New report calls for action on youth suicides

With a huge adolescent population - because of its high level of fertility over the last few decades - this poor South Asian country has seen 1,160 people take their lives in the first six months of the year. According to data collected by Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid (LHRLA), a non-governmental organisation, most of them were aged between eight and 25. The deaths were in addition to 691 attempted suicides. Spelling out unemployment, domestic matters, poverty, occupational issues, emotional trauma, prolonged physical disease and psychological disorder as reasons for committing suicide, a recent study by the Punjab University's Centre for Clinical Psychology said some 22.3 per cent of those who took their lives were aged between 16 and 20. The university analysis showed that more men than women attempted and succeeded in committing suicide. "Students of professional colleges are more prone to attempting suicide than those studying in the general education colleges and universities owing to tremendous social and family pressures," it said. Attempting suicide is a criminal offence in Pakistan, with those found guilty liable to up to a year's imprisonment. Thus, to avoid legal implications, most suicides are declared to be accidental deaths. Attempted suicides are 10 times more frequent than successful ones. Many cases of attempted suicide have gone unreported because families reported the matter as an accident, Arifa Zainab, a psychologist and LHRLA researcher, told IRIN. During the past few years, suicide has been a major health issue among adolescents and young people. Its incidence is reported to be eight out of 100,000 men and women. "Although some stresses are common to both genders, new roles and expectations of young men in society may lead to loss of self-esteem should they find themselves unable to live up to other people's expectations," Prof Dr Nosheen K. Rehman, director of the Punjab University's Centre for Clinical Psychology, told IRIN. "These people usually become vulnerable to suicide if they lack appropriate supportive social networks or are unable to communicate their concerns," she said. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, young people in the country are deprived of opportunities for both education and recreation. "The need to provide young people with outlets to express their concerns, frustrations and grievances is growing by the day and is an issue that cannot be ignored any longer," the commission said in a statement. Most healthcare workers in Pakistan are unfamiliar with modern methods and approaches to treating mental illnesses, a major cause of suicide. "The stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness have compounded the problems stemming from an inadequate healthcare system," the NGO's report said. Although official statistics regarding suicides are not available, there has been some recognition of the problems that the country's young people face. Jointly conducted by the Population Council and the Federal Bureau of Statistics, the first national study on adolescents and youth, released last year, identified the social conflicts and cultural constraints that youth face in their environment. Based on a World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation that states focus on improving the treatment of mental disorders and the abuse of drugs and alcohol, in order to stem the number of suicides, the Pakistani government three years ago promulgated the Mental Health Ordinance 2001, which replaced the Lunacy Act of 1912. Under the new law, a person who attempts suicide shall be assessed by an approved psychiatrist and if found to be mentally disordered shall be treated. But legal experts say the Mental Health Ordinance has failed to be implemented. "The government should reassess its policy on mental health and take concrete steps to implement the law," Shafqatullah, a senior criminal offences lawyer, told IRIN. "A continued upward spiral in youth suicides is of particular national concern," lawyer Zia Awan, who heads LHRLA, told IRIN. "The government must immediately pursue a focused plan based on sound policy and intervention that reflects a commitment to equity, ethics human rights and gender equality," he said.