‘Awareness key to halt rising suicide trend’

Psychiatrists have noticed a change in the pattern of suicide acts in recent days with more cases of people committing suicide by jumping from the highrises.

"It is another kind of paribartan, we can say. Suicidal people are constantly looking for these newer ways," said Dr Hiranmay Saha, a consultant psychiatrist, who pointed to the recent suicides at South City and NUJS. Earlier, he said the practice was to hang oneself to death or consume poison, but with time, it has changed from jumping onto Metro Rail tracks to now jumping from the highrises. However, he added that suicides could be prevented.

"What we need most is human awareness. Anyone who is behaving in an abnormal fashion and the catch phrases are, 'I don't want to live' or 'I want to end my life' etc. That person should immediately consult a psychiatrist," said Saha said at a seminar on suicide prevention organised by the National Association for the Blind (WB) on the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Day on Monday.

According to psychiatrists, suicide cases can be brought down by at least 40 per cent if the person who showed some symptoms of being suicidal is given a patient hearing.

Highlighting the recent world trend in increase in the number of suicide cases, author Sapan Mukherjee, said: "Of all the cases, 22 per cent are students who commit suicide. Around 30-40 per cent of those who had once attempted and failed to commit suicide were prone to committing suicide," he said.

Medical student attempts suicide

Supriya Ghosh, a first year PGT student of National Medical College, attempted to commit suicide by jumping from the terrace of the college hostel on Monday. She has been admitted to medical college in a very critical condition.

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