Arjun Bharadwaj may have suffered from depression: Experts

Mumbai: Arjun Bharadwaj (24) who jumped to death from the 19th floor of Taj Lands End hotel in Bandra on Monday evening may have suffered from depression. Psychologists claimed that his video on Facebook before jumping to death - is a sign that he was craving attention.

While talking about Arjun’s condition, Dr Suleman Merchant, Dean of Sion hospital who has prepared a module on preventing suicides said, “ If you observe the case of Arjun, his posts mentioned that he was depressed. Usually, people having suicidal thoughts are seen winding-up the things. He gave up his rented apartment, these all were symptoms, that he was under depression.”

Suggesting how to notice such symptoms, Dr Merchant said, “The family should monitor sudden changes, especially when a child starts staying aloof. Preventive measures like seeking assistance from (suicide prevention) helpline should be done to de-stress and understand the situation of the child better,” he said.

Psychiatric experts claim that posting a video just before committing suicide clearly indicates that the boy needed attention. Dr Ali Gabrani, psychiatrist, Masina hospital, said, “He took this drastic step after posting the video on social networking website and expressing his suicidal thoughts to grab the attention of people. Usage of social media in such cases provokes people who are already possessed with suicidal thoughts. This should be monitored, and people should stop sharing his videos on social media.”

Psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty said, “We should focus on how we can prevent such instances. If any kid says that he wants to be left alone, or is thinking of quitting his job, leaving all his activities and is trying to stay all away from everyone, then such symptoms should be noticed by parents.”