Google launches dedicated suicide helpline for Pakistanis

The internet giant, Google has introduced a suicide hotline one box for Pakistan, which allows users to connect immediately with a suicide helpline at the top of the search results page.

The hotline termed ‘Umang Pakistan’ will now be displayed to anyone in Pakistan seeking suicide-related queries such as “suicide-support” and “how can I commit suicide”.

The implementation of this special service will aid worried Pakistanis in recovering from whatsoever hardship they are enduring. The hotline will assist stressed individuals and provide solutions to alleviate the anxiety that they are currently encountering.

Suicide ratio in Pakistan

Umang is a mental health helpline recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) that provides support to Pakistanis who are contemplating or planning suicide due to any reason.

The relationship between Umang and Google, according to Google, intends to help address Pakistan’s growing suicide rate. Keeping in view WHO estimates, Pakistan has between 130,000 and 270,000 attempted suicide cases per year.

Meanwhile, Google Trends shows that topics like “anxiety,” “depression,” and “suicide” all spiked in the 2020-21 era in the country, according to the internet company.

This search update is currently available on both desktop and mobile devices, including Android and iOS, and here’s how it appears in the google search: