<p>The case of a Grade 10 girl student from National Public School, HSR Layout, committing suicide on Monday after being reprimanded by her principal for getting close with a male classmate, has brought to the fore the increasingly sensitive nature of teenagers.<br /><br /></p>.<p> Alarmingly, recent months have seen a number of such cases of suicides or attempted suicides by teenagers and adolescents in the City, which is a huge cause of worry. <br /><br />Monali Mohala (15) had been getting close with a male classmate, who also lived in the same apartment complex where she lived in Bommanahalli. On Monday, the school authorities suspended Monali for a day and a half for “disciplinary misdemeanor” and asked her mother to pick her daughter up. After coming home, the teen locked herself up in her room in their 10th floor flat and jumped out of the French window soon after. <br /><br />When asked if any action will be initiated against the school, Alok Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and order) said: “The Madiwala police have registered a case of suicide. But the school authorities will not be summoned as there is no case against them.”<br /><br />Meanwhile, taking suo motu notice of the incident, the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has asked the police and Block Education Officer to conduct a probe and file report about the incident. “We have also asked the child welfare committee to initiate a similar move,” said Fr Edward Thomas, a member of the Commission. <br /><br />Dr Manjula M, Assistant Professor Psychology Department, Nimhans said that a combination of factors that includes a change in the family system, temperament of a child – whether or not he/ she is impulsive, lack of a confidant might lead to a child taking such a step. <br /><br />“The teenage and adolescent years are usually full of high emotions and in such situations they need great attention. Depression is certainly on the rise among adolescents and this might be due to a number of reasons. When a teenager decides to take such a step, it is a moment’s decision and there is no long-term thinking,” she said. <br /><br />Dr Mahesh Gowda, psychiatrist from Spandana, said that adolescents these days are taught more about academics and being competitive than about life skills that greatly puts pressure on them: “There is too much emphasis on academics rather than just being happy. Children are not taught life skills such as decision making, how to handle peer pressure etc. Added to this there is no close dialogue between parents and children,“ he said.</p>
<p>The case of a Grade 10 girl student from National Public School, HSR Layout, committing suicide on Monday after being reprimanded by her principal for getting close with a male classmate, has brought to the fore the increasingly sensitive nature of teenagers.<br /><br /></p>.<p> Alarmingly, recent months have seen a number of such cases of suicides or attempted suicides by teenagers and adolescents in the City, which is a huge cause of worry. <br /><br />Monali Mohala (15) had been getting close with a male classmate, who also lived in the same apartment complex where she lived in Bommanahalli. On Monday, the school authorities suspended Monali for a day and a half for “disciplinary misdemeanor” and asked her mother to pick her daughter up. After coming home, the teen locked herself up in her room in their 10th floor flat and jumped out of the French window soon after. <br /><br />When asked if any action will be initiated against the school, Alok Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and order) said: “The Madiwala police have registered a case of suicide. But the school authorities will not be summoned as there is no case against them.”<br /><br />Meanwhile, taking suo motu notice of the incident, the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has asked the police and Block Education Officer to conduct a probe and file report about the incident. “We have also asked the child welfare committee to initiate a similar move,” said Fr Edward Thomas, a member of the Commission. <br /><br />Dr Manjula M, Assistant Professor Psychology Department, Nimhans said that a combination of factors that includes a change in the family system, temperament of a child – whether or not he/ she is impulsive, lack of a confidant might lead to a child taking such a step. <br /><br />“The teenage and adolescent years are usually full of high emotions and in such situations they need great attention. Depression is certainly on the rise among adolescents and this might be due to a number of reasons. When a teenager decides to take such a step, it is a moment’s decision and there is no long-term thinking,” she said. <br /><br />Dr Mahesh Gowda, psychiatrist from Spandana, said that adolescents these days are taught more about academics and being competitive than about life skills that greatly puts pressure on them: “There is too much emphasis on academics rather than just being happy. Children are not taught life skills such as decision making, how to handle peer pressure etc. Added to this there is no close dialogue between parents and children,“ he said.</p>
