Suicide rate rises as street kids increasingly use drugs
Researchers and medical experts are of the opinion that unabated use of intoxicants is leading to an increase in suicides amongst street kids in Bengaluru. The children are mostly slum dwellers.
DRUG ADDICTION, alcoholism and smoking among the school going children has resulted in an increase in suicides cases in the age group of 12 to 15, according to department of Psychiatric Social Work, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS). Four children under rehabilitation committed suicides last month due to drug addiction, said Dr. Dhana Sekara Pandian, head of the department of Psychiatric Social Work, NIMHANS.
Around 86,000 children in Bengaluru belonging to the poor section live on the street.
Out of these, 80 per cent of the kids are addicted to alcoholism and smoking, said V Indramma, a social worker, working with children affected by drug abuse.
"There are around 40 NGOs working on this project but only 10 per cent of the kids have come out of the addiction ", said Dr. Pandian. Most commonly used substances by these kids are tobacco, cough syrup, sedatives and opium.
"No parents is coming to us and telling us about the addiction among the kids, so we have trained NGO workers, who go to schools, railway stations and streets and search for kids and bring them to the hospital”, said Indramma.
Basic symptoms among the kids suffering with drug addiction are mumbling, speaking inaudibly and avoidance of eye contact.
“We have also introduced training programs for the school teachers on how they can help the school kids from coming out of addiction,” said Dr. Pandian.
According to WHO report, the annual prevalence for the various substance used in India 93 per cent is usage of alcohol, 3 per cent for cannabis and 4 percent for opiate among the age group of 12 years and above.
“We have been to various institutions, met teachers, parents, and kids, also helped them to be taken to rehabilitation centre", said Anvijay, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) worker of Saathi Foundation, working for children suffering from drug abuse.
He also added “Although we are doing our best to help the kids only few of them have left the use of these drugs completely.”
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