Attack anxiety, the silent killer
A suicide helpline can help pull soldiers back from the brink
The number of state police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel who committed suicide in Chhattisgarh has gone up this year. As many as 36 soldiers ended their own lives in the Maoist-affected state in 2017, the highest annual incidence in more than a decade. One of the things that pushes our jawans over the edge is depression. This is caused by a combination of factors: gruelling hours, hostile terrain, difficulty in getting leave and the need to be alert and vigilant all the time. This is especially true in regions worst affected by Maoist violence. The constant fear that a landmine could at any moment blow up beneath one’s feet is not easy to deal with.
Replying to a question on suicides among armed forces personnel in the Rajya Sabha, minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju said 109 personnel killed themselves in 2014, 97 in 2015 and 82 in 2016. In ministry-speak — whether it is the UPA or the NDA regime — the reasons attributed to soldiers turning the barrel of the gun towards themselves are several: family problems; stress at work; depression; and fragile mental health. Still, even when officers admit that more personnel are dying of mental illnesses than in the line of duty – BSF director general KK Sharma said as much last year – politicians are unwilling to admit that our soldiers need help.
Then there’s the question of stigma. A 2014 study by the journal Medical Journal Armed Forces India says 96% of our soldiers are reluctant to discuss mental health problems. A high number of American Armed Forces personnel (97%) know where to turn when they need help. This is far from true in India. Soldiers are periodically appraised on physical parameters. Isn’t it necessary that their mental well-being was regularly evaluated by trained psychologists to scope out suicidal tendencies? To reduce the reluctance of the soldiers in admitting they need help, the State can evolve an online counselling mechanism or a suicide helpline dedicated to our jawans. It’s time we slay the invisible killer of depression before it gets to more of our soldiers.