Saturday, 10 October 2020 | PNS | Dehradun
30 per cent rise in suicidal tendency during pandemic
The data of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in 2019 reported that with 516 suicides Uttarakhand was at the third spot among Himalayan states in number of suicides. Senior neurologist at SRHU Himalayan hospital, Dr Deepak Goyal said that a 30 percent increase in suicidal tendencies was noticed during the pandemic of COVID 19 and an increase of 50 percent occurred among girls and women. “It is not a simple and easy task to identify when someone is having suicidal thoughts. However, some of the warning signs are when a person is talking about feeling hopelessness, trapped or alone, preparing a will or giving away personal possessions. Too much or too little of sleep, significant weight gain or loss, excessive alcohol or drug consumption and avoiding social interactions are other signs of such tendency,’’ he said.
The Psychologist at Himalayan hospital, Dr Malini Srivastava, said that on noticing any of the alarming signs in any person measures like showing empathy towards the patient and taking service of a professional should be taken. She added that researches have supported that yoga postures, deep breathing techniques (Pranayama) if practiced twice daily can help in removing thought of suicide.
