Suicide-prone people in Ernakulam to be identified

KOCHI: In view of the rising suicide incidents in the district, health officials in Ernakulam will prepare a list of high-risk people, who are prone to take the extreme step due to various reasons, under each primary health centre (PHC). The list will be prepared under the project Jeevan Raksha.The move aims at equipping health workers to take preventive measures. Under the initiative, community gatekeepers like Asha workers, junior health inspectors, health inspectors and other field workers will be provided training to give psychological first aid to vulnerable persons. Currently, health workers are being given training and awareness by psychiatrists on giving psychological aid to those who have depression and other psychological issues.“The database of high-risk people suffering from psychological illnesses, personality disorders, depression, those with family history, those who have attempted suicide, those under substance abuse (drug and alcohol addiction) and those who are on medication for certain diseases, is being created for proper intervention by health workers. Since it is related to psycho-social issues, involvement of various departments, including LSGD, is necessary to address the rising suicide cases,” said Soumya Raj, district coordinator of mental health programme.She said for intervention, they need to identify the areas where suicide rates are high. “Once the training and awareness programme is completed, the field-level health workers will collect the details of the high-risk people. Medical officers in the PHCs will keep it with them. When an Asha worker visits houses, they speak to the family members and realize whether the person requires support and he/she will be referred to the clinic started under Aswasam project to tackle depression, where medication or psychological support will be provided,” said Soumya. District collector Renu Raj will inaugurate campus jogging space initiative, which is aimed at promoting mental well-being of youngsters, at Maharaja’s College on World Mental Health Day on Monday.