Jamshedpur, June 18: Jamshedpur may well earn the dubious epithet of India’s suicide capital, as the number of deaths, especially among teenagers, has shown an alarming trend in recent years.

Figures presented in a seminar on suicide among teenagers in the city, organised today by Tata Main Hospital’s (TMH) department of psychiatry, revealed that 145 out of 176 cases in East Singhbhum were reported in Jamshedpur in 2008. In 2009, 113 out of 136 suicides in the district occurred in Jamshedpur, while the city registered a maximum number of 185 cases, out of a total of 200 in the district, last year.

The numbers have not shown any decline this year, with 78 cases reported in the city till May 31, against 92 overall in East Singhbhum.

As per the statistics, Jamshedpur also recorded the highest suicide rate in the country in 2003 and 2005, compared to other major cities. (See box)

The seminar was organised by TMH in association with Tata Steel Rural Development Society and Jeevan, a city-based suicide prevention centre. Chief guest Surekha Nerurkar said, “There is a need to strike a balance between teachers and parents for healthy mentoring of youngsters in order to bring down suicide rates.”