Ghaziabad Sisters' Tragedy: A Psychiatrist's Perspective on Adolescent Mental Health
The heartbreaking deaths of three sisters in Ghaziabad earlier this month have sent shockwaves far beyond Delhi NCR, unsettling homes and communities across the region. In my outpatient clinic, the tone of conversations shifted almost overnight. Parents who typically begin with concerns like, "Doctor, he won't study," or "She is always on the phone," now lean forward and ask quieter, more urgent questions: "Can something like this happen in our home?" "How do three children reach that point together?"
The Search for a Single Cause
When children die by suicide, we instinctively look for one decisive cause—a phone, a game, a scolding. This search gives us a sense of control, as if removing the trigger could prevent the tragedy. However, in clinical practice, adolescent suicide is rarely born of a single event. It is usually the result of accumulated distress that has gone unrecognized or unaddressed for too long, building up over time.
In the Ghaziabad case, early reports suggested that restriction of mobile phone access may have been the immediate precipitant. This narrative spread quickly because it feels familiar; many families struggle with setting screen boundaries. Yet, as more details emerged from the investigation, the picture appeared more layered and complex.
Unpacking the Context
Police reports indicated that the sisters spent extensive hours online, reportedly running their own YouTube channels and consuming large amounts of digital content daily. There were also reports that they had been out of regular schooling for a significant period after the pandemic and were socially withdrawn. Some accounts described a crowded and complex family environment, with multiple adults and children sharing limited emotional and physical space.
These are not conclusions about causation, but pieces of context—fragments of a larger psychosocial landscape that must be considered holistically.
The Emotional Volatility of Adolescence
Adolescence is an emotionally volatile phase where the brain's reward and social sensitivity systems are highly active, while regions responsible for impulse control and long-term reasoning are still maturing. What an adult perceives as a temporary conflict may feel, to a teenager, like humiliation or abandonment. Add social isolation, disrupted schooling, or inconsistent adult support, and the emotional load can quietly intensify, often without visible signs.
The Digital World as Refuge
The debate has understandably circled back to digital use. As a psychiatrist, I see both sides daily. Many adolescents spend long hours online and remain psychologically stable. For others, the digital world becomes a refuge from distress—from academic failure, bullying, loneliness, or family tension. The screen is not merely entertainment; it is a source of relief and escape.
When that relief is abruptly removed without conversation, the reaction can be extreme. I recall a 14-year-old brought to me after his parents confiscated his gaming console. He became withdrawn and expressed thoughts of "not wanting to exist." Through therapy, it became clear that gaming was the only domain where he felt competent, as he struggled in school and felt constantly compared to a better-performing sibling. Addressing those deeper wounds reduced his gaming far more effectively than any ban.
Emotional Contagion and Silence
In the Ghaziabad tragedy, reports suggest the sisters were deeply immersed in online identities and content. For some adolescents, such immersion can be a form of psychological escape, especially if offline life feels constricted or emotionally barren. When siblings share that inner world, their emotional states can amplify one another. In clinical terms, we sometimes see a form of emotional contagion among closely bonded adolescents, particularly when adult containment is weak or inconsistent.
Another theme that often emerges in such cases is silence—not overt abuse or visible chaos, but an absence of emotionally attuned conversation. Meals eaten without real exchange, questions answered with "fine," parents preoccupied with work, and children navigating inner storms alone can create a dangerous void.
Recognizing Warning Signs
Suicidal behavior in adolescents is rarely as sudden as it appears. There are often warning signs: sustained withdrawal, sleep disruption, irritability beyond context, academic decline, or subtle expressions of hopelessness. Statements like "Nothing really matters" or "You wouldn't miss me" are sometimes dismissed as teenage drama, but they should not be ignored.
The emerging facts in this case—prolonged school disengagement, intense digital immersion, possible academic gaps, and family complexity—highlight something uncomfortable: vulnerability builds quietly. When multiple stressors converge, even resilient children can falter.
A Call for Ecosystem Awareness
This is not a call for panic about technology, nor an accusation against any one family. It is a reminder that adolescent mental health exists within ecosystems—home, school, peer group, and digital environment. When several of these systems weaken simultaneously, risk increases significantly.
Practical Steps for Parents
What, then, should parents do to support their children?
- Replace surveillance with conversation. Instead of asking, "How many hours were you online?" ask, "What do you enjoy there?" "Who do you talk to?" "What does it give you that you don't get elsewhere?" Curiosity reduces defensiveness and opens doors to understanding.
- Protect routine. Regular schooling, peer contact, sleep cycles, and shared meals are stabilizing anchors. When these disappear, emotional regulation often deteriorates, making children more vulnerable.
- Take withdrawal seriously. If a child has been isolated, irritable, or persistently low for weeks, consult a mental health professional. Early intervention is preventive, not dramatic, and can save lives.
- Remember that adolescents need to feel heard before they can accept correction. One mother told me recently, "We give them everything—good home, good school, good phone. What more do they want?" I replied gently, "They want to know that when they are struggling, you will sit with them before you solve them."
Moving Forward with Compassion
The deaths of these three sisters should not dissolve into a cycle of outrage and forgetting, nor be reduced to a single villain. If there is one lesson, it is this: emotional disconnection can be as dangerous as any device. We cannot remove every risk from a child's life, but we can strengthen protective factors—attentive presence, open dialogue, and timely support.
Prevention rarely begins with confiscation; it begins with relationship. And sometimes, the most powerful intervention is simply asking—and waiting long enough to hear the real answer.
About the Author: Dr. Himanshu Sareen is Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry at PIMS Medical College and Hospital, Jalandhar, and a Consultant Psychiatrist at Sareen Health Care Centre, Jalandhar. With extensive academic and clinical experience, he specializes in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, De-addiction, and Behavioral Addictions, emphasizing evidence-based practice and public mental health awareness.
