Suicides on the increase in Bangalore  

Bangalore : Rashmi, a bright MBBS graduate from the Kempe Gowda Institute of Medical Sciences who dreamt of becoming a paediatrician chose to end her life when the first university she approached for a postgraduate seat offered her a course that wasn't the one she had in mind. Hers was one of the 17 cases of suicide reported in the last five days. Of these, four were students who took their lives over academic pressures, an indication of just how vulnerable students are at this time. The suicide figures for April, one of the most demanding months for students, have only been increasing: 105 cases in 2005; 142 in 2006 and 201 in 2007. Not all of these cases involve students, but they are a growing component of the deaths. Suicides are the single largest cause of all “unnatural” death in Bangalore city. The number of people who commit suicide every year in the city exceeds the number who are victims of homicide and road accidents. And the cases continue to rise: 1,470 in 2005; over 2,000 in 2006 and the figure is already 843 in the first four months of 2007, according to the records of the Office of the Commissioner of Police. On the other hand, homicides have been 72 so far this year, and the number killed in road accidents is 303.

 Stress levels

 “During April, May and June in particular, stress levels for students, teachers and parents are high, with the pressures of examinations, coping with results and with having to weigh various options about future study and work. This is the time when educational institutes need to get extra support systems in place, which is something that needs to planned well in advance,” Lata Jacob, Coordinator of Sahai, a suicide prevention helpline, told The Hindu. The overwhelming majority of callers to Ms. Sahai’s helpline are young, aged between 15 and 30 years, reveals a 2006-07 study conducted by the organisation based on the calls it has received.  Most of those who call in do so to seek help over troubled relationships. But a large number of callers are students who cannot cope with academic pressures.

Decisions

 “There is much more pressure on this age group because of the many decisions that have to be made, whether it is career, education or marriage,” says Ms. Jacob. The ability to cope with disappointments is learnt at a young age, and much of that depends on the environment that a child grows up in, she adds.   “Rashmi needed to have been informed that all doors do not close with one disappointment,” she says.  “Parent-Teacher Associations can become a much greater source of guidance, and even if a student is found not to be inclined academically, their intrinsic talents must be identified and encouraged”, she said.

The Suicide Prevention Helpline number is 25497777.

(Source: The Hindu, May 28, 2007)