Towards the end of June, 45-year-old Sohan Lal Kadela was found dead in the town of Raisinghnagar in Rajasthan. Lal was a farmer, who took out a crop loan of Rs 2.5 lakh. Unable to repay, and facing pressure to do so, he committed suicide by ingesting pesticides. “People have been troubling me and demanding …
Did the state budget promise relief for farmers in Rajasthan? Read More »
When we think about tuberculosis (TB), we think of deaths due to the condition itself or other diseases such as HIV. Yet there is another comorbidity which often goes overlooked: TB and mental illness. The recent death of a student by suicide has brought this condition to light. India struggles with mental health issues as …
Mental illness and TB: A comorbidity overlooked? Read More »
In Gujarat last month, voters turned to the polls to protest water scarcity in the state – by sitting them out entirely. The 17th Lok Sabha polls in Ahmedabad was the scene of fanfare on April 23rd, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi cast his vote in this year’s elections. However, elsewhere in the state, many …
When voters boycotted polls because of water scarcity in Gujarat Read More »
It is not even summer season and great swathes of India’s land are suffering from drought, recently published data reveals. This is according to an IndiaSpend analysis of figures from the Drought Early Warning System (DEWS), which contains dire implications for an enormous number of Indians and a sizeable proportion of the country’s land. At …
Mental health disorders affect roughly ten percent of Indians. 56 million Indians suffer from depression alone and 38 million experience anxiety disorders. Despite this, there is an enormous shortage of mental healthcare professionals across the country and much stigma is attached to the condition, dissuading many from coming forward and seeking treatment. “There is a …
In three years 16,324 farm labourers committed suicide Much of the attention surrounding the suicide crisis on India’s farmlands has centred around the farmers. However data shows that farm workers are killing themselves in droves, in what is the latest spotlight shone on the desperation and despair faced by those who till India’s soil and …
It’s not just farmers who are killing themselves. Farm workers are too. Read More »
The former Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief and Additional Director General of Police in Maharashtra committed suicide on May 11. Himanshu Roy had been fighting cancer since 2000. Some have speculated that post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may have played a rolein his death. This high profile incident has spotlighted lacking mental healthcare within India, …
Suicide of former Maharashtra ATS chief highlight lack of mental healthcare Read More »
On April 19, seventeen-year-old Kadali Shanmukha was found dead. The previous day, Bheem Singh had also been found dead. What links the two deaths is that both were suicides and that Shanmukha and Singh were both students. Shanmukha, aged just seventeen, was a senior intermediate student at the Bhashyam Junior College in Kakinada. Singh was …
President Ram Nath Kovind warns of a potential “mental health epidemic” in India, spotlighting an issue of great concern to public health. Mental health issues are often stigmatised in India, leading to many not seeking help. President Kovind stressed the need to increase access to mental health treatment facilities during a speech at the 22nd …
Are climate change and suicides linked? A recent study published in the journal PNAS suggests so, drawing a correlation between increasing temperatures and suicides in India. In the words of Dr. Vikram Patel, an influential Indian psychiatrist and mental health expert with Harvard Medical School, “farming is an inherently risky occupation, with annual incomes often …
Are farmers committing suicide over climate change? Read More »
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