Topic – Issues related to health
2) In recent years, suicide and other mental ailments have received intense attention, for they account for the majority of India’s health burden. Discuss the reasons behind high suicide death rate in the country and how India is responding to this health challenge?(250 words)
Why this question
The article analyzes in depth the problem of suicide and other mental ailments in India, discusses the reason why Indian society is prone to it and assesses how we have responded to the challenge. As the focus on mental health increases, the question would enable us to understand the problem and the steps taken to tackle it.
Key demand of the question
The question expects us to bring out the following in our answer
- Bring out the fact that suicide and mental ailments form a chunk of India’s disease burden
- From data on suicide death rates, gather insights into the high suicide death rates in the country
- Explain the reasons why suicide death rate is so high for India
- Bring out the steps taken to deal with this challenge and discuss the way forward
Directive word
Discuss – Here in your discussion, you need to bring out the reasons why suicide death rate is so high in the country and how India has responded to this health issue and way forward
Structure of the answer
Introduction– Discuss the Lancet report which bring out that suicide and other mental ailments form a major chunk of India’s mental health epidemic.
Body
- From data, comment on what can be said about the pattern of suicide death rates in the country
- suicide makes up a higher percentage of deaths in the more developed states of the south and western and central states have mid-level SDRs. The northwest and less developed north have low SDRs, while the east and north east have mixed rates
- Indian women’s SDRs are almost three times higher than the rates expected globally for countries at similar levels of socio- demographic development. By contrast, Indian men’s SDR, although higher than peer countries’ average, is less strikingly so.
- Discuss the reasons why suicide death rates are so high in India –
- Among the women, the death rates are linked to the socio economic burdens, societal factors etc
- Result of economic dislocation and change in social and community links it brings which can be destabilizing etc
- Discuss the steps taken by government to improve the situation – decriminalizing suicide and other steps and the impact of such steps
Conclusion – Give your view on the status of mental health issue and the way forward.
