The Pattern of Suicide in Pakistan

Abstract

There is paucity of information on suicide from Pakistan, an Islamic country in which data collection poses formidable challenges. A variety of social, legal, and religious factors make reporting and diagnosing suicide difficult. Paradoxically, incidents of suicide are regularly reported in newspapers in Pakistan. In the absence of other means these reports serve a useful, though basic information source for suicidal deaths. A 2-year analysis of all such reports in a major newspaper in Pakistan showed 306 suicides reported from 35 cities. Men (n = 208) outnumbered women by 2:1. While there were more single than married men, the trend was reversed in women. The majority of subjects were under 30 years of age and "domestic problems" was the most common reason stated. More than half the subjects used organophosphate insecticides, while psychotropics and analgesics were used infrequently. The study challenges the widely held belief that suicide is a rare phenomena in an Islamic country like Pakistan, and underscores the need for more culture specific research on this important public health problem.

Suicide Kills More Than 10,000 People Every Year in Bangladesh

“…The rate we observed was lower than the suicide rate in India (Eddleston & Konradsen, 2007;Gajalakshmi & Peto, 2007) but higher than other Muslim countries such as Pakistan and Kuwait (Khan & Reza, 2000;Krug, Dhalberg, Mercy et al, 2000), noting that it has been found that the rate of suicide is considerably lower in Islamic countries (Khan, 1998).…”

Suicide and Islam

“…Khan and Reza (2000) identified 306 suicides reported in an English-language broadsheet (DAWN) during 1996-1997 in Pakistan. The modal suicide was male (68%), under the age of 30 (82%), single (58%), committing suicide for domestic reasons (78%), and ingesting poisons (39%).…”

Suicide in Asia

“…Interestingly, investigations in India (Ponnudurai & Jeyakar, 1980) and Pakistan (Khan & Reza, 2000) have highlighted the increased incidence of suicide in married compared to single or divorced women, contrary to the expectation that being married is a protective factor. Specific factors that are associated with suicide and more unique to marriage in this part of the world are early marriage and motherhood, lack of autonomy in choosing a marital partner, and economic dependence on the husband.…”