We must replace silence with conversation, stigma with compassion, neglect with treatment and despair with hope.
Dr. Jaipal Chhabria
Every year, 10 September is observed as World Suicide Prevention Day to draw attention to one of the most painful and neglected public-health problems in the world. The theme for 2024–2026 is “Changing the Narrative on Suicide”, and in 2026 the call is “Start the Conversation.” The message is simple: suicide should not be surrounded by silence, shame and stigma. We must talk about it openly, compassionately and responsibly.
What is suicide?
Suicide is the intentional ending of one’s own life. However, suicide should not be understood simply as an individual decision or a consequence of one particular problem. It is usually the result of a complex interaction of psychological, social, family, economic, cultural and environmental factors.
The World Health Organization estimates that more than 720,000 people die by suicide every year worldwide. In 2021, an estimated 727,000 people died by suicide. Suicide was the third leading cause of death among people aged 15–29, while 73% of suicides occurred in low- and middle-income countries. For every suicide, there are many more attempts.
Suicide is therefore not only a mental-health issue. It is a public-health, social and economic issue requiring action from governments, health departments, schools, families, communities and civil society.
Psychological causes
Mental-health problems can significantly increase suicide risk. Depression, severe anxiety, substance-use disorders, trauma, loneliness and other psychological difficulties may make a person feel that there is no solution to their suffering.
But we must avoid the misconception that every person who dies by suicide has a diagnosed mental illness. WHO points out that many suicides occur during periods of acute crisis when a person temporarily loses the ability to cope with overwhelming stress. Relationship problems, financial difficulties, chronic illness, violence, abuse, loss and isolation can all contribute.
This is why early identification is so important. A person who is suffering needs someone who will listen without judgment and connect them with appropriate professional and social support.
Social causes
Social conditions can create enormous psychological pressure. Domestic violence, forced or unhappy marriages, family conflict, discrimination, social isolation, lack of education, unemployment and the breakdown of traditional support systems can all increase vulnerability.
Young people are particularly exposed to pressures related to education, employment, relationships and social expectations. Women facing domestic violence or restrictions on their choices may feel trapped when there is no safe support system.
The answer is not to blame the victim or the family. We need to create a society where asking for psychological help is considered an act of courage rather than a source of shame.
Economic causes
Poverty and economic insecurity can also contribute to despair. Unemployment, debt, loss of livelihood, food insecurity, illness-related expenses and inability to provide for one’s family can produce severe psychological stress.
This relationship is particularly important in rural and drought-affected areas. In Tharparkar, previous reporting has linked worsening economic conditions, declining agricultural yields, livestock losses and drought with increased vulnerability to suicide.
Economic hardship alone does not automatically cause suicide, but when poverty is combined with family conflict, isolation, poor healthcare and lack of hope for the future, the risk can become much greater.
Pakistan: a serious problem hidden by poor data
Pakistan faces a major challenge because reliable national suicide statistics are limited. WHO’s country data lists a suicide mortality rate of 6.09 per 100,000 population for Pakistan in 2019, but WHO also emphasizes that suicide data are frequently incomplete or under-reported because of stigma, misclassification and weaknesses in death-registration systems.
Therefore, we should not assume that available numbers represent the true scale of the problem.
Pakistan needs a reliable national suicide surveillance system covering hospitals, police records, death registration and mental-health services. Without accurate information, governments cannot identify high-risk communities or measure whether prevention programs are working.
The painful situation in Sindh and Tharparkar
The situation in Tharparkar deserves particular attention. Reports have repeatedly identified the district as having an exceptionally high number of reported suicides in relation to its population.
According to Tharparkar police figures reported by Dawn, 129 suicides were recorded in 2022, compared with 121 in 2021. Of the 129 reported deaths in 2022, 70 were females and 59 were males. The reporting also highlighted domestic violence, unhappy marriages, poverty, social isolation and weakened community support as important factors.
Earlier studies and reports have also identified drought, poverty, loss of agricultural livelihoods and livestock as contributing pressures. A psychological-autopsy study in Tharparkar found that financial constraints, chronic physical or mental-health problems and social difficulties were among the factors expressed by victims; notably, 48% of the cases studied involved teenagers.
More recent research involving more than 5,000 residents of Tharparkar has continued to highlight mental-health problems and lack of awareness as major concerns. Experts have also emphasized the stigma surrounding mental illness.
This is a warning that Tharparkar cannot be treated simply as another administrative district. It requires a special suicide-prevention program designed around its geographical, economic, cultural and healthcare realities.
Failure of the Sindh Government
The continuing problem also raises serious questions about the performance of the Sindh Government.
Establishing institutions is not enough. The people of Tharparkar need functioning mental-health services, trained professionals, emergency support, reliable data and continuous community-based prevention.
A 2023 report noted that despite the establishment of the Sindh Mental Health Authority, Tharparkar had only one psychiatrist serving the enormous district, while police records were also inconsistent and many cases were poorly investigated or classified.
This represents a failure not merely of healthcare but of governance.
The Sindh Government must accept that suicide prevention requires a long-term program rather than occasional seminars after another tragedy occurs.
Our recommendations
First, Sindh should establish a District Suicide Prevention Program in Tharparkar, with dedicated funding and measurable targets.
Second, every major hospital and rural health facility should have trained psychologists, psychiatrists or mental-health counsellors, with tele-psychiatry available in remote villages.
Third, schools and colleges should introduce mental-health awareness, emotional-life skills and confidential counselling for students.
Fourth, the government should establish a 24-hour suicide and mental-health crisis helpline connected to trained professionals and emergency services.
Fifth, accurate suicide and attempted-suicide data must be collected through hospitals, police, death registration and public-health departments while protecting families’ privacy.
Sixth, special programs must address domestic violence, forced marriages, child marriage and violence against women.
Seventh, economic programs in Tharparkar must address poverty, drought, water shortages, food insecurity, livestock losses and unemployment. Suicide prevention cannot succeed while people remain trapped in extreme economic insecurity.
Eighth, highly hazardous pesticides and other readily accessible lethal means should be regulated and safely stored. WHO identifies restricting access to highly lethal means as one of the evidence-based approaches to suicide prevention.
Ninth, media organizations must report suicides responsibly and avoid sensationalism, speculation or unnecessary details about the method. Responsible reporting can help rather than increase harm.
Tenth, religious leaders, teachers, doctors, community leaders, NGOs and civil-society organizations should be trained to recognize warning signs and guide vulnerable people towards professional help.
Conclusion
Suicide is not a sign of weakness. It is often a sign that a person has reached a point where unbearable suffering has overwhelmed their ability to cope.
We must replace silence with conversation, stigma with compassion, neglect with treatment and despair with hope.
The people of Tharparkar deserve the same right to mental-healthcare and social protection as every other citizen of Pakistan. Every life lost is not merely a statistic—it is a parent, child, brother, sister, husband, wife or friend whose absence leaves a permanent wound.
On World Suicide Prevention Day, 10 September 2026, let us start the conversation.
The Sindh Government must act before another life is lost. Suicide is preventable, and prevention must become a public-health priority.
Read: Desperate cries: Suicides increase in Tharparkar
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Dr. Jaipal Chhabria – Committee Against Human Rights Violation, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Sindh
