Suicide Emerges As Biggest Killer in Mizoram For 2012

Aizawl, Dec 19 : Suicide has outdone drug overdose and alcoholism as the biggest killer of youths in Mizoram with 69 people, majority of them youth, having committed suicide from January 1 to December 15 this year.

New Life Charity Society (NeLICS), an Aizawl-based NGO, has so far registered 69 incidents of suicide during this year, 62 cases of which involved young people aged between 15 and 45.

A nine-year-old boy was the youngest among them while there were six people over sixty year of age among those who ended their own lives, a 71-year-old being the oldest.

The NGO for mental health also recorded that this year has witnessed an increase in suicide among the fairer sex, with 18 women committing suicide.

Hanging was the commonest mode of people taking the extreme step.

Two cousins ending their lives together by hanging from the same iron hook on November 30 and a couple hanging self a few months ago apart were rare incidents witnessed in Mizoram during this year, NeLICS sources said.

Aizawl saw the highest incidents of suicide with 34 cases taking place in Aizawl. The remaining 35 cases of suicide took place in the rest of the state.

NeLICS has interviewed 472 people with suicidal tendency, in which it found that marital problems, poverty, drug and alcohol addiction, debt, love affairs and mental depression were the major factors behind the tendency.