BHUBANESWAR: On September 4, Chandrasekhar Behera, a final-year student of Government Polytechnic, Balangir, hanged himself in his rented house. He was 20.A resident of Bhadrak district, he was pursuing a diploma in electrical engineering . Police sources said he was suffering from depression.Every year hundreds of people, young and old, end their lives due to various reasons - family dispute, illness, academic pressure, marriage related issues, failed relationships, debt, drug abuse, unemployment.The list is endless, with depression considered as the single biggest contributor to the deaths. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Odisha reported 4087 suicide cases in 2015. The number was 1,33,623 in the country.On the eve of World Suicide Prevention day , psychologists and psychiatrists expressed concern over the rising cases of suicide and felt family members can play a big role in preventing such cases.Surjeet Sahoo, a professor of psychiatry at SUM Hospital, said they witness two types of suicide cases - one due to depression and the other from impulsiveness."Depression is a major reason behind the suicides. Cases of suicide due to impulsiveness is comparatively less than the first one," he said.Sahoo feels suicide cases can be prevented. "In cases of impulsiveness, people especially young ones get enraged over an incident and take a hasty decision to end their lives. For example, a person often takes a sudden decision to commit suicide after failing in an exam," Sahoo added."If family members can keep eye on the person and take him/her to a counsellor or psychiatrist, he/she can be saved. Suicidal thought comes for a short period of time and if the person gets proper advice and therapy, he/she can he helped to get rid of the dangerous thought of ending life," he said.S N Parida, an experienced psychiatrist, said depression has evolved as a huge threat to society. "It triggers suicidal tendency among people if it is not treated early," Parida said.He too feels family has a big role to play in avoiding suicides. "But nowadays children have no time for their parents. Similarly, parents are busy with their jobs and do not get enough time to keep eye on their children. Sometimes people feel ashamed to talk openly about depression and mental health. But we should read his/her signs and help the person to come out of depression," Parida added.Bhaswati Patnaik, head of the department of psychology Utkal University , said often failure leads a person to lose his/her self-esteem. "The person tends to think more, leading to anxiety and depression," she said.Patnaik blames social media for driving a wedge between children and parents, driving them apart. "They (children) get engrossed with social media and get trapped in online games like Blue Whale challenge and Momo challenge. Some of them commit suicide. Family members should talk to their kids and get them early counsel," she added.

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