Articles by Peter Mayer

The rapid rise in suicide rates above 15 per lakh persons for teenaged males generated great public concern in Australia in the 1980s. Considered a “crisis” level, this led to an intense study of the causes of youth suicide as well as intensive efforts to devise public health programmes to assist young people at the risk of suicide. Reaching a peak in 1991, teenage male suicide rates have fallen steadily and are now less than 10 per lakh. In India, youth suicide rates vary greatly between states for males and females. For young males, suicide rates in 28, and for females in 12 states and union territories were at or above the crisis level. Yet there has been virtually no public recognition of the level or seriousness of youth suicide.

The patterns of suicide in India are quite different to those observed in industrialised societies. Those differences must lead us to question many generalisations which almost approach sociological "law" such as the protection against suicide afforded by marriage. This paper contrasts media coverage of farmer suicides in India with the near total neglect of the suicides of housewives, though there are more than three housewife suicides for every one of a farmer.