Stabbing one’s dad 15 times is an exceptional case: Docs

On the face of it, a 31-year-old Mulund man murdered his senior citizen father over the latter’s refusal to part with Rs150 for buying alcohol. Delving deeper, problematic facets of an urban dweller’s personality in an essentially ailing city of Mumbai come forth.

Psychiatrists are seeing close to eight patients a day, who speak of committing either suicide or of hurting others.

“Many youngsters come to me with suicidal thoughts or negative tendencies of causing harm or physical hurt to people in their surroundings,” said Dr Harish Shetty, a psychiatrist.

Even as alcoholism is a contributing factor which can often lead to violent behaviour, a son stabbing his own father 15 times, experts say, could have been a result of the former’s deep-seated anger against his dad.

“Stabbing is a common occurrence, but stabbing one’s own father 15 times is an exceptional case. Apart from the fact that the craving for alcohol can cause violence, he must have had deep-seated anger towards his father,” said Dr Ravindra Abhyankar, past president, Indian Psychiatric Society, west zone.

Experts also say that alcoholics often batter their wives or children if they can’t obtain their daily fix. A normal person who is extremely emotionally disturbed can cause such hurt. He may not necessarily have a psychiatric disorder. It’s rather the rising anger of not being able to land a job, the burden of loans, not being able to find a partner or something as routine as not being able to board an overcrowded bus or a train, which is causing such acts of violence.

“Violence amongst youth is on a rise in the essentially sick city that Mumbai is. The vulnerable, as in this case the son who stabbed his father, are pushed across the edge. The youth was unemployed. Not getting a job and as a result of that no stable relationship can lead to the fuelling of anger. This in addition to alcoholism is a concoction for looming danger. The anger can either be vetted out on oneself or on a close family member,” said Dr Shetty.