Educated more suicide-prone than poverty-stricken: Experts

By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Wednesday, December 16, 2009 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=2009121620091216030006534ebf32450)

Over ambitious and educated youth are more suicide-prone than poverty-stricken people in India. Reason: Cut-throat competition in professional life.

This startling fact came to the fore on Tuesday at a seminar on suicide at Kanoria Centre for Medical Education. It also revealed that tendency of self-annihilation is maximum among professionals and businessmen between 30 and 44 years. Students are most susceptible to suicide between 15 and 24.

Making a presentation, Dr Karshan Chothani, a professor of Psychology at CU Shah Arts College in Ahmedabad, said: “The structure of the society and lifestyle have changed with better education. Enlightened people face stiff competition in professional life. They often feel ashamed to share their problems with colleagues or buddies. Neither they can de-stress by talking to their relatives at home, thanks to satellite families. Finally, they succumb to stress and end their lives.”

Chothani said the suicide ratio is higher in states like Puducherry (earlier Pondicherry), Tripura and Karnataka, where the literacy rate is high. Bihar stands at the bottom of the list of suicide prone states.

“People in Bihar, it seems, are extrovert. They speak their mind out in public. That perhaps helps them to de-stress,” said Chothani.

Experts said small-scale businessmen are most suicide prone, followed by women and unemployed youths.

Addressing the seminar, Dr Rajendra Anand, the CEO of Kanoria Centre for Medical Education, said: “China and India contribute to 30 per cent of suicides world over. Computerisation and communication improved manifold in the 21st century. With them, complications in life increased. Complicated life drives several people to suicide.”

Experts, including Dr S L Vaya of Forensic Science University and Dr Gaurang Jani of Gujarat University, pointed out that counselling and empathy can only stop depressed people from taking the extreme step. People should be compassionate to their depressed relatives and listen to their problems patiently. They also advocated more counselling centres for the depressed in every city.

In Ahmedabad, Saath, an NGO involved in counselling people suffering from depression, receives over 11,000 calls every year. “The callers include students, businessmen and women. We try to divert their attention towards brighter sides of life by counselling them,” said Anjoo Sheth, the founder director of Saath.

“We are noticing a new trend among students. They appear to be more worried before exams than before results.”

Revenue minister Anandi Patel opened the seminar. KK Kanoria, the chairman of Kanoria Centre for Medical Education, delivered the welcome speech. Rajul Mallik, the co-ordinator of the seminar, said: “We decided to focus on suicide in our seminar because it has become a burning problem of the modern society. More than 600 students, experts and teachers took part in it.”

Reality bytes

» At least 10,000 people commit suicide in India every year

» Out of every 25 persons making suicide bids, only one die

» One commit suicide in every 40 seconds in the world

» Every 3 seconds, a suicide attempt is made in the world

» Maximum suicide cases are reported in summer

» Percentage of men dying of suicide is more than that of women

» Women make more attempts, though

» Suicide rate is highest in Japan among all countries