Mandi District Police Launches Helpline to Prevent Suicides

Mandi, October 8: If you suspect that someone in your vicinity is mentally distressed and may contemplate taking a drastic step like suicide, you can prevent them from doing so. To provide information about such individuals, Mandi District Police has introduced a helpline number 155326. Mandi District Police has become the first district police in the state to initiate such a service.

SP Mandi, Soumya Sambhavna, inaugurated this helpline number while launching the service. She mentioned that many people, for various reasons, end their lives by taking actions like suicide. Most of these cases involve young individuals aged between 18 and 30 years.

SP Mandi explained that during their investigation, it was found that more men are committing suicide compared to women, and one significant reason for this is relationship-related issues. In today’s era, people extensively use the internet and social media, which contributes to the rising suicide rates. Additionally, societal factors also force people to take drastic steps.

Furthermore, SP Mandi revealed that in the last three years, over 300 people have committed suicide in the Mandi district. In 2021, there were 113 cases, followed by 112 in 2022, and 90 cases so far in 2023. Often, people in the vicinity have knowledge about individuals facing mental distress but cannot intervene as there is no proper mechanism in place. Therefore, the helpline number has been introduced to encourage people to report such cases openly and help save lives.

SP emphasized that individuals providing information will not face any harassment. When a report is made, the respective police team will visit the individual and provide proper counseling and motivation. Counseling will also be facilitated by mental health professionals from Mandi District Hospital. SP mentioned that the district police aims to prevent suicide incidents in the district by encouraging active participation of the community.