Aqib Ullah
We have received many news over the past few days , as four people committed suicide, including three women. The reason behind this is still unknown, but there are many researches that have been done to know the reason behind committing suicide in a particular season, especially in summer and the start of spring.
There are many psychological, biological, and social reasons behind this unexpected and sad trend of committing suicide in summer, especially among youth in Chitral. Social reasons like higher expectations, domestic issues, bad results, comparison, feeling ignored, and other such sort of issues may also contribute to coerce people into taking their own lives. These reasons have been and are being discussed on a regular basis by many people on different platforms, so that\’s why I don\’t want to go into detail about social reasons, but the psychological and biological reasons being discussed should also not be ignored.
People suffering from severe depression often have low energy during the winter season. That\’s why they might have suicidal thoughts, but due to lack of energy and motivation in winter, their thoughts can\’t become dominant over them. But when the summer season arrives and reaches its zenith, the longer days and warmer weather increase the energy level to act suddenly by giving practical shape to the thoughts hunting them the whole year. That\’s why the summer season becomes more dangerous for the people who are mentally unwell and not given the proper care and attention the whole year, because mental health is always ignored, especially in far-flung areas like Chitral.
A psychological illness known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is also prevalent , which is not given any heed, and occurs in summer, although rarely, instead of winter. For the people contracting this, the sun brings discomfort and a low mood, worsening the existing emotional challenges.
Biological changes also play a great role, as some scientists believe that brain chemicals like serotonin, melatonin, and cortisol shift during warmer weather , not always improving mood; rather, they bring more emotional chaos among the people already going through a rough patch. These changes lead to impulsive behaviour and can lead to severe anxiety and depression
Each and everyone has to play their role in this regard, from teachers to administration to religious scholars. Even a single person should know how to behave when anyone in front of them is showing any sign of mental exhaustion. Realisation sessions must be arranged by the administration and the solutions to curb this should be discussed openly.
During Friday sermons, our religious scholars can touch this topic, highlighting the teachings of Islam in this regard. Even an individual, whether a brother, friend, sister or anyone, should understand the seriousness of mental illness so next time when someone looks mentally exhausted or seems to be facing any pressure mentally, they can console them instead of judging and giving futile suggestions.
In schools and colleges, the teachers should give the freedom to students to discuss everything with them whenever they face any sort of burden on their head. And perchance, then slowly and gradually, we will be able to develop an educated society where everyone will know the importance of mental health.