Every year 10th Sept is observed as an awareness day for Suicide Prevention. The International Association of Suicide Prevention (IASP) along with World Health Organization (WHO) and World Federation for Mental Health (WFHM) hosts events and campaigns across the world on World Suicide Prevention Day, to bring attention towards increasing number of suicide cases.

Last few years, there has been a dimensional change in social life of people. Especially advent of social media has led to increase in openness of individual’s life. This openness has brought us to an unsaid competition, peer pressure and eagerness to part of different socio cultural groups. Failing to reach the expected outcome at times lead to depression, this is where the seed for suicide tendency is sown unknowingly.

Some research says suicide tendency is more in the age group of 15-24 years. This is the time youth have pressure of Education, Results, Selections, Career, Peer pressure, Love, sexual orientation and social acceptance in desired groups. The pressure is both external from families, friends and many a times internal.

It’s high time we go back to our age old Sanatan strong family and social structures. We had systems in our lifestyle with very simple processes but which actually meant a lot in broad perspective.

Some points which could help in strong family and social bonding –

• A family bond with simple rule; family members to together have at least one meal a day
• A regular communication between siblings and cousins. Bringing this back helps youth to discuss their life events, thoughts and activities in same age group
• Regular family and friends get together. Before various social media tools we present people use to meet more frequently, now people find themselves happy meeting on social media groups
• Throwing challenges to children by giving them responsibility of certain tasks and making them accountable for it
• Life is not easy in outside world, children should be made ready to fail, accept it and learn from it
• Story is a very essential tool. Children should be told stories of ancestors, elders, Kings and God’s. Tell them how they accepted challenges, understood their goals and achieved them
• Help children read and understand our sculptures, Vedas, Ramayan, Bhagwat Geeta etc. This would give them inner strength and will also help to fill a time-void which unknowingly brings up negative thoughts

In middle age group also depression and suicide tendency is increasing. Many feel they are unable to keep up with expectations of others or what they have set for themselves. Some research also shows tendency of suicide is most common in Middle class people (both Upper and lower) as they find themselves in mid way on almost all related domains of life.

For middle aged or mid career people it becomes essential to acquire a skill or understand their passion. Take up a challenge to learn a new language (eg. Sanskrit), a new musical instrument, Digital designing, Video making/editing, Meditation, Yog, take up a new course or volunteer in social activities. This will help to fill the emptiness in life, will help to generate new ideas, enhance positive thinking and creativity; result will be sense of achievement and accomplishment.

Tendency for depression and suicide is more due to internal thoughts built over a period of time. We should closely watch ourselves and if we find self living in thoughts & imaginations than if possible take professional help and learn something new.

Let’s work towards creating a structure, a system which recognizes people based on their qualities, abilities and inclusiveness to reduce depression and suicides.