PANAJI
Goa has been going through a troubling trend over the past year and a half with an average of one person taking his/her own life each day. Last year alone saw 333 suicide cases, perhaps the highest in the last decade -- a sobering picture of the growing mental health crisis.
The recent death of senior advocate Jayant Prabhu shook the State particularly as it came after his son’s arrest for allegedly stalking a woman lawyer. His suicide note explicitly accused police sub-inspector Anushka Parab and a constable of harassment.
While this incident involved alleged police misconduct against a senior citizen, two other suspected suicides of the men-in-uniform further darkened the already troubling narrative. Vaibhav Naik, a 23-year-old police constable, took his own life while 35-year-old home guard Prasad Babi Kerkar was found dead after jumping into the Mhadei River, leaving behind his bike and phone on the bridge.
From January to June this year, 126 suicide cases have already been reported in the State. Mental health organizations like the COOJ Mental Health Foundation, are dealing with calls from persons with suicidal tendencies.
“We handle at least 4-5 calls from people with suicidal tendencies daily,” Donna Noronha, suicide prevention coordinator at COOJ told The Goan. She stated that emotional turmoil, financial difficulties, domestic violence, fear of failure, and abusive relationships are some of the reasons cited by their callers.
Suicide has become the number one leading cause of death in the 14-29 age group in India. It’s the most vulnerable age group facing unique pressures, according to COOJ. “We have noticed lack of employment opportunities, failed relationships, domestic violence, academic stress, parental pressure and emotional isolation are some of the reasons that render them helpless and make them feel worthless,” Noronha added.
Civic groups like GOACAN are also raising alarms. Coordinator Roland Martins highlighted the disturbing rise in suicide rates among men, women and students, attributing these cases to family conflicts, depression, academic pressures, financial instability, relationship breakdowns, harassment from family members, marital problems, domestic violence and sexual abuse, among others.
Dr Mohan Rao Desai of the Mental Health Program under the Directorate of Health Services (DHS), told The Goan that they identified stress as a major contributing factor to the rising number of suicides and suicide attempts. He highlighted that the DHS, in collaboration with multiple departments, is jointly tackling this growing concern.
“Our emergency helpline and counsellors are available 24/7 to provide support. When cases escalate, the persons are referred to psychiatrists while in severe cases, they are admitted to IPHB for specialized care,” he added.
Since 2016, Goa has reported around 2,435 suicides. The total cases stood at 278 in 2016, which slightly declined to 267 and 247 in 2017 and 2018 but the numbers surged again in 2020 -- the height of the COVID-19 pandemic -- with 308 cases and 315 in 2021. After a drop to 301 cases in 2022, the situation worsened with 333 in 2023 while this year has reported 126 cases till June-end.
To an alarming rise in suicide attempts by jumping off bridges, government sources revealed, efforts are underway to barricade major bridges. The consumption of poison has also been flagged as another common method of taking one’s life.
