Abstract:
Sri Lanka is a unique country with an alarmingly high suicide rate overlapping
with deliberate self harrn. More lives have been lost as a result of suicide than
due to ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, during the last two decades. Over the past
few decades scientists from medical and sociological disciplines have
examined the causes, impact, and preventive measuresfor this phenomenon.
This article aims at reviewing trends in suicide and deliberate self harm in Sri
Lanka with special reference to the methods used. Information was gathered
from the libraries of the Post Graduate Institute of Medicine, Sri Lanka
Medical Association and the University of Sri Jayawardenepura and a
collection of articles by the author.
Findings show that suicide in Sri Lanka had been documented in the early
civilization and reports are mainly of prominent people in the society who took
their lives. The methods used to commit suicide were violent. During British
rule reporting of suicides were more organized and methods used gradually
transformed from hanging to drowning and self poisoning. During the period
from J 950 to J 995 the suicide rate has rapidly increased by eight fold. Sri
Lanka was rankedfirst in the world in J 995for the highest suicide rate of 47/
J 00,000 and since then a gradual decline in suicides has been noted. Methods
used were determined by the availability: agrochemicals remained the first
choice and other substances including therapeutic substances emerged as
other tools to commit suicide. Methods used showed a geographical variation.
Suicides among the youth were common in the second half of the ur century
and in 2007, the same was true for females whilst in males the age at suicide
increased to 45 - 50 years.
