Among them, 1133 people were registered in Herat province, 74 people in Farah province, 37 people in Ghor province, and 12 people in Badghis province.
According to health officials, most of these people were between 14 and 35 years old, and 17 people died after committing suicide.
The officials of the health sector in the western provinces of the country have named family tensions, forced marriages, and the high level of violence as the most important factors in suicide attempts among young people.
Dr. Gholam Dawood Hashemi, the head of the internal department of the Herat seminary hospital, said in a conversation with Killid, that the number of cases admitted to this department had used acid substances in an attempt to commit suicide.
‘There were 1,065 cases of suicide attempts among men and women, either unconsciously or intentionally, they drank some acidic substances (alkali) that caused bleeding in their oral cavity, esophagus, or stomach, and they were admitted to the internal department. 12 of them are from Badghis province.’
According to this health official, among the 1065 cases of attempted suicide that were admitted to the internal department, 745 of them were women and 320 were men.
Meanwhile, Dr. Abdul Qadim Mohammadi, the head of the mental health department of the Herat areal hospital, says that 80 people committed suicide due to increased psychological pressure and were admitted to the mental health department of this hospital.
‘People who commit suicide are so tired of life that even the sweetness of life is not important to them and they have reached such an end that they prefer death to life.’
On the other hand, Dr. Abdul Ahmad Noori, the director of the Ghor provincial hospital, says in a conversation with Killid that 37 suicide attempts have been registered in this province during the current solar year.
‘In the current year, 37 people committed suicide, 30 of them were women and 7 were men that 3 of them died.’
According to the health officials of this province, the cases of suicide attempts in this province have increased compared to the previous year, due to premature marriages, family violence, and economic problems.
In the same way, Dr. Salahuddin Omar, the database manager of the Farah province hospital, said in a conversation with Killid that 74 people, including 55 women and 19 men, committed suicide in this province.
‘A total of 74 people committed suicide due to mental problems and pressure, and 3 cases of suicide were successful.’
This is while some women in the western provinces consider suicide as a response to violence and injustice and say that this is the last and most horrible response that young people, especially women, do out of necessity.
20-year-old Faiza started taking alkali to get rid of the pain but was saved by her family.
‘Because of a conflict with my mother, I started drinking detergent to get rid of family fights. Now that I’m saved, I regret it a lot.’
14-year-old Nasreen, who is hospitalized in the hospital of Herat, committed suicide by taking a high dose of medications.
She says that she is a 10th-grade student and explains the reason for her suicide: ‘Due to a fight with my sister and increased mental pressure, I started taking medicine and I have been in the hospital for two nights.’
Nasreen adds that after the fight with her sister, no one supported her and she also took the medicines she had at home.
Treatment Cannot be Done with Words!
In the meantime, a number of psychologists emphasize the mental treatment of people and say that the people who come to them expect that their mental health will return to normal in the first session.
They add that treating people with mental problems is not an easy task and opinions differ depending on the level of depression and mental problems.
According to them, the level of depression is very high, especially in women. Arash Omar, one of the psychologists in Herat, told Killid, people who go to psychotherapy for counseling, expect that all their problems will be solved in the first session.
‘People expect that all their family, economic, academic, and communication problems will be solved in the first session of psychotherapy.’
Mr. Omar emphasizes that receiving advice and solving problems through talking to a psychologist has not been accepted among people so far.
‘Many people go to pray or get amulets or doctors to solve their problems, but amulets or medications will not solve their problems. Mental problems can only be solved by talking to a counselor.’
Family restrictions, underage marriages, forced marriages, and exchange are the main reasons for suicide among women.
According to psychologists, in most cases, the home environment is the most violent place for women. Because beliefs have grown in a traditional way and have left no room for the survival of women’s freedom.
‘Sometimes the family pushes people to commit suicide, many people may have suicidal thoughts in their lives, but if the home environment is angry, in this situation, committing suicide is inevitable.’
Ways to Prevent Suicide!
Experts are of the opinion that there are no specific methods to prevent suicide attempts, but creating an atmosphere of dialogue and mutual understanding in a family will ensure a healthy and violence-free society.
Arash Omar believes that ‘if the family environment is made safe and the values of the family members are respected, suicide attempts will be prevented.’
At the same time, Dr. Abdul Qadim Mohammadi, the head of the mental health department of the Herat seminary hospital, says that people’s mental health should be treated so that they don’t commit suicide again.
‘Humans can never get away from suffering and problems. Humans must be strengthened psychologically and become powerful.’
On the other hand, a number of women’s rights activists are of the opinion that people should be informed in cities and districts.
Vahida Saghari, one of the women’s rights activists, said in a conversation with Killid that women and men should be made aware of their basic rights.
‘The solution is to raise awareness about family rights and conjugal rights through mosque imams and brochures. People listen to what mullah imams say a lot.’
This is despite the fact that there is structural violence against women in Afghanistan, and many women and men have suffered from mental issues as a result of four decades of war.
According to experts, mental problems are transferred from one generation to another with the occurrence of violence and harassment of others, and if not controlled, it becomes a culture and habit among people.
Translated by: Shir Ali Jafari
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