Published 30th August 2014

High suicide rate are baffling. India's technology hub is a stressed out city. With around 9.4% of total suicide in the country being accounted to Karnataka and most of which occurs in Bangalore, India's IT hub-Bangalore has once again gained the dubious distinction of being the suicide capital of India. As we are all set to observe World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept 10, the issue of increasing suicide rate in Bangalore has become a talking point. As par the figures of National Crime Bureau of Investigation, the number of suicides in India has increased by 23% in last one decade. India recorded around 108,593 suicides in 2001. Whereas the figure stands at 134,599 in 2010. States like Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka account for 57.2% of the total suicides in the country. A study by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Nimhans), Bangalore, says 10 per cent of suicides in Bangalore is by youngsters between 10 and 14 years. A recent Nimhans study on reasons for the increasing number of suicides in the city showed that severe stress, competition at the workplace and lack of economic security were among the causes of most suicides. According to Nimhans, 57 per cent of suicides are sudden acts of frustration and thus most of the families are hardly aware that a member of their family is contemplating suicide. Suicide deaths in the city have increased astronomically after the IT boom in Bangalore, say experts. "Stress level in Bangalore is quite high. Right from a child to an IT professional, city has failed to provide social and mental security to its wide range of population. It is due to high level of stress and depression, a large section of people are committing suicide," said Manjula Raman, a city-based counsellor. SAHAI Helpline for Suicide Prevention and Emotional Distress, a Bangalore-based helpline service, was started in 2002. It is an initiative of Nimhans, Rotary Bangalore East, and Medico Pastoral Association, Bangalore. Those who want to get help from counsellors of SAHAI, they can dial 080 - 25497777. According to the helpline service, most of the callers suffer from stress and a sense of loneliness and deprivation. Generally, the helpline service counsel people over the phone. However, if a person is willing to visit the office of SAHAI, they are most welcome.

20th October 2011, Times Of India:-
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BANGALORE: The city has all the forces which could drive someone to commit suicide, be it rising expectations or living away from family, say experts. The IT capital has seen 12 suicides and about equal number of attempts to end lives in the past two months.

Bangalore police records show that in 2011 till September, the city saw 1,253 suicides. This means an average of 139 cases per month. In 2010, the figure was 1,778.

Explaining the reason behind the high suicide rate in Bangalore, Dr Shyam Bhatt, consultant psychiatrist at Manipal Hospital, said: "The problem with a city like Bangalore is that half of the population here is new to the city. They don't get adjusted to the new atmosphere easily and handle with high competition, work and social pressures. These forces are capable of driving someone to commit suicide."

Said an officer of the city crime records bureau: "At least 30%-40% cases are due to financial problems. In some cases, parents who were in severe debt had killed their children. This trend is disturbing.''

The all-India picture too is grim. According to an all-India study conducted by Dr G Gururaj, professor and head, department of epidemiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (Nimhans), the suicide rate has risen by 30% in India in the past three years. In 2008, the rate of suicide was 7/1000, which rose to 7.3/1000 this year. Also a study by WHO says that one person in India commits suicide every 5 minutes.

"South India is more prone to suicide compared to North Indian states. The reason is globalization, which has led to rise in expectations. South Indian cities like Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad have made more progress than many cities in North India. This has led to a virtual rat race to achieve targets. When one fails to achieve a goal, it leads to depression and fatal steps like committing suicide," said Dr P Satish Chandra, director, Nimhans.

Also westernization is a major factor contributing to increase in suicide cases. "We are now following the system of western world. We have started living in nuclear families, where parents don't have time for their children and children don't have time for their old parents. This leads to isolation and depression and is the main reason behind high suicide rate in India," explained Dr Satish Chandra.

Dr Anand A Rao, clinical psychologist with Pragnya Brain Mind Clinic, said: "The reason behind more and more people committing suicide is because they withdraw from society and shy away from sharing their problems with family and friends. Such negative behaviour or thinking leads to depression and attempt to suicide, which can prove fatal."

Pragnya Clinic, which runs a 24-hour helpline to assist those with suicidal tendencies, receives only about 3-4 calls every month. "This shows that most people don't ask for help, they just take a drastic step,'' added Dr Rao.

DOCTORS' ADVICE* A family member or a friend should always monitor a person with suicidal tendencies* Professional counselling and emotional support help in bringing positive results* Yoga and meditation help in driving out depression and negative thinking

24-hour helplineSahai: 25492934, 25477375Pragnya Brain Mind Clinic: 26692888

2009 STATSWest Bengal reported highest number of suicides: 14,648, accounting for 11.5% of total number of suicidesAndhra Pradesh: 14,500 (11.4%)Tamil Nadu 14,424 (11.3%)Maharashtra 14,300 (11.2%)Karnataka 12,195 (9.6%)

(Source: National Crime Records Bureau)

