North Syria- "The sight of her body lying on the ground still does not leave my imagination," Raghad, 32, recounts the last moments of her sister, who committed suicide by taking phosphide pills in northwest Syria.

Raghad confirms that her sister stayed for a week living an abnormal life completely isolated, especially since her husband separated from her and decided to prevent his children from meeting her, which increased her sadness.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Raghad says that her sister Ola sent her little brother to the veterinary pharmacy to buy phosphide pills to be used in keeping supplies, and then took a pill to die within minutes, adding, "We tried to rescue her and then transferred to the hospital, where we did not know the reason why she lost consciousness, and after our arrival doctors entered the operating room, and then surprised the specialist doctor with the news of her death, saying that the process of gastric lavage has failed because of the delay, and died."

Women bear more burdens and psychological pressure in displacement camps in northern Syria (Al Jazeera Net)

Increasing numbers

Raghad's suicide story was not the only one, as the "Syria Response Coordinators" team recorded 13 suicide attempts from the beginning of this year, including 5 failed attempts, amid warnings of high suicide rates this year compared to previous years, as the team recorded 88 cases last year, including 33 failed attempts, 25 cases in 2021, and 19 cases in 2020.

The majority of suicide attempts were recorded by taking toxic phosphide pills, which are sold in veterinary pharmacies, where the suicide loses his life minutes later, and these pills are used in homes to preserve supplies, but they have recently become a means of suicide, which prompted the relevant authorities to tighten control over them.

Mental health worker Samar Al-Mohammed confirms that she was able to save the life of her friend who decided to commit suicide, through psychological support sessions.

In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, Samar says, "After the death of my friend's husband, she entered into a stage of severe depression until she reached the stage that she lost a lot of weight, and then began to suffer from hallucinations and sounds in her imagination demanding that she end her life because there is no breadwinner for her and her children."

"After discovering her condition, I and the psychological support team intensified the sessions for her, and a job that provides a good income for her was secured and sent on field tours to ensure her integration into society, which caused her to return to her normal life," she added.

Harsh living conditions, especially in camps, are among the most important reasons for suicide in northern Syria (Al Jazeera Net)

Psychological support

Ibrahim, 55, who has been displaced from the southern countryside of Idlib to its camps since 2019, hanged himself at the end of last year, and his brother says that the reasons are not poverty and poor living conditions, as many of his friends or social media have spoken, but rather suffered from psychotic depression that leads the patient to the point of suicide.

He added in his speech to Al Jazeera Net that "Ibrahim suffered from many difficulties, most notably the death of his son as a result of bombing by the Syrian regime several years ago, then the separation of his daughter from her husband, and then displaced from his home - which is largely related to his village - which caused him to be sick."

Psychologist Abdullah Al-Zaidan confirms that the economic situation is the main cause of most suicides in northern Syria, in addition to emotional reasons and marital disputes in females, in addition to the difficulties of studying in some adolescents.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Al-Zaidan explained that there is no specific mental illness that pushes a person to commit suicide, but there are several reasons that push young people to depression. Depression is a neurological disease that affects people with low moods, thus isolating themselves from reality and feeling sad.

Regarding the psychosocial support teams' handling of the suicide phenomenon, Al-Zaidan explained that there are several levels, such as the preventive level through awareness inside schools and mosques and educational publications, before moving to the second level, which is psychological and medical treatment.

He stressed that the owners of failed attempts are subject to psychological support sessions, in addition to that some need to see a doctor, especially if they enter the stages of major depression, calling for the solidarity of society through family and friends.

Educational leaflets distributed to young people and adolescents in northern Syria to raise awareness of the causes of suicide (Al Jazeera Net)

Shared responsibility

Mohammed al-Othman, who works in the field of community health in several psychological support centers, believes that suicides are mostly due to psychological stress on the one hand or addiction to narcotic pills such as Captagon pills, which have increased in recent years among young people.

Al-Othman adds, in his speech to Al Jazeera Net, "We are trying to treat these cases by urging the opening of addiction treatment centers, as well as launching campaigns to warn of the danger of narcotic pills and their role in suicide, and searching for cases that face psychological pressure and cases of depression and treatment."

Abdullah al-Shaibani, who holds a master's degree in Sharia and law, said, "There is no doubt that suicide is one of the greatest sins and major sins," adding that it is not permissible to commit suicide under any circumstances, no matter how many afflictions, great calamities and despair of life.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Al-Shaibani stressed that faith awareness has the greatest role in confronting the phenomenon of suicide and addressing the young group, especially those who fill the void in their hearts, which enhances faith in their hearts, stressing that the responsibility is shared and lies with religious and government institutions to address the causes that lead to suicidal ideation.