HE deaths of two families in Karachi, being investigated as suspected murder-suicides, raise disturbing questions about what happens when despair goes unnoticed or untreated. No explanation can excuse the killing of children, who had no say in the decisions made for them. Nor should investigators assume that both parents acted willingly before establishing the facts. Yet these tragedies demand attention to the pressures that can place lives at risk. Debt, unemployment, isolation, and family conflict can compound depression or other mental health conditions, leaving sufferers unable to imagine a way forward. There is seldom one cause, and financial hardship alone does not explain suicide. As psychiatrists point out, emotional distress can spread within households, while one controlling partner may exert a dangerous influence over another. These risks deserve attention, though each tragedy must be properly investigated before conclusions are drawn.

Prevention must begin long before a crisis reaches this point.

Withdrawal, expressions of hopelessness, and changes in behaviour deserve concern rather than criticism or silence. Families should listen without judgement, ask directly about suicidal thoughts, and help distressed relatives obtain professional care. Counselling, timely psychiatric assessment, and medication can save lives. But telling people to seek help means little if treatment is unaffordable or unavailable. We need accessible counselling in public hospitals and primary healthcare centres, trained staff to identify warning signs, confidential crisis helplines, and clear emergency referral arrangements. Schools and workplaces can also help people recognise distress early. Counselling alone is not enough. Families facing debt, unemployment, or domestic abuse also need help.

Punishing people for attempted suicide risks deterring those most in need of care, particularly after the recent restoration of criminal penalties. Public awareness must challenge stigma without sensationalising deaths. The message is that suicidal crises can be treated, and nobody facing one should be left without support.