Bangalore tops in suicides

Apart from enjoying the sobriquet Silicon Valley of India, Bangalore appears to have earned the unenviable reputation of being the suicide capital of India with the number of people committing suicide increasing year after year.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bangalore, N D Mulla, the number of suicides in the City increased from 1,470 during 2005 to 2,008 during 2006 before reaching 2,430 during 2007. Till the end of May 2008, a total of 1,070 people had committed suicide in Bangalore.

According to a recent study carried out by World Health Organization (WHO), the suicide rate in Bangalore was 17 for every 100,000, which was way ahead of other major urban centers across India. The suicide rate in Delhi was 7.5 for 100,000 while the figure was 11 in Chennai and 14 in Mumbai.

Experts point out that factors like work pressure, high expectations of the employers, extended working hours, career competition, insecurity at workplace and personal relationships contribute to increased stress among residents of Bangalore.
Most leading hospitals in Bangalore are engaged in treatment of stress-related ailments and doctors point out that the number of patients visiting counsellers with stress-related disorders are only increasing in the City.