Kozhikode: Do families drive men to suicide? Have many houses in God's Own Country have turned into devil's own places?

A study conducted in Kerala found that 75 percent of men who take their own lives belong to the married lot. Dr P.N. Suresh Kumar, chairman of the 'Thanal' Suicide Prevention Center Trust, said family issues force people to take the extreme step. Farmers, caught in debt trap after crop failure, also show suicide tendencies, but their numbers are relatively less.

Statistics with the National Crime Record Bureau says suicides due to family conflicts form 36.5 percent of the total cases in the state. Mental and physical ailments were also a reason that made people kill themselves in 24.1 percent cases.

The one relief that the study offers is that suicide rate has come down in Kerala, with the state moving down to the eighth place from its number one slot in the country.

The state has also marked a considerable decline in suicide arising from family issues also in the past 10 years. Suresh Kumar said studies showed that 50 percent of suicide incidents among men were between the age of 15 and 45.

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