T’puram: Thiruvananthapuram bucked Kerala’s suicide trend in 2024, with deaths in the capital rising 16.8% to 479 even as the state recorded a marginal decline. Kerala reported 10,865 suicides in 2024, lower than 10,972 in 2023, while Thiruvananthapuram’s figure rose from 410 to 479, according to NCRB’s Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India 2024 report released this year.Family problems were the largest recorded category in the city, accounting for 225 of the 479 deaths, nearly half of the total. Illness was recorded in 94 cases, while 30 suicides were classified under drug abuse or alcoholic addiction. Moreover, 14 have committed suicide due to cancer and 17 due to mental illness. Bankruptcy or indebtedness accounted for 19 deaths, while 23 were attributed to love affairs.The experts called for greater emphasis on strengthening social relationships and support systems, particularly among young people, to help them cope with mounting social pressures and emotional distress.Professor and head of Sociology department at Kerala University, Sandhya R S, said growing societal expectations around success and material accumulation could be placing immense pressure on individuals, particularly when adequate economic opportunities to meet those expectations are lacking.“Society puts immense pressure on individuals to grow, succeed and accumulate material wealth. But society as a whole has not been able to provide adequate economic means and opportunities for everyone to meet these expectations. This gap can create immense pressure as job stress, leading to feelings of helplessness and sadness. This could lead a person to take extreme steps,” she said.Associate professor of sociology at Government KNM Arts and Science College, Thiruvananthapuram, Jyothi S Nair, said the deterioration of communication between individuals was weakening social connections.“Even within families, people can be physically together but emotionally disconnected. In many couples, one partner may spend time watching reels instead of engaging with the other,” she said.Nair also stressed the need for sustained govt support for children who lose a parent to suicide, saying they were among those who suffer the most and require greater emotional and social support.A practicing criminal lawyer in Kerala High Court, Rahul V I, said efforts to strengthen social connections should begin at the school level through govt-backed policies. Educational tours, NSS camps and adventure camps could provide children with opportunities to build interpersonal bonds and improve social awareness, he said.“Awareness alone will not be enough. Govt support and policy interventions are needed to create opportunities for meaningful social interaction,” Rahul said.
