JEDDAH, 12 October 2003 — Al-Watan daily recently published a report about two high school girls who narrowly escaped death in a joint suicide bid. Having been punished for bringing a Walkman and music tapes to the school’s premises, the two locked themselves into the bathroom and drank Clorox, the paper said. They were rescued in time.

This was only one in a string of recent suicide stories previously rare in the media of Islamic countries.

Another story published in Al-Riyadh newspaper in March spoke of a policeman who was reading his newspaper while he was on duty when he noticed his friend trying to commit suicide with his gun. But both bullets struck the man’s neck and he survived the attempt.

Al-Jazirah newspaper ran a story describing how police and the Red Crescent in Riyadh dissuaded a young man who had climbed the wall of King Saud University from jumping to his death. He was later sent to a mental hospital for treatment.

Al-Watan also reported that a 35-year-old man with psychological problems shot himself. The same newspaper also described how a father of four survived two suicide attempts. The first time, he stabbed himself in front of his wife. On the second occasion he swallowed a large quantity of sleeping pills.

These are examples that reach the newspapers. There are others which never see the light of day. In suicide cases, relatives often blame food poisoning. Newspapers, for their part, invariably blame suicide attempts on mental illness.

But is it only mentally ill people who attempt suicide? Dr. Muhammad Al-Waheed, psychotherapist at King Saud University, told Al-Riyadh newspaper that mental illness was not always the cause for suicide.

“It’s very difficult to determine the psychological balance in humans,” he said. “I think the way a person was raised plays an important role in the way they adjust themselves to society.

“There was a case in Jeddah where a man killed his wife, her sister, her husband and children before traveling to Madinah to commit suicide. The man was financially sound, but he thought that his sister had played a role in creating problems with his wife. He decided to put an end to his life, but not before killing those he thought were responsible for destroying his life.”

So why do people want to commit suicide? Depression may be one answer. But in a depressed frame of mind, people find different external reasons for wanting to end their lives. The person typically takes time before reaching a decision.

Common elements that may motivate someone to end their life include a dysfunctional family environment. Statistics show that those who lost their parents before the age of five are often at risk. Another factor is a general failure to blend into society and the loneliness and feelings of inadequacy that result from it. Drug abuse can also play a part.

According to figures from the Jeddah Psychiatric Hospital, there were 400 suicides last year.

Saudi society is changing fast, perhaps too fast for some. The recent spate of stories may be a sign of greater openness in the media, which in the past glossed over the reality of unhappiness in the Kingdom. On the other hand, and more worryingly, it may reflect a growing problem in society, a problem that might well escalate if preventive measures are not taken.