MUMBAI, March 6: After road accidents, the second most common reason of death among college students in the age group of 15-24 years is suicide. And incidents like that of a 13-year-old boy, who killed himself on Tuesday because of low marks, have prompted counsellors to demand a national health programme.At a seminar on the management and prevention of suicide, organised by Mumbai University and Bhavan's College (Andheri), project director of Prerana Counselling Service, Dr Amresh K Shrivastava, pointed out 11.1 per cent of all suicides in India take place among those who are below 18 years of age. Psychologists from Prerana, Gopa Sarkhel and Chaarmi Kathrani, said there had been a rise in the number of those calling into phone help lines, some of whom are as young as twelve and thirteen. Parents often themselves goaded counsellors into having a talk with their children, as they had failed in understanding their psyche, they said.Commented a counsellor in schools, Mona Nanavati, "It doesn't matterwhether the parent is working or not. The amount of qualitative time a parent can give his or her child speaks volumes for the child's mental health." Most parents, educational qualifications notwithstanding, are ill-equipped in adequately understanding a child's mental health, opined said several counsellors.A study by the principal of Savera Special School, Sanaubar Merchant, reveals that 82 per cent of students face problems because they do not have enough time, 78 per cent feels there are too many things to do, 77 per cent have troubling thoughts about the future. A person who has attempted suicide once is a reservoir of potential attempts, and the best way to prevent it is to work on this group, said Shrivastava.
