Why do people commit suicide?

Recently, Medha Patkar's health became critical because she was on Hunger strike for the cause of Narmada farmers. She was forcibly sent to hospital and was charged with a crime of attempting a suicide which is a punishable crime under Section 309 of IPC.

There have been uncountable instances of suicide in debt-ridden farmers of Andhra Pradesh, India. It was almost impossible for them to pay their debts and earn livelihood for their families, at the same time. The government reacted by paying compensations to families of people who committed suicide. The result came as an increase in the numbers as poor farmers started thinking that if they committed suicide then at least their families will get some compensation. If they couldn't do any good while alive then they chose to die for their families.

Whenever I come across a story about people committing suicide, I try to figure what goes on in their minds that takes them to the Dead-end Street of life. Do these suicidal tendencies exist in people right from their birth, are a part of their personality traits or they are acquired right here in this world? Sometimes, when people are not able to achieve something they have desperately wanted and tried for, they think of suicide as the only option. Sometimes, they do it because of their own failure while sometimes they do it on others' failures. Sometimes, it happens when their close associates, friends or relatives, do not fall into their expectations and fall down from their standards. Talking about factors which are considered worth-dying-for, I can list some of them as:

• One's Honour and Freedom
• Failed or Strained Relationships
• Nobody to live for
• Lost purpose of life
• Financial loss and bankruptcy
• Social Cause

I guess that more of people who attempt a suicide are one of the most impulsive thinkers. Highly emotional and hypersensitive people are more prone to such tendencies. Often suicides are attempted in a spurt of emotions but there are instances when the victims have been contemplating the idea for a reasonably long time. They keep debating upon it within themselves. Due to some incident which adds to the problem, they get convinced and go for it.

Well, to sum it all, it needs the knowledge of an evil to eradicate it from the society. This post was just aimed at understanding the tendency of those who commit suicide. Yes, I have lost a childhood friend who committed suicide. Needless to say, I went into utter shock and disbelief when I got that news. I couldn't believe that a friend who was good at studies and seemed happy with things around, took that step. What would have been her state of mind?

I keep asking myself "How can I stop someone from wasting his/her precious life?" Do you do that as well? Think about it...