M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Sept 10: The Medinirai Medical College Hospital observed World Suicide Prevention Day on Saturday which is celebrated globally every September 10.
“Reporting about suicidal death has to be very careful and without any flavour of sensationalism if all of us want a healthy mental society,” said noted psychiatrist Dr Ashish Kumar of MMCH Daltonganj on the occasion.
He added that the WHO has issued a guideline for reporting suicidal death. It should not be glorified or demeaned.
Any celebrity who dies by suicide has not to be blown out of all proportions. Dr Ashish Kumar said the way Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death by suicide was given media coverage was a matter of great concern.
The doctor said reporting of death by suicide should not convey an impression that suicide was inevitable as it was the only means left to the individual. “Juicy details before the death by suicide is made viral in social media which is very sad and unfortunate,” he added saying news stories about individuals who tried to die by suicide but remained alive should be highlighted with positivity to dissuade many more from making any attempt.
Dr Ashish said there are many myths about death by suicide or attempt to suicide which should be explained and understood. Families, where incidents of death by suicide occur, should not be further put on media trial.
He further said that Jharkhand has a far greater percentage of death by suicides in comparison to Bihar where it is 0.7 per cent while in Jharkhand it is 4.7 per cent.
There has been a sharp decline of death by suicides in the post covid era which in the year 2021 when the covid pandemic was raging was pegged at 2,145 cases in Jharkhand.
