SUICIDE: CAUSES & EFFECT ON SOCIETY

A PROJECT REPORT

Submitted by

BHAVYA GUPTA

(BAL/026/18)

Of

BA.LL.B (Hons.)

DHARMASHASTRA NATIONAL LAW

UNIVERSITY
Under the guidance of

Ms. DEEPLAXMI CHILE

&

Ms. VARSHA GUMASHTA

Suicide: causes & effect on Society 2018-2023

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Many people have contributed to this project work by their physical & intellectual support. First
I would like to thanks our Vice Chancellor Professor Balraj Chauhan sir for giving me this
opportunity to make a live project. Many thanks to our HOD Dr. V S Gigimon sir for his
support during the difficulties I faced. I would like to thanks to my supervisor & promoter Ms.
Deeplaxmi Chile Ma’am & Varsha Gumashta Ma’am for their support & ideas in writing this
report. They guided me very well during my studies & preparation of this report. Also I would
like to thanks my mentor Mr. Ashutosh sir & my class teacher Mr. Utkarsh sir for their
cooperation and kind support. Finally I express my deep gratitude & love to my parents for their
never ending support in my work.

BHAVYA GUPTA

(BAL/026/18)

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Suicide: causes & effect on Society 2018-2023

ABSTRACT
The overall aim of the project is to find out the various reason behind suicide. Also its impact on
the society. The issue of suicide is very difficult to predict. There are various views about the
perspective of suicide. This research deals with the consequences of the suicide. This also deals
with the data collected for the suicidal tendencies specifically deals with gender, reasons and
effect & impact. There are various risk factors which deals with it and its prevention also. We
can prevent suicidal tendencies in youth by motivating them by campaigning, awareness
programs. This study also make a point about the punishment for suicide survivor which I
strongly disagree because this will increase the feeling of alienation and strong disconnection
with society which we need to overcome. Rather we should encourage them, motivate them and
make them aware about the consequences and impact on their families. At last, this will also give
a brief about its prevention.

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TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER NO. DESCRIPTION PAGE NO.

A Acknowledgement 02

B Abstract 03

C Table of Content 04

1 Research methodology 05-06

2 Introduction 06-07

3 Findings 07-08

4 Suggestions 09

5 Conclusion 10

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Suicide: causes & effect on Society 2018-2023

1 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
TITLE: SUICIDE: CAUSES & EFFECT ON SOCIETY

Statement of Problem: This project deals with the issue of suicide, its causes and effect on
society. The aim of the research is to make people aware about the consequences of suicide and
its forever mark on the family. Also it deals with the ideas to reform the personality & mentality
of suicide survivors and various risk factor related to it.

Scope of Study: This study is limited to my hometown Bhiwadi, Rajasthan.

Research Questions:

1. What are the various reason behind the suicide?

2. Is mental disorder or dipolar disease leads to people committing suicide?
3. How it can be prevented?
4. Is it possible to predict that particular person will be committing suicide?
5. Should suicide survivor be punished?

Research Objectives:

1. To analyze the impact of mental illness on the people who commit suicide.
2. To acknowledge the punishment or reformative aspect of the suicide
survivor.
3. To examine the different reason behind people committing suicide.
4. To find the average age of people committing suicide.

Research Methodology:

1. The nature of the study is purely sociological.

2. Both the type of data i.e. Primary & Secondary has been used.
3. Probability sampling has been used as there was random choosing i.e.
interviewing random people.

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Hypothesis:

1. The mental diseases like depression, bipolar depression or the weak

integration, faith, belief towards the society leads to people commit suicide.
2. Punishment should not be given to suicide survivor because it changes the
mentality of a person, the better option is to reform their personality.

2 INTRODUCTION
Suicide has been derived from a Latin word suicidium which means the “act of taking one’s own
life”. It is performing an act which result in voluntary death of a person. Suicide is nevertheless a
private act. Suicide is a symptom and sign of serious depression. It is an irrational desire to die. It
is a major cause of death across the world. Some cultures, regard suicide as an honorable act
given the conditions, in others it is blamed as an impious act against providence or as an illegal
act against the laws of the State. Suicide has become different things to different people a sin, a
Fundamental, human right, a disease, or a social ill.

Emile Durkheim mentioned in his book Suicide 1897, that suicide is neither an individual nor a
personal act. It is a social act. There are three major form of Suicide:

Egoistic Suicide: The people who have lost group attachment, they commit suicide because of
frustration. There is weak integration towards society. This type of suicide is committed by those
types of person who are self-centered and to whom self-regard is the highest thing. So egoistic
suicide implies that the person commits suicide when he thinks primarily of himself when he is
not integrated into the social group.

Altruistic Suicide: He argued that in case of military, altruistic suicide is most prominent
because the degree of integration is so strong that the individual will fell that he has disgraced
the entire group in its failure. In this type of suicide, person has closeness with the society or say
social integration.

Anomic Suicide: It is caused due to extreme frustration of an individual. It is concern with

social disorganization and imbalance when society is in industrial and financial crisis. It is more
likely to occur when regulation is too weak.

