CHENNAI: The campaign in the State this World Mental Health day, dedicated to the theme "Increasing awareness, reducing risk - Mental Illness and the suicide" will be primarily on one front — the law.

Psychiatrists have decided to once again stress a long-articulated demand — decriminalising attempt to suicide and evolving a more sensitive media.

The object of attack in the Indian Penal Code is Section 309, making "attempted suicide" an offence punishable with fine and even imprisonment. "It is an archaic law, and exists only in four-five countries across the world. Even Sri Lanka removed it some years ago," said Lakshmi Vijayakumar, founder of Sneha, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to suicide prevention.

Even in India, she added, a move to repeal it was actuated as early as in 1974. It went through the Upper House, but before it could be introduced in the Lok Sabha, the House was dissolved. A Supreme Court ruling in 1994 also struck down Section 309, but a full bench reinstated the provision a couple of years later, according to R. Ponnudurai, head of the department of Psychiatry, Sri Ramachandra Medical College.

"A person attempting suicide is letting out a cry for help and we should pay attention to it," said S. Nambi, psychiatrist, Institute of Mental Health, Kilpauk.

Instead, piling more troubles on the person in terms of a police case, investigation and punishment will only aggravate the mental condition.

There is proof that 90 per cent of the persons that commit suicide suffer from mental illness, he explained, which would have to be attended to.

For someone who has already been stigmatised for attempting to commit suicide, the arrival of the police at home is doubly stigmatising.

In addition, fearing prosecution, families suppress the fact that suicide has been attempted. "Also, most private hospitals refuse to treat persons who have attempted suicide. This leads to a loss of precious time when lives have to be saved," Dr. Lakshmi said.

Besides, concealing the facts would also hamper the person from getting help, and present a skewed overall picture. "We need facts to tackle the problem. But nearly 50 per cent of suicides are not reported as such," she said, quoting studies done by Sneha.

Dr. Nambi also pointed to the difference in attitudes of people attempting suicide — some people do so with the intention of dying, but more attempt suicide only with the intention of manipulating the situation, not of killing themselves. He called for a restriction in the sale of organo-phosphorous compounds, or insecitcides that continued to be used by people attempting suicide.

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