The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : IT capital's dubious distinction

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 25, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

IT capital's dubious distinction

By K. Satyamurty

BANGALORE, AUG. 24. With seven suicides reported during a 24-hour period, Bangalore has retained its name as the country's suicide capital. The city averages 1,900 suicide deaths annually.

G. Gururaj and Mohan K. Isaac of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) have, in their study, "Epidemiology of Suicides in Bangalore," dealt with this tragic tendency in detail. The study involved data from 12 government and private hospitals in Bangalore and police records.

Suicides do have geographical factors, the study found. Areas with a high suicide rate in the city are Subramanyapura, Hanumanthanagar, Basaveshwaranagar, Madivala, K.P. Agrahara, Mahalakshmi Layout, Kamakshipalya, Ulsoor, Sanjaynagar and Mico Layout.

Children below 15 account for 2.6 per cent of the suicide cases; young adults (aged 15 to 29) are the largest group with 53.1 per cent; and middle-aged persons (below 50) 34.5 per cent.

Within the younger age group, 20 per cent are aged 20 to 24, and 18 per cent are in the 25 to 29 age group. The mean age is 30.4 years.

The highest number of female suicides are in the 14 to 24 age group, while most male suicides are 25 plus. More students commit suicide immediately after the SSLC and PUC results are announced.

The socio-demographic characteristics are revealing: Nearly 93 per cent of those who commit suicide are from nuclear families with less than five members and 56 per cent are married and 35 per cent single. Widows, widowers and separated/divorced persons form a significant 5.6 per cent are a socially and economically deprived group, the NIMHANS study says.

More single women are prone to suicide. Nearly 80 per cent of individuals who commit suicide are from the lower- and middle-income groups and only 1 per cent has high incomes.

Almost 88 per cent of the individuals were living with their families when the committed suicide and 5 per cent were living alone. Those living alone had migrated from other places six to 10 months before the act. About 56 per cent were alone at home when they killed themselves.

Hanging is the most common method of suicide, followed by poisoning, immolation, drowning, jumping from heights and self inflicted, such as slashing one's wrists. More women burn themselves and more men prefer hanging or poison.

The study also went into attempted suicide, with the maximum number of cases reported at Victoria and Bowring and Lady Curzon government hospitals.

The NIMHANS study has found that alcohol contributes to many suicides directly or indirectly. About 14.4 per cent who commit suicide are alcoholic and, among them, 56 per cent were drunk when they killed themselves.

While mental health has an impact on the suicide prone, only 8.5 per cent of those studied based on police records had a noticeable and detectable mental disorder. Depression and epilepsy were among some causes.

According to Dr. Gururaj and Dr. Isaac, the "suicide process" starts much before the act and passes through various stages of suicidal thoughts, ideas, behaviour and attempts. The victim passes from a stage of helplessness to hopelessness. Suicide prevention strategies must aim at breaking this chain of events at different stages, they say.

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