No other behavior has health consequences as final as suicide- the taking of one’s own life. Psychologist and Anthropologist have long been fascinated by suicide, and have studied this behavior across many cultures the researches to date suggests many interesting cross-cultural different ways in which people of different cultures view not only death, but life itself. Suicide on the Indian Subcontinent.

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The Indian Subcontinent represent a major part of the world’s population, both in numbers and in the variations in religions, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and types of physical and mental health care. It consists of eight countries: India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives. Collectively, these countries comprise more than 1. 3 billion people, which makes it one of the most populous regions of the world.

Although many of the countries have their distinct culture, language, traditions, and religions, they also share many common factors, particularly in family traditions, attitudes toward the elderly and women, socio-economic conditions, and problems of overpopulation and low literacy rates. Many of the world’s major religions are represented in the Indian subcontinent including Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhs, and Christianity.

All these religions condemn suicide in one form or other. Although suicide is major public health problem globally and the subject is receiving considerable attention in the west, little is being done to address the problem in the countries of the developing countries, where large numbers of suicide take place. Many of the countries of the Indian subcontinent fall into this category.

Information on suicide on the Indian subcontinent stems mostly from Indian, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Of the remaining countries, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives, virtually nothing is known. Most of the countries have poorly developed mental health services and mental healths including suicidal behavior are given little importance where the priorities are infectious diseases, sanitations, and housing.

These are considerable problems in certifying and recording suicides in the countries of the Indian subcontinent these are legal, social, and religious reason for this, for example, suicide is considered a criminal act in Pakistan, punishable with jail term and heavy financial penalty. In Indian, until 1994 this provision was declared to be unconstitutional. However, threats from euthanasia groups and problems relating to dowry deaths have restored the penal status of attempted suicide in Indian.

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