New Delhi: On June 14, India especially Bollywood fans got the shocking news of the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. An actor who in a very short time had garnered a huge fan base had allegedly died of suicide. The incident sparked a huge debate about mental health and suicide in the country with many people equating suicides with weakness.

Since 2003, the  World Suicide Prevention Day is observed annually on September 10th. It is organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH).

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WHO has reported that around 8,00,00 people die each year, due to suicide i.e. 1 death every 40 seconds. According to the data released by the  National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in 2019 an average of 381 deaths by suicide was recorded daily. The total fatalities by suicide were 1,39,123 and an increase of 3.4 percent was observed in 2019 as compared to 2018. It also said that for every 100 suicide deaths, 70.2 were male and 29.8 females.

Numerous factors such as financial distress, personal loss, the pressure to conform, can overwhelm and push an individual to take an extreme step. Some researchers also say that there might be a genetic link to suicide. With the pandemic, there is an increased focus on mental health as work from home and lockdown took a toll on people. Many have reported feeling depressed and frustrated. A report by CNN quoted a survey by the Indian Psychiatric Society in April that showed out of 1,685 participants, 40% were suffering from mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression, due to the pandemic.

If you are feeling depressed and have suicidal thoughts or know someone who does, then these steps can help:

Call a suicide helpline- If thoughts of suicide are overwhelming you or you know someone who may have indicated suicidal thoughts, then helplines can be useful. There are several organisations that help people in distress. This year the Ministry of Social Justice also launched ‘KIRAN’ Mental Health Rehabilitation Helpline Number - 1800-599-0019 which is a 24/7 active, toll-free national helpline number.

It's important to reach out- Don't hesitate to ask for help in dealing with your feelings and problems.

Don’t ignore signs- Feeling of hopelessness, worthlessness, isolation, agitation, a family history of mental illness, underlying psychiatric issues such as clinical depression, post-traumatic stress disorder are some of the factors that can make a person more susceptible to suicidal tendencies.

Depression does not mean you are weak- Depression is a mental illness and not a yardstick to measure a person's strength. A person requires proper medical intervention and support to deal with it, rather than just motivational speeches.