In these recent times, we have witnessed many suicidal deaths and day by day such cases are increasing. First of all, we need to understand ‘Why do suicidal thoughts come to someone’s mind and what is the root cause behind it?’

Suicidal thoughts come in the mind of a depressed person. People prefer to judge others rather than helping them and this serves as the root cause of depression. So, we need to stop being judgemental and focus more on helping others. Don’t you think our home is the best place to start the change?  More or less we often say something to our family members without thinking how it might affect them. We need to be careful about what we say and make sure that our words don’t hurt anyone. We need to make sure that our family members share anything and everything with us without the fear of being judged. Parents play a very important role in the mental health of the children. In many cases we have observed that children hesitate to share their problems with their parents due to the fear of ‘what their parents might think about them’ and their problems remain unheard by the parents. Not only children but adults also hesitate to share their problems with their parents, instead they prefer to share their problems with their classmates, colleagues or friends. Situation gets worst when they get judged by the person with whom they were close. They receive criticism and avoidance instead of help and gradually they stop sharing their problems with others.

Some of the common factors where people are prone to depression are:

• Poor academic performance: Students often get judged for their academic performance which builds pressure in their minds. Unfortunately, when they score below their expectations it disturbs them a lot, because of which some students even commit suicide. 
• Unemployment: People always classify a person on the basis of their employment status. Unemployed persons receive criticism most of the time, starting from their family members to the society. Due to the pressure of the society and family, people often end up finding a job where their designation is below their expectations and educational qualification which affects the mental health of the person. 
• Appearance: People always gets attracted towards beautiful things, whether it’s a living being or a non-living thing and always makes fun of the person whom they don’t find attractive. It is high time that people realize that beauty comes in every shape and colour. It is not okay to troll or bully anyone for their appearance.
• Failed Marriage: Marriage is a beautiful relationship when you have a caring and loving partner as well as in-laws. If unfortunately, someone gets married to a wrong person, then the mental health of that person is affected a lot. Due to the fear of ‘What will people think?’, many people are suffering in the wrong marriage. It is the bitter truth that divorcees are not accepted fully in the society and they are always judged for their failed marriage. We need to understand that it is not okay to criticize someone for their failed marriage. 
• Widow: A widow is considered as a weak person of the society. Many people try to misbehave as well as defame them. It becomes really difficult for a woman to survive without her husband, especially when they have only daughters. It is our responsibility to help them and respect them. Everyone has a right to live with dignity. 

We can only decrease the cases of suicidal death if we stop criticizing others and offer them a helping hand to overcome their problems. 

It is high time to SAY NO TO CRITICISM/TROLLING/BULLYING and we also need to provide basic legal education to everyone about human rights. So that  if they face any problem they can raise their voice against it.

Human Dignity- a legal perspective:

In Maneka Gandhi V. Union of India, the Supreme Court gave a new dimension to Art.21 and held that the right to live is not merely a physical right but includes within its ambit the right to live with human dignity.

Under Indian law, defamation is both a criminal offence and a civil wrong. Section 499 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, (i.e. the IPC) defines what would amount to defamation in relatively clear terms. Later Sections of the IPC specify what the punishment for having committed defamation would be, and the IPC read in conjunction with the procedural requirements laid down in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973,(i.e. the CrPC), makes the law relating to defamation as a crime is relatively certain, even if it is considered to be harsh by some. As a civil wrong however, the law is less certain.

Mental health matters a lot and everyone has a right to live with human dignity. Primarily we must try to give out positivity and encouragement to others but just in case we are unsure how to go about it, in that case it is better to remain silent. 

What can be more beautiful than bringing smile on others face? ‘In the world full of hatred let us be the reason of strength.’ 

Swagata Sharma 

NEF Law College,Guwahati, Assam