'Promise me that you won't kill yourself'

Following the suicide of resident doctor Rohini Sonawane (25), KEM Hospital psychiatry students propose to sign 'no suicide' pacts with each otheru00a0

Students of the psychiatry department of KEM Hospital propose to include a no-suicide contract among medics training at the hospital. The idea, which has been in practice among some students, has received particular attention after resident doctor and physiology student Rohini Sonawane (25) committed suicide on Tuesday.

Dr Shubhangi Parkar, head of the psychiatry department, feels that most suicidal people are very poor help seekers. "The contract will help many to vent their frustration without resorting to suicide," Parkar reasoned.

In fact, final year MBBS student Divya Vajpayee at G S Seth Medical College is under a similar contract with her friend Dipti for over a year. "My family is in Bhilai. I am thankful that I have Dipti for company when I'm depressed. Personally, I'm much better off than many others in my class. I'm not on sleeping pills or gastric medication all the time like the others," said Vajpayee.

Dr Sanjay Oak, dean of KEM Hospital, said that Sonawane's death was unfortunate. "I am happy that the outreach support programme for students is growing. Our doctors need to be taken care of and we, as management and faculty, are there to address their worries, if any."

Stress, the price u00a0of ambition
> Senior and middle level executives working in Delhi, Mumbai, Banglaore, Pune and Chennai endure the highest levels of stress and mental fatigue
> Those in smaller cities like Hyderabad, Goa, Jaipur, Kanpur, Dehra Dun and Nagpur are not as stressed
> Stress levels are directly related to the level of ambition among their counterparts in big metro cities
Inputs from associated chambers of commerce and industry report, 2008

Suicide, some facts
Not all those with suicidal tendencies are crazy or with deep-rooted mental problems
A study conducted by the GS Seth psychiatry department in 2006 found that among 196 suicidal patientsu2026
> 38.8 per cent suffered from depression
> 16.8 per cent were driven by substance abuse
> 44.4 per cent had become suicidal due to marital problems, domestic violence, debt, dowry and academic or professional failure
Inputs from Dr Shubhangi Parkar, head of the psychiatry department, GS Seth College

7u00a0
The number of Mumbai police personnel who committed suicide in 2008

3
Mumbai cops who committed suicideu00a0 in 2007

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