Self-Immolation in India

Abstract

Suicide by self-immolation is a common method of suicide among young, married women in India. The associated socio-cultural beliefs and unique historical context make self-immolation an important public health concern. The practice of Sati and Jauhar were prevalent during the medieval period and vivid descriptions of these accounts exist in ancient scriptures. In the post-independence era, the majority of these incidents occurred in the form of a symbolic protest against radical social changes or as a part of glorification of the ancient tradition of Sati. Some of the risk factors associated with suicide by self-immolation in India are lower educational levels, female gender, intimate partner violence, loss or alienation. Only a handful of research studies in India examine relevant psychosocial factors predisposing to suicide. However, research limitations include small sample size and the lack of reliable measures to understand the unique social and cultural context in which self-immolation suicides occur. We describe essential components of suicide prevention programmes, including active surveillance, training and education, reducing access to means and efforts by nongovernmental and governmental organisations that could help address the problem of self-immolation in a coordinated and effective manner.