The Indian subcontinent

Humans have attempted and successfully committed suicide since time immemorial. The reasons for killing or harming oneself vary with cultures and societies and in urban or rural settings. In ancient European cultures, suicide was common, with women using hanging and men using various tools for deliberate self-harm. Ancient Hindu texts allowed individuals to kill themselves, although in later Upanishadic periods suicide was generally condemned, but it was acceptable for holy men, especially if they had reached the stage in their life where they had gained insight into life’s problems. Suicide was permitted on religious grounds, as death was seen as the beginning of another life. Somasundaram et al (1989) report that the great 11th-century Tamil classic Purananuruan anthology includes references to self-immolation by a widow on the death of her husband. There is also mention of suicide by starvation or fasting. These authors conclude that, irrespective of race, religion, culture and location of the civilisation, there was almost identical motivation for suicidal behaviour. Parasuicide, attempted suicide or deliberate selfharm may be suicidal gestures, manipulative attempts to seek help or unsuccessful attempts to die. Generally, the act is non-habitual and may be influenced by single or multiple crises. In this paper we illustrate epidemiological findings on attempted suicide in South Asian people in their countries of origin and in the UK and compare social and cultural factors across the two settings.