41 per cent of suicides are by youths: NCRB

Visakhapatnam: The suicide of Rohith Vemula, research scholar at the University of Hyderabad,  has once again put the spotlight on young people in the country resorting to this extreme step. As per data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), nearly 41 per cent of all  suicides in 2014 were by youngsters between 14 and 30 years of age.

Over 1.31 lakh people committed suicide in the country in 2014 and the highest incidence of it -- 16,307,was in Maharashtra followed by 16,122 suicides in Tamil Nadu and 14,310 suicides in West Bengal. A total of 9,623 people ended their lives in Telangana and 6,101 people committed suicide in AP.

NCRB data also says that of the 41 per cent in the  14 to 30 year age gro-up, 74 per cent of them were between 25 and 45 years  and only 18 per cent of those who committed suicide were from the 45 to 60 year age group. The highest cases of suicide, about 19 per cent, were seen among self- employed youth, with housewives accounting for 15.3 per cent of the total, salaried persons 7.4 per cent and students 6.1 per cent.

NCRB's data on suicides in 2014 also indicates that more young women than men took their own lives. Around 52 per cent of the women were in the 14-30 year age group while the corresponding percentage of men was 36. Psychiatrists, who are not surprised by these figures, are saying that suicides are the new killers among youngsters.

Dr S. Radha Rani, a psychiatrist, attributed the-se numbers to rapid cha-nges in the social fabric. Those who took their lives lacked a support system or were unable to cope with factors, such as work or academic pressure, loneliness, professional dissatisfaction, failure in love, unemployment and other such reasons, she added.

The more shocking fact is that suicide is the peak cause of death in youngsters as per census data on the causes of death between 2010 and 2013. Over 18 per cent of deaths among those aged below 30 years was due to suicide while only 14 per cent motorists died in road crashes.

Counsellors need of hour:

Not many professional colleges and schools   in AP have counsellors despite the significant role they play in helping  youngsters deal with emotional distress.  Though counsellors are unable to fill the gap left by parents and others, they may tackle psychological issues in a way that helps wean students away  from depression and distress.

Commissioner of Police Amit Garg said that youngsters must learn to face failure in life and open up to parents as they will have to grow up and be their families' bread winners in the future. The police chief said that a majority of colleges lacked proper counsellors to guide  students in times of distress, which resulted in those who found it difficult to cope with routine problems in life taking recourse to  suicide as a solution.

 Some schools and colleges appoint one of the regular teachers or lecturers as counsellor to guide students. The lecturer who may already be loaded with academic work may be unable to find time to guide the students, said Narava Prakasa Rao, secretary of Bala Vikas Foundation (BVF), an NGO working for students.

The managements of various schools and colleges claimed that there was no need to appoint a counsellor as teachers were the best judges of students as they interacted with them and could easily guide them and ease them out of their depression.