Saving lives

SisterLivingWorks will host a talk on ways to bring down the suicide rate at the Mumbai University campus

The pressure of living in a city like Mumbai can often drive people to the edge. According to the World Health Organisation, India has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. “I lost my sister to it. So, I know the pain of losing a loved one, and this motivated me to help others get support in time,” says Gayatri Datta, founder of SisterLivingWorks that works towards suicide prevention. Datta will hold a talk on the need to identify people who have suicidal thoughts and intervene at the earliest in an upcoming workshop at Mumbai University on September 10.

“The highest number of suicides take place in the age group 15 to 33. This happens because people don’t recognise that their child is depressed. The family needs to be extremely supportive in such cases,” says Datta. The warning signs include frequently talking about death, withdrawing, a sense of isolation, feelings of hopelessness, trouble eating and/or sleeping and mood swings. According to NCRB, most men who committed suicide did so because of social and economic factors, whereas among women, the primary reasons were emotional and personal in nature. “There should be no stigma attached. A person in depression should be treated with love and not be judged,” she says.

The event will also have psychiatrist Harish Shetty parting with his insights on the subject while sharing his experience of handling patients who have battled suicidal thoughts.

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