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HISTORY
In ancient Greece, suicide as not considered as a wrong if it had a valid justification. But Plato
was against suicide except three situation i.e. when legally ordered by state; for painful and
incurable disease and when one is compelled to do it due to intolerable misfortune.

In ancient Rome, suicide was not prohibited for citizen but it was forbidden for slaves due to
economic consideration and for soldiers because of patriotic reason. At that time, life as not
considered as gift of God.

In middle ages, it was regarded as result of something wrong due to madness. Due to
renaissance, the general perception towards suicide changes.

3 FINDINGS
India accounted for 37 percent of all suicides reported globally for women and 26 percent for
men. In 2016, an estimated 230,300 Indians died of suicide, a 40 percent increase from 1990 and
only slightly less than the casualties from traffic accidents reported that year.

15 out of every 100,000 Indian women died because of suicide in 2016 and this rate was double
the world average for women. Twenty-one out of every 100,000 Indian men died because of
suicide, too, and the rate is higher than that of the women.

Young women between the ages of 15 and 30 were the most vulnerable and more prone to dying
by suicide [than older women]. After 30, suicide rates among women dropped drastically. 

Asian women have the highest suicide rates in the world. Sixty percent of all women who died
by suicide are from India and China. Interestingly, over the last five years, the suicide rate in
rural Chinese women has drastically reduced, but in India, the figures haven't gone down.1

1
National Public Radio Suicide by Women Is a Major Public Health Concern in India 25 September 2018

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DATA ANALYSIS
There is a gender gap in the rate of suicide as male possess high suicidal rates in comparison to
woman. It is true that male rates are higher but the rates of attempting the suicide is higher in that
of woman. After attaining the age of 30, woman tendencies to attempt become less as
comparison to males because it is regardless of their age. Domestic violence is the major reason
particularly for the housewives. It is regardless to the point of education because in the
developed state of Tamil Nadu female rates of suicide is much higher than males.

CAUSES
1. Mental disorder: Mental illness which include depression, bipolar disease,
schizophrenia, etc. are the major cause for suicide. This is a very basic problem for
suicidal people.
2. Loss of hope: Generally people loses hope very easily. When they think they are useless,
they can’t do anything. They lose faith and belief in themselves. They loses confidence,
determination power, inner conscience, etc.
3. Substance Abuse and Impulsivity: Drugs and alcohol can make a person even more
impulsive to commit suicide. Drugs can induces a person to commit anything. Even it
increases the confidence of people to commit suicide.
4. Loss or fear of loss: A person may decide to commit suicide when facing a loss or the
fear of a loss. The situations are as follows:
 Ending a relationship or a close friendship
 Losing a job or being unemployed
 Financial problems
 Losing a social position
 Academic failure
 Bullying, shaming, or humiliation
5. A cry for help: Sometime people attempt suicide not because they actually want to die
but because they don’t find any another way to cry out. They just want to cry it out.

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SUGGESTIONS
In order to prevent suicide, there is a need of vision, plan, and a proper set of strategies. This
effort should be ensured by taking into consideration the suicidal data or say rates in each state.
There should be campaign to motivate people.

Section 309 of IPC talks about punishment for suicide survivor which says whoever wilfully
attempts to takes one’s own life shall be punished for a term which may extend to one year
imprisonment. But accordingly this should not be the justified rule. A jail term may not be the
solution for this problem. Society should understand that suicidal thoughts point to mental illness
caused by depression resulting from stress, frustration, perceptions of failure, inability to meet
family needs, unemployment or job loss, marital problems, loss of a loved one and drug abuse
among other causes. First of all, we need to understand the critical situation of a person who
commits this so we need to motivate him/ her, help them. Also encourage them, enforce new
hope to live a life. If we punish them, their mentality will change & they will again start feeling
weak integration towards the society. We need to decriminalize this law.

Also there are some religious practices santhara which means fasting until death. This should
also be called as suicide but it is not. Supreme Court of India did not want to interfere in
religious matters but it should also be counted as suicide. But the Hindu perspective about
suicide is not acceptable as mentioned in Vedas.

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CONCLUSION

Suicide is related to lack of social integration and feeling of alienation. The increasing rates of
suicide in India suggests that suicide prevention efforts made by the government till now are not
effective and efficient in reducing the suicidal tendencies. The research conclude that India is
still bearing the disease of suicide which has to curb as soon as possible. Also predicting
someone suicidal indication is very difficult as it happens suddenly and we can’t even believe
that. But we can prevent this by helping depression or bipolar patients in their medical treatment.
It is also important to note that suicidal behavior is not necessarily related to mental illness. It is
also related to various other reason like unemployment and alcoholism etc. Also the tendencies
for suicide is much more in young woman in comparison to males. After the age of 30 the
suicidal tendencies in female become less as they are inclined toward family but in case of males
there is no age specific issue. So we need to make motivate young females and males and help
them to change their lives.

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