Ghaziabad sisters' suicide: Multiple factors at play, 'Korean Games' not sole reason, says AIIMS expert

Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 6 (ANI): Amid the tragic death of three minor sisters who allegedly jumped to their deaths in Ghaziabad, Professor of Psychiatry at AIIMS Delhi, Dr Rajesh Sagar said that the incident must be examined in its entirety, stressing that online gaming or so-called "Korean Games" cannot be seen as the only reason behind such extreme behaviour.
Terming the incident "very unfortunate," Dr Sagar said multiple psychological, familial and social factors could be involved and urged investigators to look at all possible angles.
"A very unfortunate incident happened. We need to see in totality. There could be multiple factors. What is being seen is that overall child behaviour, change in behaviour and overall environment, interaction with the parents, parental disharmony, and parental relationship are all very important for any behaviour," he told ANI.
Referring to gaming, which has been cited in initial discussions around the case, the AIIMS expert said it should not be viewed in isolation. "Gaming as such is a problem, especially in young people, where there are rising instances of gaming. But at the same time, we do say that gaming is important, especially offline gaming; it is a mode of entertainment," he said.
Dr Sagar noted that only a small percentage of children develop problematic gaming behaviour and that this is often linked with underlying conditions.
"Only in some percentage does it become excessive. There are certain factors like ADHD and emotional problems are also linked with gaming. There are multiple factors, like not going to school, interaction with family, lack of socialisation, and not going out. So, all these may be related. We need to investigate more," he added.
Drawing parallels with past incidents, he said, "A few years ago, there was something like the Blue Whale Game. We need to look at the risk factors, we need to look at what the determinants are, which are leading to the gaming part, the overall behaviour and change in behaviour. We also need to understand that in children, they have a tendency towards high-risk behaviour because brain is not fully developed."
Reacting to the writings found on the wall of the deceased sisters' room, including words like "lonely," "I am very very alone," and "Make me a heart of broken", Dr Sagar said these phrases indicate emotional distress.
"What you mentioned is being lonely. I think that's the key word, feeling low, feeling sad, feeling depressed, so feeling anxious at times. So those are the key, because this may lead to gaming behaviour," he said.
Explaining the neurological aspect, he highlighted the role of the prefrontal cortex. "We know that there is something in the brain, which we call the prefrontal cortex, that helps in planning and which is developed in a person with more than 25 years of age, but in children and young people, it's still developing. So since it is immature, they have a greater tendency to get involved in the behaviour, which is high-risk behaviour," Dr Sagar explained.
He emphasised that early identification and timely support are crucial to preventing such tragedies.
"So the important thing is that we need to be aware of these lines, these words, that feeling low, feeling sad. So we should not ignore these terms, so that's important, because had proper help been provided, identified early, so things would have been different," he said.
Three minor girls who died in Ghaziabad after jumping off the 9th floor of their residential building were clearly influenced by Korean culture. The tragic incident took place at around 2:15 am last night under Tila Mod Police Limits in the Loni area. (ANI)