Death visits every living being, however is natural, but no one wants to intentionally risk their life when life is meant for living? Therefore mankind on this earth fights for survival and existence. Suicide is an unnatural death and is nothing but self killing, in Latin suicidium, from sui caedere, means “to kill oneself”. Suicide is by no means a simple issue, for it hinges on a spectrum of ethical, legal, sociological and psychological problems. Suicide is a type of deliberate self-harm and is defined as a human act of self-intentioned and self-inflicted cessation. It ends with fatal outcome. The unsuccessful attempt of self killing is called suicide attempt.

“Suicide is a permanent solution for a temporary problem”. Suicide is the second commonest manner of unnatural death flanked by accident and homicide. Religiously speaking suicide is a dishonorable act. Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism etc., all religions condemn suicide. Riligiously spaking person who has committed suicide will receive less honor in receing the riligious formalities. Suicide is off two tyeps, ‘selfish’ suicide, and ‘nonselfish’ suicide. Majority of suicides falls under selfih suicides, i.e. to escape from certain responsibilties or competition, some are due to lack of self cofidance, threat from various sources, poverty, fear of prosecuation etc. People who attempt or complete suicide usually suffer from extreme emotional pain and distress, failed to cope with their problems. They are likely to suffer from mental illness, particularly severe depression, and to feel hopeless about the future.

In the legal perspective, suicide is a crime (Indian Penal Code, 309). People who has committed suicide may not be aware of consequences of these laws, but failed suicide victims are punishable by upto one year impronsonment. According to Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, and psychiatrist- Karl Menninger, all suicides have three interrelated and unconscious dimensions: revenge/hate (a wish to kill), depression/hopelessness (a wish to die), and guilt (a wish to be killed). Clinical psychologist, Edwin Schneidman described suicide as sense of unbearable psychological pain. Mass suicides were known from the history where people committed suicides against government policies or severe communal threat, but individual suicides are mostly considered as helplessness created by the circumstances (society) which could be personal (self) or government policies.

In the Asian subcontinent, past from history, individual suicides are not new since many warriors and great leaders committed suicides just to avoid persecution. Even in ancient Egypt, people considered suicide a humane ‘way to escape intolerable conditions’. In Indian scenario, suicides are higher in upper middle class families and greater in lower middle class families. Among educated, highly educated people show higher suicide tendency [JIAFM, 2004, 26(2)]. In India, the suicide rates are alarmingly increasing, especially among men, and more specifically among married men. According to National Crime Records Bureau, “in every 10 minutes a husband is committing suicide in India due to domestic violence and financial abuse by wife and her family”. Males are four times more likely to die from suicide than are females (world wide strategy). Statistics show that males out numbered females in ‘committing’ suicide. However, females are more likely to ‘attempt’ suicide than are males. Suicide tendency also increase with age. Suicide rates among the elderly are highest for those who are divorced or widowed. According to Emile Durkheim, a modern sociologist, marriage is a protector against suicide. As per the study conducted by psychologist Jason B. Luoma, divorced or widowed women showed low suicide tendency compared to men in that condition. This is due to higher prevalence of depression, a greater use of highly lethal methods and social isolation. In pre-modern India, the bonds of family and community provided succor in times of distress. In modern India, no combined family system exists, and individuals are left alone with failed marriages or family disputes.

Males are more exposed to society than females, for this reason any turbulence in their personal, professional life intern affects their social stature. This could be the reason why there is about 64.6 % men commit suicide in India every year. The married men’s suicide rate is extremely high (46.4%) in India, and at least 21.2% married men suicides are directly due to spousal violence (National Crime Records Bureau). Divorce or marital separation seems to be more than doubled the risk of suicide in men, whereas in women, marital status was unrelated to suicide. Thus suicide is a serious public health problem among men. Think of families of our friends who have committed suicide, their sufferings are doubled and their grief is in multitudes. Who should us blame- person, or circumstance? I agree that circumstances are more powerful than man (man here refers mankind), but man is much stronger than circumstances since man creates circumstance. Winning one’s self is important than losing. We are born to live, hence live life to its fullness.

If you have been thinking about suicide, get help right away. Talk to someone you trust as soon as you can. Suicide has a devastating emotional impact on surviving family members and friends. Parents often suffer exaggerated feelings of shame and guilt. Because of the social stigma, or shame, surrounding suicide, survivors may avoid talking to others about the person who died, and others may avoid the survivors. Helping someone who is suicidal can be very stressful too. Don’t you want to find meaning of your life? Don’t you want to show what you’re to the society? Don’t you want to make a difference? Then fight against self killings, tell distressed how you succeeded. Join hands – let’s fight against self-killings. STOP MEN SUICIDES.