If psychologists are to be believed, 70 per cent people who commit suicide tell someone about their plans or drop subtle hints or warning signs. Of the thousands who attempt or plan suicides, very few succeed.
For those who survive, life changes for better or worse. “Narrating the stories of people who survived and how their life changed after that is a big discouragement for those who are about to take the plunge towards death.
Apart from this, counselling and helping them come out of depression by solving their problems often helps. But in some cases of people suffering from severe depression, talking doesn’t help, medication helps only to some extent,” said Anil Kumar, a psychologist.
The statistics of suicide episodes and the doctors’ records show 70 per cent of the victims are married, with more men than women.
Dr Shanbhag, a behavioural psychologist, explained that 10 per cent of the city’s population has superiority complex, while 90 per cent suffer from inferiority complex, which leads to depression.
“Inferiority complex is due to excessive pressure to perform, lack of satisfaction, low income, work overload etc,” he said.
He explained that there are two main groups, either the ones who have a settled lifestyle and are working excessively to live the life with their increased needs. The other set is the one that is trying to make ends meet.
“These are the people who have come from smaller towns. Pressure to talk right, dress right, work right and live up to the standards of people around them is high,” Dr Shanbagh explained.
Psychiatrist Dr Mahesh Gowda said that 90 per cent of the people with suicidal tendencies nurture such thoughts because of depression due to many factors. “Youngsters with cannabis dependence and alcohol addiction tend to be driven to kill themselves. Addictions tend to pull the trigger a lot of times,” said Dr Gowda. Psychiatrists are getting more than five cases per week of people seeking help from their suicidal thoughts, he added.