Suicide - The leading cause of death among India's youth!

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: It's not cancer or any other chronic ailment that caused most deaths among Indian adolescents, but suicide, according to a latest global study.

The study by London-based Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Well-being reveals that suicide is the leading cause of death among youngsters aged 10-24 in India.

There were 62,960 deaths by suicide in 2013 in the age group of 10-24, and out of which 35,618 were aged between 20 and 24, says the report.

The report also names road accidents (41,168 deaths) and tuberculosis (32,171) as the other big killers.

According to the report, more than 28 lakh Indians in the 10-24 age group have suffered a loss of health because of depressive disorders.

“Adolescents today face new challenges, including rising levels of obesity, mental health disorders and high unemployment,” Dr Vikram Patel, professor of International Mental Health at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, and among the expert researchers of the Lancet report, told an English daily.

As per Census 2011, there are 364.66 million youngsters in the 10-24 age group, making up 30.11 per cent of the country’s total population.

The World Health Otganization (WHO) estimates that roughly 36% of Indians are depressed.