Suicide is second highest cause of death among India’s youth

There is a powerful op-ed piece in today’s Hindu by the lead author of a new Lancet article on the very high level of suicide among youth in India. (Being The Hindu, the online discussion on their site is both provocative and erudite — if you have time to read The Hindu, you probably have time to think and write well. Let’s hope that The Hindu doesn’t ever go the way of other grand old journalistic institutions). The article says, “Suicide rates in India are among the highest reported from any country. Suicide rates are much higher in rural areas, and in the southern states of the country.” Suicide kills twice as many people as HIV (due, in part, of course, to India’s successful rollout of HIV treatment) and almost as many women as maternal causes so it is a major public health issue. The piece is well worth reading