15th June  2014, Times Of India:-
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In all, Bangalore saw 10 suicides in the past 24 hours.The first suicide, in Srirampuram, was around 11.30am when G Vijayalakshmi, 34, a resident of LN Puram hanged herself. The mother of two was undergoing treatment for an ailment for a long time. Within an hour, T Ratna, 45, a widow residing in RC Puram, was found hanging. She was reportedly suffering from recurring stomach pain.A 14-year-old girl, P Kokila, a resident of Okalipuram, who was taking English coaching at a centre on Magadi Road, returned home and hanged herself by her dupatta around 7pm.In the fourth incident, an alcoholic, Raja Manickam, 48, hanged himself at home after drinking heavily. He often threatened to end his life if he wasn't given money for buying liqour. Around 9pm Friday, he drank a lot, returned home and hanged himself.Techie hangs selfAmong those who allegedly committed suicide is software engineer K Praveen who committed suicide in his parent's rented house in Chennamana Kere Achchkattu area in Bangalore South early on Saturday morning. Praveen, the son of a retired Isro employee, was found hanging from a ceiling fan around 5am following a fight with his wife, Swati Pai. Investigation revealed that Praveen had bought a flat in Swati's name in Kumaraswamy Layout and Praveen's parents lived with the couple and their 2-year-old son till recently.Swati's parents, Suresh and Sudha Pai, returned from Mumbai after retirement and started living in the same flat. There were disputes and Praveen's mother was allegedly sent out of the house and his father, Krishnamurthy, joined her. Praveen and Swati fought over the flat and Swati threatened to file a dowry harassment case against him. A case was registered at KS Layout police station which was later mutually resolved."Praveen was upset over this. He'd visit his parents over the weekends and this Friday, he stayed with his parents. Early Saturday morning, he was found hanging," said a close relative.Other deathsA vegetable vendor at Victoria Hospital gate, and resident of Old Guddadahalli.G Sampangi, 30, consumed pesticide and died while being treated in hospital around 4.30pm. A family problem resulted in his death, police said.K Sunanda, 36 married to Sunil Kumar for 17 years, allegedly ended her life at home on Friday afternoon. Sunil Kumar, who had quit his job in a private company and was trying to get a role in Kannada films, was sleeping in the bedroom when she allegedly ended her life in the hall of their flat.Reshma, 22 and wife of Javed Iqbal, a private company employee, hanged herself at home in Kashi Vshwanatha Extension in KR Puram, Bangalore East. They were married two years ago. She had objected to Javed visiting his parents' home. When Javed returned late at night, he found his wife dead. An electrician, Raju, 27, was found hanging in a building under construction in Rajiv Gandhi Colony off Cunningham Road early Saturday morning.

24th August 2014, IBNLive:-
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“South Bangalore tense after youngster commits suicide following alleged police harassment”Protests broke out late on Saturday after a 24-year-old youngster committed suicide in South Bangalore following alleged police harassment.

The deceased in his suicide note has alleged that a police inspector arrested him and kept in custody for 3 days without filing an FIR and tortured him.

Local residents held protests against the police after the incident. Police had to resort to lathi charge to disperse the crowd. Five platoons of reserve police were called in to restore calm. The situation is reported to be under control as of Sunday morning.

The deceased had also mentioned in his note that he was arrested following a complaint from the family of the girl he loved.

30th August 2014, Deccen Herald:-
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Software professionals may be flocking to Bangalore, but the metro has earned the dubious distinction of seeing the highest number of suicides by the jobless and poor in the country.The underbelly of the dazzling city that is home to high-profile software companies and a population of over 10 lakh shows a disturbing trend compared to 53 other metropolitan cities. The number of suicides due to unemployment in Bangalore in 2013 has almost doubled compared to that of 2011, while suicides owing to poverty have quadrupled.According to the recently-published “Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2012” report, 89 people ended their lives in Bangalore due to unemployment last year, while in 2011 the figure was 47. The number of women who committed suicide has risen from a meagre four to 15.

The figures for 2010 — 52 people were in the list, of which nine were women — also show that the number for Bangalore was not as high as last year.  A total of 456 people, including 46 women, committed suicide due to unemployment last year across the country. A comparison with other metros shows that Bangalore is way ahead: Delhi recorded 70 cases and Mumbai 46 in 2012. Chennai, which registered 77 such incidents in 2011, had just seven last year.An analysis of the figures also showed that Bangalore accounted for more than 50 per cent of suicides by jobless in Karnataka, which had 166 cases. Though Maharashtra had 258 such cases, its capital Mumbai saw just 46 such cases. Bangalore also accounted for more than 50 per cent of suicides due to poverty among metro cities, with 123 cases out of the total 214. Of the 54 women who  ended their lives due to financial conditions, 40 were from the silicon capital.Delhi, the national capital, was way behind, with 35 cases, and Mumbai and Vishakhapattanam saw 12 each.The report shows that the number of suicides due to poverty grew four times in 2012 compared to 2011's figures of 29, including 16 women, which was even lower than the 52 in 2010.Though unemployment and poverty-related suicides are on a high trajectory— the number of suicides due to career problems and professional harassment is less.Bangalore has registered only five such cases, including that of two women, last year — down from 19 in 2011 and 17 in 2010. Mumbai last year registered 28 such cases out of a total of 186, while Coimbatore and Jabalpur had 10 each.