New Delhi, Aug 30 - An exaggerated importance to brands, pressure to perform and peer pressure have pushed up suicide rate amongst adolescents today - a case in point being the 19-year-old student who killed herself apparently after not getting admission to a prestigious Delhi college, say psychologists and parents.

Kritika Khanna, a bright student who scored 92 percent in her Class 12 board exams, did not get admission to the sought after Lady Shri Ram college and instead had to take admission in Jesus and Mary college under Delhi University. She was apparently depressed about it.

On Friday night she flung herself to death from her 11th floor residence in a Gurgaon high-rise.

According to psychiatrist Samir Parikh, suicide is an extreme step that may be triggered by one incident but the individual would have been suffering from depression for quite some time.

'Suicide is on the rise amongst adolescents. It may be triggered on an impulse, by an incident but for that the person must have been suffering from depression for quite some time, maybe five to six months,' Parikh told IANS.

'In the case of Kritika, she must have been vulnerable for some time. All this is because of things like an exaggerated importance to brand names and being made to believe that getting into one particular institute can make your successful and, if not, it will mar your career,' he added.

Peer pressure, pressure from family and the media play a big role in building these perceptions, Parikh said.

Shocked at the incident, many parents said they are at a loss as to how to handle their teenagers.

'It's absolutely shocking.