Acknowledging submerged mental health trauma: Understanding the predicament of Indian housewives

Dr Lakshmi Vijayakumar, Founder, SNEHADr Sukriti Chauhan, Public Health Advocate and CEO, ETI
In 2020 and 2021, there were extensive reporting on impact of COVID-19- that was an emergency raging. and its impact with job cuts, withdrawal symptoms and most importantly the stark vulnerability of women and young girls – within the confines of four walls. National lockdowns led to an increase in domestic abuse 200 per cent reported women. The coverage highlighted the urgent need for mental health support centres, shelter options and ensuring that safety of women and children is incorporated into the health sector.
Cut to September 2022. The world is witnessing the aftermath of COVID 19 with it retrieving slowly from countries across the world, leaving behind a trail of death, mental health crisis, suffering on one hand, and coming together of countries to respond, communities building networks for survival and research at this level for the first time, on the other, across the globe.

Sadly, it is again the women and the young girls who have been unnoticed. Apart from young girls dropping out of school, to child marriages- to the undoing of decades of work with the intergenerational cycle of abuse and nutritional deficiency continuing, it is the housewives that have suffered intensely.
As per the report NCRB released in 2021- over 45000 women died suicide in India, 23,000 of them are housewives. The report states that ‘Marriage Related Issues’ (specifically in ‘Dowry Related Issues’), ‘Impotency/Infertility’ saw the highest proportion of female victims. The other significant observation from the report is that suicides among young women (i.e. upto 30 yrs.) is 54 per cent of the total suicide amongst women as compared to 36 per cent of young men.
This comes even as the rate of deaths suicides across the country during the year peaked to the highest-ever recorded level – rising 6.1 per cent from the preceding year. A total of 45,026 women died suicide and of this number, housewives accounted for 23,178 cases. This rate is concerning not only due to the high number of cases, but also because these are comprised of reported cases only. There are hundreds if not thousands of cases that are not reported due to the stigma attached to suicide.

The stigma attached to suicide is prevalent in both rural and urban spheres but most death suicides are reported only in urban sectors. In most rural set ups, there is no proper police protocol for regering cases of death suicides. Autopsies are not conducted and most deaths suicides are reported as accidental deaths. This is especially worse for women who face the brunt of domestic violence, gender related exclusion and lack of agency. Self-immolation remains a method where women outnumber men, with 2435 cases reported in 2021. Poison is another common method used women which remains under-reported than men who mostly use hanging as a method. While numerically men outnumber women in both cases, this is attributed to the higher male population.
When a conscious effort is made to take away autonomy and decision making from women, their identities slowly start to diminish. This takes a toll on their self-esteem, makes them feel increasingly isolated and powerless. Women are expected to be primary caregivers in most social settings but the same kindness is never extended to them.
Multiple reasons could be attributed to the rising death suicides among housewives in India. These range from domestic dress, financial abuse to unidentified mental illness issues that remain unacknowledged until the very end. Lack of agency and the ability to make choices for most women also weighs down on them greatly. Young women also face the challenges of limited opportunities for education, pressure for early marriage which could be reflected in overall higher suicides amongst younger women.
The first step to remedy this is to fix data collection methodology to ensure comprehensive, reliable data. This will help us understand the urgency of interventions and the demography that requires them. Deaths suicides are grossly underreported and until this is changed, there is no scope for proper redressal.

Suicide is a complex biopsychosocial phenomenon that varies greatly across different demographies and populations, and should be understood in their context for proper redressal. The second step would be including different risks and possible causes of suicide attempts that pertain particularly to homemakers and women. It is imperative to understand stigma in order to counter it. Further, incorporating suicide prevention all women welfare program would be a necessary addition.
Finally, it is essential that a comprehensive, inclusive, National Suicide Prevention Strategy be released in India. With adequate political attention, inputs practitioners and experts and representation of impacted groups, prevention can be made a reality- leaving no one behind.
If you are feeling suicidal or have suicidal thoughts help is at hand- please contact Sneha Suicide Prevention helpline – 044 -2464000 (24 hours)