Suicide in India: From criminalisation to compassion

Résumé

Comments on an article by Vikram Patel et al. (2012). Patel et al. calculated that 187 000 suicides occurred in 2010, ranking second among causes of mortality in people aged 15–29 years— whereas this year WHO estimated that 258 000 Indians died by suicide in 2012, a third of all suicides worldwide. Despite a huge unmet need of psychiatric morbidity, few resources are available for suicide prevention. India spends just 0·06% of its health budget on mental health, compared with 10·8% spent by England. The 2013 draft Mental Health Care Bill, together with the launch of India's first National Mental Health Policy, and now clarification of the legal status of people who attempt suicide, are all welcome and desperately needed measures. The Law Commission specifically cited the dehumanising effects of Section 309, perhaps signifying a shift from legal and philosophical arguments about the existence of a right to die to recognition of suicide as a health issue. Overturning Section 309 represents more than the end of a law. It demonstrates the Indian Government’s potential to contribute to a global cultural shift towards a pragmatic and compassionate approach to suicide. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved) INDE ASIE SUICIDE-COMPLÉTÉ JURIDIQUE ATTITUDE