Suicide over trivial issues; parents need to keep friendly eye

September 2012: A 15-year-old girl, a resident of Kranti Nagar in Pimple Gurav, jumped into the Pavana river at Pimple Gurav and drowned. It is not known why Sneha Anil Pinjan had taken the extreme step.

November 2012: Sonam Chowdhari, an 11-year-old girl from Chikhali village, committed suicide after her father scolded her for watching television.

November 2012: A 17-year-old college student committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling of her house in Bhosari as she couldn't afford new clothes for Diwali.

Cases of teenagers and youth committing suicide are being reported with alarming frequently and city based counsellors and psychologists, from their experience of counselliing children and teenagers who show depression or suicidal tendencies have noted that reasons seem "trivial." They say that proper counselling and friendly approach of parents can wean away from suicidal thoughts and prevent them from taking the extreme step.

Supriya Kothari, lawyer and founder of Bhagini Helpline says that 40 per cent of total cases of depression she deals with comprises children and teenagers aged 8 years to 18 years. "Parents get them here for problems like depression, suicidal tendencies and other behavioural problems. On probing further, I discover they are upset for very small reasons like parents not allowing them to go out with friends, their lifestyle not matching up to their friends', relationship with the opposite sex and so on."

Citing one case she handled, she says the girl was a students of Class 7 and had got addicted to smoking. The girl used to break things in her house and get violent with parents. She even tried to cut her vein 8-10 times. "Her parents brought her for counselling for at least four times but she refuses to even listen. She picked up the habit of smoking from friends. Her parents have given up on her," says Kothari.

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