By Nayak Paudel
Kathmandu, July 26: A total of 2,218 individuals have committed suicide during nearly four months of the nationwide lockdown imposed by the government from March 24 to July 21 in order to prevent COVID-19 spread.
According to the figures revealed by Nepal Police, they have recorded 2,202 suicide cases during the period. Despite 2,202 recorded cases, 2,212 individuals died because in some cases more than one individual committed suicide together.
“The major reasons behind suicides during lockdown were personal issues, social issues and economic problems,” said Deputy Inspector General of Police Niraj Bahadur Shahi, central police spokesperson.
The data revealed by police also distinguishes the ways of the suicides. Most of the suicides were committed by hanging (1,819), followed by consuming poison (341), jumping from high place (17), drowning (12), with weapons or tools (8), burning (4) and through electrocution (1) respectively.
The males dominated the cases of suicide with 1,172 of them involving men followed by 811 women and 235 children.
As per the police, they have been taking necessary steps in preventing suicide by coordinating with local governments and other concerned authorities.
“Coordinating with local levels, we have been conducting awareness programmes for people of various age groups with the facilitation of organisations

and experts working in the field of mental health,” said Shahi. Mental health experts accept that counselling is being provided through various organisations but it is a must that the organisations and government collaborate in expanding the counselling campaigns.
“Various problems in one’s life deteriorate the mental health issues and prompt an individual to commit suicide. Due to COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown, many individual’s mental health has worsened because of the effects in their day-to-day life,” said Dr. Ritesh Thapa, director and neuropsychiatrist at Rhythm Neuropsychiatry Hospital.
Mental health issue has been a hot topic as one of the important but neglected sectors of health by the government following which health officials and experts working in the sector of mental health have been raising their voice in order to make the government act on the issue.
“The government has hitherto not taken effective steps in mental health sector and if it continues with similar attitude even when the public have gone through difficult times in lockdown, it will be difficult to compensate for the losses in the near future,” Thapa added.
While the government’s policies and programmes for the new fiscal year have acknowledged the health sector as a priority, health experts have, however, wished that the government lived up to its commitment.
Meanwhile, Nepal Police ensured to have been conducting the investigation into every suicide case effectively as the criminal code states that abetment to suicide is a punishable crime.
“There is two years’ time for investigating a suicide case. If the investigators find out that someone forced an individual to commit suicide by creating such an environment, such person will be arrested,” said Shahi.