Key Takeaways:

• 250 suicide deaths were reported in Madhes Province in the first two months of the current fiscal year
• Bhadra recorded 162 deaths, nearly double the 88 cases reported in Shrawan
• Siraha and Bara reported the highest numbers, with 46 deaths each
• Police and stakeholders cite family disputes, relationship problems, poverty, unemployment and lack of psychosocial support as contributing factors

KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 21 As many as 250 people died by suicide in Madhes Province in the first two months of the current fiscal year, with the number reported in Bhadra nearly twice that recorded in Shrawan, according to provincial police data. The Province Police Office, Janakpur, recorded 88 suicide deaths in Shrawan and 162 in Bhadra, police said. Siraha and Bara recorded the highest numbers, with 46 deaths each, followed by Saptari with 39, Rautahat 30, Dhanusha and Mahottari 24 each, Sarlahi 21 and Parsa 20. Police said people aged 18 to 40 accounted for the largest share of those who died by suicide. The victims ranged from people below 16 to those aged up to 70. Provincial Police Office spokesperson Senior Superintendent of Police Prabhu Prasad Dhakal said hanging and poisoning were the most commonly reported methods, while some cases involved jumping. Police and local stakeholders said a single cause could not be established for the reported deaths. They pointed to factors including family disputes, relationship problems, poverty, unemployment and difficulties coping with hardship. Women were reported to account for a higher number of suicide deaths than men, according to Dhakal. Women's rights activist Saraswati Mandal attributed the difference partly to violence against women. Local civil society leader Ram Kumar Sah called for greater attention to the issue, including access to psychosocial counselling and psychiatric services.