Socio-Economic and Cultural Aspects of Suicide

Suicide is considered as a major public and mental health problem. In 2000, approximately 8, 15,000 person committed suicide i.e. 14.5 per 100000 populations 1. On the other hand, approximately 20 million people attempt suicide every year throughout the world 1. In India, suicide is among the top ten causes of death. The current national suicide rate for India is 10.3 per 100000 populations 2. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, West Bengal (13.3%), Maharashtra (13.1%), Andhra Pradesh (11.2%), Tamil Nadu (10.5%) and Karnataka (10.3%) contributed 58.4% of total suicide in India 3. Interestingly, densely populated states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar contribute relatively less suicides. Under-reporting may be an important cause for this significant difference between different states.