IN A NUTSHELL
Experts say that victims in such cases suffer from advanced depression.
This spawns feelings of intense hopelessness and isolation.
They start believing that death is the only way out.
They are unwilling to leave their children in a world that has treated them so harshly.
Increased awareness about mental health and encouraging people to seek the help required.
Important to look at those suffering from mental health issues as victims and not attach a stigma to their issues.
The recent instances in Raigad and Kashimira, where parents allegedly killed their own children before attempting suicide, have once again brought into focus the issue of mental health and undiagnosed depression.
Experts said that such extreme incidents occur due to an advanced stage of depression, which gives rise to heightened feelings of hopelessness and isolation. On Monday evening, Runa Sahni, a resident of Mahad in Raigad, had killed her six children, all of them aged ten years and less, before trying to end her life.
The same day, another horrific case also came to light in the Kashimira area in Thane district, where a couple tried to kill themselves as well as their 7-year-old daughter. Both the parents, however, survived, while the child died. Experts said that while both the incidents have some differences, they also have similarities where they have been suffering from depression so severe that they took their children's lives.
“This kind of extreme step is taken when the parent is feeling intense despair, coupled with the feeling that there will be nobody to look after their child after they are gone. In their state of mind, the parents are unwilling to leave their children at anyone else's mercy,” Dr Harish Shetty, a psychiatrist said.
Dr Shailesh Umate, a consultant psychiatrist added that such depression gives rise to hopelessness about the world that the victim is living in, as well as isolation from the world. In such a situation, the victims project their dark view of the world on their children, believing that the world will be as cruel to their children as it has been to them. Hence, the parents see no other option than to kill their children before ending their own lives.
“It is possible that the children might grow up in completely different circumstances and have a much better life than their parents. However, when depression reaches that advanced stage, the parents are often incapable of seeing this. I have interviewed survivors of suicide pact attempts, who have all said the same thing,” Dr Umate said.
Experts feel that there are a lot of factors that contribute to this feeling, and hence, taking the first step of reaching out for help is of paramount importance. “It doesn't necessarily have to mean seeking professional help. A person suffering from suicidal ideation is at that point where they only see the world in a certain way. Simply talking to someone who is not in such a negative state of mind could openup their mind to the possibility that all is not lost, and lives can be saved,” psychiatrist Dr Rashmi Joshi said.
As for measures to prevent such incidents, experts believe that awareness about mental health and sensitivity towards those battling mental health issues will make a huge difference. “Awareness campaigns about diseases like cancer and tuberculosis portray the patients as victims but the same sensitivity is not shown towards those suffering from depression. Survivors of suicide attempts go through the rest of their lives with a horrible stigma,” Dr Joshi said.
Dr Umate added that help is always available but not everyone knows where to seek it, leading to a large number of mental health issues remaining undiagnosed till extreme steps are taken. “Today, there are centres made available by the government for all states of society, in every district and every state. But there needs to be increased awareness so that the people know about these facilities,” he said. The reportage of suicides in the news media, too, has an impact on those contemplating similar steps.
“I have time and again written to news media organisations asking that they should not detail the methods of suicides, so that others do not get such ideas,” Dr Shetty said.
