‘Every 3 secs a person attempts suicide', says Dr Anjali Chhabria

When did you start writing a book on suicide?

My journey with this book started fifteen months ago. I was keen on contributing to the field to reach out to those who were unable to meet me in person. Writing this book made it possible to have a conversation with all of them.

Why did you decide to write on suicide?

There has been a steep rise in the rates of suicides in the past five years across the world. This is alarming because suicide is preventable if timely help is provided to the individual. This book is written for people to understand that and help prevent it.

What kind of research did you do before writing this book?

A lot of time was spent in reading through research and newspaper articles that highlighted suicide. Interviews with people who have been through this difficult stage, books by international authors and further discussions with my colleagues only intensified the need to write about it.

What do you want to highlight in your book?

Suicide is one of the top three reasons for the rising death rate today. This book is a way to show people that suicide can be prevented. It also highlights the what, who and the why of suicide.

Can you help us with the statistics on suicides that you have used in the book?

Every 3 seconds someone somewhere in the world attempts suicide and every 40 seconds a person succeeds. Unfortunately one out of three suicides is happening in India. Young adults (between 15-29 years) are the most at risk of attempting suicide. The global suicide rate is estimated to be 14/100,000 with 18/100,000 for males and 11/100,000 for females. Females are more likely to attempt suicide in comparison to males.