SUICIDE IN PAKISTAN

Suicide in Pakistan

Abstract

Fashion of suicide alters broadly according to time, district, age assembly, sex, and race. Despite blended tendencies of rises or declines in suicide rates round the world, suicide continues an significant public-health problem. In an effort to realise and avert suicide, investigators have enquired health, psychosocial, heritage, and socio-economic risk components affiliated with the natural environment as an undertaking line of research. There is now substantial clues that childhood and family adversities in general for example childhood sexy and personal misuse, seeing household aggression, parental parting or end wedding ceremony and dwelling with matter mishandling, brain sick or lawless individual family constituents may be both powerfully interrelated and individually associated to suicidal demeanour in adolescents and adults. The approach in the direction of avoidance of suicide has to be multidisciplinary in Pakistani culture. To identify that harmful childhood knowledge that often take location as multiple events, recognising and healing those juvenile persons who have been revealed to such knowledge, encouraging expanded perception amidst parents, educators, and wellbeing professionals of the significant function that critical interpersonal adversities and dysfunctional cognitions can play in the development of suicidal demeanour in juvenile persons, and assisting parents change their maladaptive child-rearing demeanour could help.

Table of Contents

SUICIDE IN PAKISTAN4

1. INTRODUCTION: RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES OF SUICIDE IN THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN4

Aim of the Study7

Research Question7

2. INCIDENCE OF MENTAL ILLNESS IN PAKISTAN, AND RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL ATTITUDES TO THEM8

A. Mental Illnesses and their Prevalence in Pakistan8

B. Religious and Social Attitudes to Mental Illnesses13

(i) Islamic Attitudes to Mental Illness13

(ii) Social Awareness of Mental Illness and Attitudes to the Mentally Ill14

3. CURING MENTAL ILLNESS16

A. The Role of the Islamic Faith and Religious Healers16

B. Health Care for the Mentally Ill --- Limitations to Facilities and Access17

4. FACTORS UNDERLYING SUICIDES AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDES IN PAKISTAN19

A. Socio-Economic Factors19

B. Personal and Medical Conditions20

5. THE PROHIBITION AGAINST SUICIDE21

A. The Lunacy Act of 191221

B. Repealing the Lunacy Act: The Mental Health Ordinance, 200122

C. The Pakistan Penal Code Section 32523

6. JUDICIAL INTERPRETATIONS AND THE STATE OF THE LAW PROHIBITING SUICIDE23

A. Judicial Application of the Rules --- Relevant Cases23

B. Analysis of the Current State of the Law25

7. PREVENTING, RATHER THAN PROHIBITING SUICIDE IN PAKISTAN: SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LAW REFORM27

A. Addressing the Socio-Economic and Personal Factors Behind Suicide27

(i) Economic Conditions and Suicide27

(ii) Personal Problems: The Need for Expert and Community Recognition and Help28

(iii) The Medical Dimension31

B. REFLECTING CAUSAL FACTORS IN LEGISLATION, JUDICIAL INTERPRETATION, AND RELIGIOUS AND SECULAR EDUCATION33

8. OVERVIEW AND CONCLUSION36

Suicide in Pakistan

1. Introduction: Religious and Social Perspectives of Suicide in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Suicide is a recognised major public-health problem, worldwide. It is related to a number of risk factors like psychiatric disorders and psychological, social and biological factors. Death as a result of self-inflicted injuries has been reported to account for 1.5% of total deaths among all sexes, and ranked within the leading two causes of death among 15-34-year-old people in a selection of European countries and China, and is the 10th leading cause of death ...