Daily wagers were the majority of the people who died by suicide in 2020, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics have revealed..According to numbers, the year of the pandemic witnessed 1.53 lakh suicides in the country, of which 1.08 lakh were men and 44,498 women, showing a 10% rise in suicide cases compared to 2019.The 2020 numbers are also an indicator of a steep rise, as there was only a 3.4% increase in suicides in 2019 from 2018..Causes for suicides.The NCRB report of 2020 points to family problems and illnesses as the major causes of suicides, accounting for 33.6% and 18.0% of total suicides, respectively.These two causes were followed by drug abuse or addiction, marriage, relationship, bankruptcy or debt and unemployment. Some other causes include exam failure, professional career slump and poverty..Demographics of suicide victims.Of the total 1,08,532 men who died by suicide, there were 33,164 daily wagers, 15,990 self-employed persons and 12,893 unemployed persons. Of the 44,498 women, 22,372 were homemakers, accounting for 50% of such deaths. Apart from this, 5,559 were students and 4,493 were daily wagers. Therefore, 25% of the total people who died by suicide were daily wagers.Of the 22 transgenders who died by suicide in 2020, 5 were unemployed, 9 were daily wagers and 2 were self-employed and homemakers..Government employees accounted for 1.3% (2,057) of the total persons who died by suicide whereas there were 6.6% (10,166) victims from the private sector.The pandemic-induced economic distress also reflected in the numbers, which showed that 17,332 persons who were in the self-employed or business category and 10,677 persons from the agriculture sector committed suicide in 2020.In 2019, there were 16,098 business persons and 10,281 from the agricultural sector who had died by suicide. .Economic status of victims.Of the total persons who died by suicide during the pandemic, 96,810 people had an annual income of less than ₹1 lakh whereas 49,270 were in the income group between ₹1 lakh and ₹5 lakh. In the income band between ₹5 lakh and ₹10 lakh, there were 5,745 victims and 1,227 from the ₹10 lakh and above income category..States and UTs with highest suicide rates.Maharashtra, with over 19,000 suicides, had the highest numbers followed by Tamil Nadu (16,883) and 14,578 in Madhya Pradesh. While West Bengal had 13,103 persons dying by suicide in 2020, there were 12,259 cases in Karnataka..Among UTs, Delhi reported 3,142 suicides, followed by Puducherry with 408 cases and Jammu and Kashmir with 287 such cases..Speaking to Bar & Bench, Delhi-based clinical psychologist and therapist Ruchika Kanwal underlined that the COVID-19 pandemic had hit the world hard in terms of mental health, and India was no exception."It has definitely left a lot of people on the verge of mental breakdown and precipitated mental health conditions in many. I have seen a rise in people showing up for therapy and counselling. Most men have come with the stress of losing jobs and hitting financial lows. For women, the stress of managing to balance home and families and work had taken a toll on their mental health," she added.According to Kanwal, in the pandemic-induced lockdown, the most effected were the lower socio-economic strata whose lives are dependent on daily wages. "With not having enough work nor the ability to got back to native villages, sustaining themselves and their families, have contributed to major mental health crisis and increased suicide rates," Kanwal explained.The expert also pointed out that there was an increase in the number of cases of domestic violence among women, illustrating that some of her clients would tell her that their partners treated them as “punching bags” as result of the stress and uncertainty caused by the pandemic..In case, you or someone you know needs help, please call on 1800-599-0019 to reach Kiran, a 24/7 national helpline set by the Ministry of Social Justice. You can also mail on icall@tiss.edu or dial 022-25521111 (Monday-Saturday, 8am to 10pm) to reach iCall, a psychosocial helpline set up by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS)..[NCRB REPORT]
Daily wagers were the majority of the people who died by suicide in 2020, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics have revealed..According to numbers, the year of the pandemic witnessed 1.53 lakh suicides in the country, of which 1.08 lakh were men and 44,498 women, showing a 10% rise in suicide cases compared to 2019.The 2020 numbers are also an indicator of a steep rise, as there was only a 3.4% increase in suicides in 2019 from 2018..Causes for suicides.The NCRB report of 2020 points to family problems and illnesses as the major causes of suicides, accounting for 33.6% and 18.0% of total suicides, respectively.These two causes were followed by drug abuse or addiction, marriage, relationship, bankruptcy or debt and unemployment. Some other causes include exam failure, professional career slump and poverty..Demographics of suicide victims.Of the total 1,08,532 men who died by suicide, there were 33,164 daily wagers, 15,990 self-employed persons and 12,893 unemployed persons. Of the 44,498 women, 22,372 were homemakers, accounting for 50% of such deaths. Apart from this, 5,559 were students and 4,493 were daily wagers. Therefore, 25% of the total people who died by suicide were daily wagers.Of the 22 transgenders who died by suicide in 2020, 5 were unemployed, 9 were daily wagers and 2 were self-employed and homemakers..Government employees accounted for 1.3% (2,057) of the total persons who died by suicide whereas there were 6.6% (10,166) victims from the private sector.The pandemic-induced economic distress also reflected in the numbers, which showed that 17,332 persons who were in the self-employed or business category and 10,677 persons from the agriculture sector committed suicide in 2020.In 2019, there were 16,098 business persons and 10,281 from the agricultural sector who had died by suicide. .Economic status of victims.Of the total persons who died by suicide during the pandemic, 96,810 people had an annual income of less than ₹1 lakh whereas 49,270 were in the income group between ₹1 lakh and ₹5 lakh. In the income band between ₹5 lakh and ₹10 lakh, there were 5,745 victims and 1,227 from the ₹10 lakh and above income category..States and UTs with highest suicide rates.Maharashtra, with over 19,000 suicides, had the highest numbers followed by Tamil Nadu (16,883) and 14,578 in Madhya Pradesh. While West Bengal had 13,103 persons dying by suicide in 2020, there were 12,259 cases in Karnataka..Among UTs, Delhi reported 3,142 suicides, followed by Puducherry with 408 cases and Jammu and Kashmir with 287 such cases..Speaking to Bar & Bench, Delhi-based clinical psychologist and therapist Ruchika Kanwal underlined that the COVID-19 pandemic had hit the world hard in terms of mental health, and India was no exception."It has definitely left a lot of people on the verge of mental breakdown and precipitated mental health conditions in many. I have seen a rise in people showing up for therapy and counselling. Most men have come with the stress of losing jobs and hitting financial lows. For women, the stress of managing to balance home and families and work had taken a toll on their mental health," she added.According to Kanwal, in the pandemic-induced lockdown, the most effected were the lower socio-economic strata whose lives are dependent on daily wages. "With not having enough work nor the ability to got back to native villages, sustaining themselves and their families, have contributed to major mental health crisis and increased suicide rates," Kanwal explained.The expert also pointed out that there was an increase in the number of cases of domestic violence among women, illustrating that some of her clients would tell her that their partners treated them as “punching bags” as result of the stress and uncertainty caused by the pandemic..In case, you or someone you know needs help, please call on 1800-599-0019 to reach Kiran, a 24/7 national helpline set by the Ministry of Social Justice. You can also mail on icall@tiss.edu or dial 022-25521111 (Monday-Saturday, 8am to 10pm) to reach iCall, a psychosocial helpline set up by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS)..[NCRB REPORT]
