Atal Setu Suicide Attempt: Psychiatrist Urges Mumbai Police To Take Down Clip As It Can Lead To 'Copycat' Suicides

A CCTV footage of a woman trying to jump off the trans-harbour link, also known as Atal Setu is going viral on social media. It is seen that the woman is at the other side of the safety barrier of Atal Setu, risking her life. Later, the video shows her attempting to jump but the cab driver acts immediately and grabs her by the hair. The very next moment, a Mumbai police intervenes and helps the cab driver to pull the woman up and this is how they saved her life.

It takes no time for a sensitive video to go viral these days. But how safe is the viral video for people who might get deeply impacted by it. People might find this video sensitive and disturbing.

How can the video be harmful?

Any video of a person attempting to kill themselves can have dangerous effects of people who are the rock bottom of their mental health and considering self-harm. It can be very triggering for them and also can encourage them to take a life-threatening step.

Usually, people suffering from depression or any other mental health problems are very vulnerable and often spend a lot time of time on social media trying to escape their reality and finding s ditraction. When they come across any such disturbing visuals that are often posted without any view descretion, it triggers the feeling of anxiety and hopelessness in them. They begin questioning their existence which is not very healthy to do if they are mentally not doing good already.

A Psychiatrist urges Mumbai police to take down the video

A psychiatrist named Soumitra took to his X (formerly Twitter) to share a post that urged the Mumbai police to take down the video of the woman attempting suicide. "I am a psychiatrist & work in field of suicide prevention. This video violates all international guidelines for media reporting of suicides. It can lead to "copycat" suicides and make the bridge a hotspot for suicide attempts", he captioned his post after retweeting Mumbai police's post.

Mental health of those around you is important. You can prevent a suicide by checking up on your colleagues and close ones who aren't doing well. It is important to spread awareness about the seriousness of mental health and advise more people to seek therapy so that they can get better.