suicides or attempted suicides, which is a reflection of the difficult times that we are facing, and it is critical that we deal with it collectively. Community engagement is important,” Dr Abraham told the GDN.
She advised people to observe signs of distress and mental illnesses among those around us and to address them openly.
“People who express a desire to end their lives deserve to be heard,” she said.
“We frequently miss out on minor changes in people’s behaviour; let’s keep an eye out for signs of sadness, anxiety, irritability, rage, loss of interest and comments indicating that they are a burden to others.
“If you see someone isolating from friends or using substances, ask right away. All of them may not be suicidal, but there could be one individual, and this intervention would make a difference to that person.”
The medic also criticised the general public’s tendency to dismiss people who discuss suicide.
“If you believe someone has negative thoughts, do not avoid them, rather address the situation; it is a myth to believe that discussing suicide will give them ideas. Instead, a casual talk might help,” Dr Abraham advised.
“Another common mistake is to doubt the seriousness of people who openly discuss suicide, we frequently hear the comment that if a person intends to commit suicide, he/she will do so silently. This is not true.”
Indian Community Relief Fund (ICRF) chairman Dr Babu Ramachandran said that suicides were fewer in labour camps and more prevalent among those occupying higher positions such as supervisors or managers.
“In camps, workers stay together, while the others are mostly isolated because many of them don’t have their families here and there are usually none to share their frustrations with,” he said.
“Recently, four companies approached ICRF to arrange talks with their employees on issues pertaining to mental health.”
Dr Ramachandran emphasised ICRF’s initiative to improve public engagement through its Listen, Involve, Foster and Engage (LIFE) initiative.
“We started LIFE to help people suffering from depression, including children, and we have a women’s wing and a 24x7 helpline (39461746 or 39682974).
“We have received numerous calls from people contemplating suicide because they are lonely and depressed, and we have helped by talking to them.
“Ultimately, all of these involve money – the pandemic is one reason, while the other being financial indiscipline leading to debts.”
A total of six cases have been reported as suspected suicides in Bahrain this year, of which four died in March.
Indians Sreejith Thekkayil, 35, Sunil Kumar, 39, Parminder Singh, 24 and Pakistan national Muhammed Wakeel, 27 were found hanging from ceiling fans in their residences between March 17 and 21. Indian Anoopkumar Menon was also found hanging at his residence on August 29, while police said they were investigating the death of an Indian teenager in June.
raji@gdnmedia.bh
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