India accounts for 10% of world's suicides

One day last week, two school girls from Bangalore died after entering into a suicide pact with two other friends. The four got into a suicide pact and they left behind a note stating, that they wanted to be together at least in our death.

While two girls died, the other two are battling for their lives.

This incident has made the city sit up and wonder as to what is driving people, especially the young, to take the extreme step.

Statistics reveal that that till June 2007 there has been around 900 cases of suicide reported from Bangalore city alone. In 2005, 1480 persons committed suicide while in the year 2006, the number was over 2000. Records at the police commissioner's office reveal that the number of people who commit suicide every year exceeds the number of victims of road accidents and also homicides.

A study conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences revealed that nearly 3 per cent of the suicides in Bangalore involve children below the age of 16.

9.5 per cent of these cases are children in the age group of 10 to 14.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences 57 per cent of the suicides are sudden acts of frustration.

Those who attempt or commit suicide star thinking in that direction three years prior to the attempt. The NIMHANS also says that at least 65 per cent of the families do not have inkling that their family member has a suicidal tendency -- one of the major reasons as to why the suicide rate is so high.

Experts in the medical field say that the main reasons for high number of suicides in Bangalore is thanks emotional concerns, pressure in schools, examination and alcohol.

They also say that the maximum number of cases is reported in the months of April and May, which is examination time in Bangalore.

10 per cent of all suicides in the world occur in India. The figures available with the National Crime Records Bureau state that over 100,000 persons commit suicide every year in India.

But information about the causes and risk factors is insufficient, according to experts.

Records also reveal that majority of the people committing suicide are adolescents and young adults. The most common form of committing suicide is by consumption of poison, followed by hanging and then self immolation.

The main reason why these suicides are not prevented is due to lack of psychiatric or medical help.