The age between 15 and 29 is proving to be the most stressful period in the life of most people as the number of those committing suicide is the maximum in this group, the latest data by the National Health Survey has revealed.
According to the Survey, in the year 2012, 1,899 people committed suicide in Delhi due to various reasons. Out of them 1,030 were in the age group of 15-29 years. Psychologists attribute it to peer pressure and relationship failures people in this age group suffer from.
Talking to The Hindu , Director, Department of Mental Health Max Hospital, Dr. Samir Parikh said: “The age group of 15-29 is definitely the most vulnerable period of a person’s life. They go through a number of problems that take a toll on their mind and can drive them to suicide.”
Counting the number of problems that affect people in this age group, Mr. Parikh said: “Getting good marks in school and then getting a college of their choice is a very big reason that drives most of the children aged 15-18 to depression. After this, relationship issues are the most common reasons as most of the teens have their first love affair and probably the first break-up also in the same age.”
Moving to the age bracket of 22-25, marriage and job issues also become a problem for people of this age group driving them to suicide. Also, a number of people shift to other cities for a job and sometimes are unable to deal with loneliness. Work-life balance is also a problem for a number of people, he added.
Psychologist Pulkit Sharma blamed excessive drug and alcohol for the increased number of suicide cases in this age group. “Excess drugs and alcohol works as a depressant. If an already depressed person starts to consume alcohol, the chances of his/her committing suicide will go high because alcohol acts as depressant on the central nervous system.”
“Another factor that leads to depression is the reduction of serotonin in the body. Serotonin is responsible for regulation of sleep, mood and appetite. Serotonin is also responsible for happiness and its reduction in human can lead to severe depression leading to suicidal tendencies,” he said.
Pointing out ways in which people can deal with depression, Dr. Parikh said: “Talk to your loved ones if some problem is troubling you. No problem in life is so big that it can drive you to kill yourself. My advice is especially for the teenagers who get depressed on not getting admission to the college of their choice or following a break-up.”
