Suicide among youths identifying risks and protective factors

Abstract

Suicide is an act of deliberate self-harming or injuring self, intending to end one's own life. Suicide is not a disease, and it does not always result in death. However, suicide or a suicidal attempt has some associated behaviour and thoughts that are significant public health issues. According to World Health Organisation (2019), suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among youths worldwide, aged 15-29.According to NCRB (2019), it has been revealed that Tripura ranked 7th among all the states of India and 2nd among the North-Eastern states after Sikkim in terms of suicide cases. Globally as well as nationally, India's suicide rate is increasing alarmingly and its grievous contribution to world statistics. The generation of youth of this country is more vulnerable to suicide, and it has become a serious matter of concern globally. There are certain psychological, social, and environmental risk factors like stress, depression, trauma, etc. that make a youth more vulnerable and prone to suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Similarly, certain protective factors help the youths against suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviours, eventually protecting them from committing suicide The current review article aims to ascertain the risk factors of suicide among the youths. It also aims at finding the protective factors of suicide among the youths and how these can be executed to curb the issues. Though the terms ‗Social Exclusion and ‗Inclusive Policy‘ are of relatively recent origin, Swami Vivekananda‘s versatile thoughts and action make him the pioneer of these concepts. Many years ago, he strongly professed the causes and nature of misery of masses, poor, illiterate people of India. He boldly condemned all-social evils and advocated how to include the excluded people in mainstream life. Swami Vivekananda‘s thoughts were reflected in the recent policy measures of social inclusion of different countries in the World. He also preached the „Advaita‟ (nonduality) concept of Vedantic Philosophy, whichis perfectly relevant and unique, as it insists upon the way of spiritual socialism through which true egalitarian human society is possible in a real sense. In the present paper, a humble attempt has been made to focus on the subject matter of social exclusion and inclusive policy in the light of Swami Vivekananda‘s epoch-making thought.