Gloomy weather

The story Dead End (September 11) provided a lot of facts and figures about suicide, otherwise not easily available. It a well-known fact that stress is the key factor responsible for high suicide rates among adolescents. Unfortunately they fail to cope with the ‘expectations’ of life. However, I suppose that almost all suicides committed are not because they want to die but only a cry for help. When a sense of helplessness engulfs them, they end their lives as a last resort. Support groups, as the author said, can play very vital roles here. Incidentally sunlight plays a crucial role in mood fluctuations. This also explains why a large number of suicides in our country are during the monsoon season. Perhaps the gloomy weather takes a toll on the lonely souls.

Shekhar Basu Mallik
Calcutta

Fish cure

Fish for Thought (September 11) was an amazing piece to read. The revelation about OMEGA-3 fats contained in fish and its ability to cure heart and brain disorders as also combat cancer was interesting indeed. I had heard about swallowing live fish to cure asthma but the latest scientific revelations on the benefits of eating fish were noted with appreciation.

T R Anand
Calcutta

Maintaining hygiene

With reference to Troubled water (September 4). It was really disheartening to read that people suffer from the maximum number of diseases during floods. What was more frightening was that the high risk of those living in the affected areas to get afflicted by leptospirosis. No such outbreak was witnessed when floods hit America. It is perhaps due to unhygienic living surrounding that these places become the breeding place for germs after floods. The best way is to maintain proper hygiene, vaccination and rodent control.

B N Bose
Dum Dum Park

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