Suicide

Hong Kong, Aug 17 (IANS) The overall global death toll from suicide has risen by nearly 20,000 in the last 30 years, despite a significant fall in age-specific suicide rates during this period, finds an analysis of international data.The analysis, published online in the journal Injury Prevention, showed that suicide rates are highest among those aged more than 70 in almost all regions of the world.A team of researchers from the University of Hong Kong, drew on data from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2019, providing population estimates for 204 countries and territories for 1950-2019 by location, age, and sex.The overall number of suicide deaths rose by 19,897 from 738,799 in 1990 to 758, 696 in 2019, with the sharpest rise in lower middle-income countries where the death toll rose by 72,550 from 232,340 to 304,890.The main contributors to this increase were population growth (1,512.5 per cent), followed by changes in population age structure (952.5 per cent). But these effects were offset by the the substantial reduction in the age-specific suicide rates (minus 2,365 per cent).The total number of male suicide deaths rose sharply, largely explained by male population growth (890 per cent) and changes in male population age structure (604 per cent). But these patterns weren't universal, the researchers said.The overall contribution of population age structure mainly came from the 45-64 (565 per cent) and 65 plus (529 per cent) age groups, a trend that was observed in middle-income and high-income regions, reflecting the global effect of population aging, say the researchers."As suicide rates are highest among the elderly (70 years or above) for both genders in almost all regions of the world, the rapidly ageing population globally will pose huge challenges for the reduction in the number of suicide deaths in the future," warned reseachers including Dr Paul Siu Fai Yip, of the HKJC Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, at the varsity.Increasing life expectancy and declining fertility will continue to affect global age structure, with populations around the world continuing to "experience pronounced and historically unprecedented ageing in the coming decades," the researchers noted.--IANSrvt/vd

Mangaluru, (Karnataka) Aug 17 (IANS) In a tragic incident, apprehensive of getting infected by Covid-19 and Black Fungus, a married couple ended their lives in Mangaluru district of Karnataka on Tuesday. The deceased are identified as Ramesh (40) and Guna R. Suvarna (35), residents of Baikampady in Mangaluru.According to police, the couple committed suicide by hanging after being apprehensive of getting infected with Covid-19 as they developed few symptoms of the disease. Before committing suicide, Ramesh called up the Police Commissioner N. Shashi Kumar and informed him about his decision to commit suicide."The victim called up and informed about committing suicide. Immediately police were sent. By the time the police reached their apartment, the couple was found dead. We could not save their lives," Shashi Kumar stated.The couple had left a death note and Rs 1 lakh cash for their funeral. The couple was married in 2000 and did not have children. They were also suffering from depression since last year as they did not have children, the police said."As we see people losing eyes and other organs of the body because of Black Fungus infection followed by Covid-19, I fear that same thing might happen to me also as I am getting symptoms and could sense changes in my body," Guna R. Suvarna wrote in her death note."My husband is also showing symptoms of Covid from the last 3 days, and in this situation we have come to a decision that we don't want to live any further. My father, mother and brother have got infected with Covid and they recovered. My mother suffered a lot and I don't want to give them any difficulty in carrying out our funeral," she said in death note.She has also shared her experiences from the people who have no children. She further requested to carry out funerals according to Hindu traditions and to donate all their belongings to the poor.Dr K. Sudhakar, minister of Health reacting to the incident said, it's tragic that a couple ended life fearing Covid infection. "More than 28 lakh people have recovered from the disease. There is a lack of information about the couple. I urge people to get tested if they are detected with Covid symptoms. Free testing and treatment is made available to people. The doctors have learnt lessons in the past one-and-a-half years of experience to deal with the Covid. No one should panic and until the vaccination drive is completed, Covid guidelines must be followed," he said.--IANSmka/skp/

Geneva, June 18 (IANS) One in a hundred deaths globally can directly be attributed to suicide, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, arguing that the Covid-19 pandemic has increased factors for suicide worldwide. In 2019, more than 700,000 people died of suicide, one in 100 deaths, which was more than HIV, malaria, wars or homicide, the world body said in a statement issued on Thursday. The same year, prior to the global pandemic, the global suicide rate was decreasing everywhere, the WHO declared, with exception of the Americas region that saw increases of 17 per cent. Among young people aged 15-29, suicide was the fourth leading cause of death after road injury, tuberculosis and interpersonal violence. According to the WHO, more than twice as many males die due to suicide as females (12.6 per 100 000 males compared with 5.4 per 100 000 females). Suicide rates among men are generally higher in high-income countries (16.5 per 100 000). For females, the highest suicide rates are found in lower-middle-income countries (7.1 per 100 000). Suicide rates in the WHO African (11.2 per 100 000), European (10.5 per 100 000) and South-East Asia (10.2 per 100 000) regions were higher than the global average (9.0 per 100 000) in 2019. The lowest suicide rate was in the Eastern Mediterranean region (6.4 per 100 000). The spread of the coronavirus has caused turmoil in societies, increasing factors of suicide globally, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted. "Our attention to suicide prevention is even more important now, after many months living with the Covid-19 pandemic, with many of the risk factors for suicide, job loss, financial stress and social isolation, still very much present," Tedros was quoted as saying in the statement. The WHO announced series of guidance, under the name 'LIVE LIFE', to improve suicide prevention. The role of media was emphasized by the WHO that declared that many reports of suicide, especially if they described the methods used or focused on celebrities, could increase risks of so-called "copycat suicides". "We cannot and must not ignore suicide. Each one is a tragedy," Tedros added.

Gandhinagar, May 7 (IANS) In a shocking incident, three members of a family committed suicide in the wee hours of Friday after cremating the head of the family who succumbed to Covid-19 in Gujarat's Devbhumi Dwarka district.The police have registered a case of accidental death and further investigation is underway.After the head of the family died of Covid in Dwarka City, the remaining three members of the family took the extreme step, the police said.Businessman Jayeshbhai Vasantbhai Jain (60), who fell prey to Covid on Thursday evening, was the head of the family comprising his wife Shardaben (55) and sons Mukesh (38) and Durgesh (35). After cremating Jain at the Dwarka crematorium, his wife and two sons returned to their home in the TV Station area at around 5 am on Friday. Soon after, all three of them consumed some poisonous substance and died, the police said."The family originally belonged to Nashik in Maharashtra and their Aadhaar card details show their residence in the Halol area of Vadodara. The incident came to light only after the milkman came to the house at around 8 am, following which the neighbours called the police," Inspector P.B. Gadhavi told IANS.--IANSamc/arm