The municipal police department of Bhubaneswar has partnered with a Pune-based organization to increase awareness about suicide prevention. The officials involved will focus on suicide prevention measures as part of their strategy and address the mental health concerns of police personnel.

Soumitra Pathare, head of the Centre for Mental Health Law and Policy in Pune, said this was a new initiative. The Pune organization has previously worked on mental health concerns and suicide prevention.

Police records stated that around 5,482 persons reportedly committed suicide in the state in 2020, 5649 in 2021, and 6140 in 2022. Most of those impacted were between the ages of 25 and 40 and were the sole earners in their households. Suicides were purportedly caused by prolonged tension from a family quarrel. In other cases, the victims were students who took their own lives due to disagreements and personal difficulties such as failed love affairs.

Suicides can be avoided if prompt and focused interventions are implemented at the earliest. A police officer stated that several warning indicators, such as behavioral changes, precede most suicides. Approximately half of the victims had a pre-existing mental disorder. Suicides can be prevented if the patients problems are treated effectively and on time.

(Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/lens-on-mental-health-suicide-prevention/articleshow/99628485.cms)