Rise in suicides amid pandemic causes concern in Kozhikode

Death of nine persons within a week a shocker for counsellors

Despite the active functioning of helplines and counselling services for supporting those in distress, the recent spike in the number of unnatural deaths continues to be a concern for the district amid its fight to survive the pandemic threat. The death of nine persons within a week has come as a shocker for many in the counselling field. To the dismay of the Health Department, some of those who took the extreme step had been tested positive for COVID-19. Psychiatric counsellors say one of the major reasons behind the suicides was the pandemic-induced financial crisis which dealt a heavy blow to many low-income families. Mental illness too was a reason. The death of a father and his mentally-challenged daughter at Ramanattukara last week was one of such shocking incidents in the district. According to their family sources, the father was in a miserable situation as he could not continue the treatment of his daughter owing to the pandemic-induced financial crisis and curbs on movement.