From January 2005 to June 2022, as many as 573 suicides were reported in Pakistan-occupied Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region.
The report titled “Prevention of Suicides in Gilgit Baltistan: An Integrated Multisectoral Strategy and Roadmap for Implementation,” identified lack of jobs and academic pressure as leading causes of suicidal deaths; the number of cases in 2022 was twice that in 2021, reported Dawn.
A host of other factors, including sociocultural stigma, communication gap between parents and children and limited access to professional psychological help are resulting in an increase in suicide cases in Gilgit-Baltistan, said the report.
The number of cases has drastically increased in 2022 with 65 cases being reported in the first seven months, more than double, as compared to 2021, the report said, quoting the government’s data.
Of these, 79 per cent of the deceased were in the age bracket of 15 to 39 years, while more than half of all deaths were in males (54 pc), reported Dawn.
The most number of incidents occurred in Ghizer district, (64.9 pc), followed by Gilgit (10.7 pc), Skardu (8 pc) and Hunza (7.5 pc), the report said.
Out of the 556 cases — for which data on marital status was available — 54 pc were single while among married, 47 pc were males and 53 pc were females, reported Dawn.
According to the data, depression was the leading cause of suicides, with mental health issues and domestic issues being the other reported reasons.
However, in the absence of a robust data collection mechanism, these numbers might under-represent the true extent of the cases, the report said, adding that families also hide such cases for the fear of stigma, and refusal of the religious leaders to offer a proper burial.
The report has highlighted several challenges at the community, as well as the administrative level which hampers the development of a comprehensive policy to deal with the cases of suicide, reported Dawn.
“There is a near absence of mental health care infrastructure in the public sector in GB from the community to higher levels,” the report stated adding that the current health care system was incapable of responding to cases of suicide.
“Psychiatrists often have to fight for beds in the medical ward, as this is not considered a high priority by health administrators. No nursing or other supportive staff in inpatient areas are trained in offering in-patient care to patients presenting with acute psychiatric illnesses that require admission.”
The report pointed out that there was no system to collect data on suicide or self-harm and no psychiatric evaluation, risk assessment or follow-up was being done.
In terms of community-level challenges, the report added that a high degree of stigma associated with mental health, lack of communication between parents and children, academic pressure and limited avenues to express feelings were some factors resulting in higher suicides, reported Dawn.
“The tension between the traditional and the modern values in respect of the parents and their children, unhealthful competitiveness and comparison between families for academic achievement among the youth, the existence of traditional domestic differences sometimes leading to acts of violence, limited opportunities for employment among educated youth in GB, and abuse of social media […] were some of the key sociocultural and economic issues highlighted during these meetings and interviews,” the report added.
Calling it a complex problem, the report said multi-pronged short- and long-term strategies were needed for the prevention of suicides in GB.
To strengthen governance and regulation, the report recommended coordination among police, health and education sectors; capacity building of government institutions and decriminalisation of suicide, reported Dawn.