TW: SUICIDE AND DEATH
Losing a student to suicide is a devastating experience that can leave friends and family feeling helpless and hopeless. However, in times of darkness, it is essential to hold onto hope and remember that there are reasons to keep fighting. As author Jamie Tworkowski once wrote, “Don’t give up on your story. Don’t give up on the people you love. Hope is real. Love is real. It’s all worth fighting for.” These inspiring words remind us that, despite the difficulties we may face, there is always a reason to persevere. This article will delve into the complex issue of student suicide and explore ways we can come together to prevent it.
Introduction
While farmer suicides in India are generally known as a crisis, student suicides are becoming more and more covert. In fact, more students died by suicide than farmers. In two separate occurrences, three students who were studying for admission exams in Kota, Rajasthan, allegedly committed suicide.
India has a lot of untapped potential, which is revealing itself in the youth and students who are replacing even grownups in the workplace and advancing themselves in every way. This youth is made up of many students from different parts of the nation who are pushing themselves beyond what is reasonable for teenagers or college students to accomplish. However, among this large group of students, many are struggling with trauma, depression, and anxiety due to various career-related issues.
The third most common cause of mortality amongst young adults worldwide is suicide. Preventative measures need to be conducted with cultural sensitivity and customized to the region-specific characteristics of a country; it is becoming increasingly clear. Youth are now the group most at risk in one-third of both developed and developing nations due to the sharp rise in suicide rates within this age group. Because the employment of new suicide methods is linked to pandemic rises in overall suicide rates, the problem of “Cyber-suicide” that is rising in the internet era is also cause for concern.
Why Suicide?
Only Indian households and educational establishments can provide the solution to this problem. Children in India are forced to study hard for a secure future while also being strongly influenced by the multifaceted socio-economic, cultural, and psychological atmosphere and milieu present in higher education institutions, which stimulates drastic measures such as suicide. When a person is at their lowest point, it may appear like their only alternative is to die since they are unable to understand their own feelings and thoughts.
Causes Of Student Suicides In India
Many theories and explanations have been offered for suicide. Emile Durkheim offered a solid foundation for a sociological approach on teenage suicide, arguing that suicide has a societal component. He said that communities with the correct balance amid individual initiative and community cohesion also have the lowest suicide rates. Suicide is more complex than being only a manifestation of mental disease.
Integration and regulation are two important aspects, in Durkheim’s view, that have an impact on suicide rates. According to Durkheim, regulation refers to the presence and significance of norms, regulations, and laws, both informal and official, while integration refers to a person’s interactions with others and their role in their communities. Both of these things must be in balance. Suicide may happen from having too much or not enough of either.
With over 1 billion people, India is the second-most populated country in the world. It additionally has one of the biggest rates of suicide among people between the ages of 15 and 29 and third-most female suicides worldwide each year. Academic stress is the most well-known cause for both male and female students’ suicide in India, and it is a common cause. One recent instance of this is the 10th-grade girl student who died by suicide on March 3 in the Dausa district of Rajasthan. In her suicide note, the student stated that she was stressed out about her upcoming board examination and that she had no way to cope with the pressure of getting more than a 95% on her exams.
The stress extends much beyond high school and college. Stories of successful students receiving top grades and top job offers that make headlines significantly contribute to parents asking their kids to follow in such footsteps.
Reasons
Academic Pressure
Academic strain is a key cause of student suicides in India. Throughout a student’s academic career, there is frequent pressure to perform well in the classroom. Parents and society have lofty aspirations for students’ academic performance, frequently equating it with future employment opportunities and social standing.
The competitive pressure in India’s educational system puts greater strain on students. Students must indulge in fierce competition to gain admission to the top colleges and universities because there are only a limited number of seats available. This competitiveness fosters a climate of extreme pressure and stress, that could be harmful to a student’s mental health.
Moreover, India’s educational system frequently emphasises memorization and rote learning while putting less of an emphasis on critical thinking and innovation. This strategy can be particularly difficult for students who, despite their best efforts, may find it difficult to achieve academic success. The strain is too much to bear because each person is born with unique talents, aptitudes, and abilities. Academic pressure can increase if a student feels inadequate, ashamed, or unsuccessful as a result of not meeting expectations in the classroom.
The nature of university environment, particularly one that places a focus on examinations, the stress of studying, and competence are critical attributes in student suicides. Parents have a vital role in unsettling the children. Yet, parents place responsibilities on their children who have been victimized by the exam-centric system in order to fulfil their own aspirations and to perform well on the exam.
Former University Grants Commission head Professor Armaity Desai is adamant that neither state-level nor federal governments are doing enough to prevent student suicides. The superior education being provided in educational institutions is severely harmed, and our educational system forces pupils to learn things they may never use in the real world. This increases the pressure to perform, particularly during exams. Suicidal thoughts could result from the worry.
Competitive Environment
For students, the competitiveness in India’s educational system is a very stressful and difficult component. There is fierce rivalry for the few available places in top colleges and institutions, with a huge number of applicants. Students may experience significant levels of stress, anxiety, and depression as a result of this very competitive environment.
Early in a student’s academic career, competition and academic achievement are prioritised, and students frequently attend private tutoring alongside their usual classes. The overwhelming pressure to achieve well in school can cause people to prioritise grades above a comprehensive approach to learning. In order to strengthen their college applications, students can feel pressured to join in extracurricular activities, which increase their workload as well as stress levels.
Ragging And Bullying In Educational Institutions
In India, ragging refers to the negative interactions between juniors, freshmen, or first-year students and the seniors in an institution or school. It frequently entails insults, doing errands for seniors, and numerous other intricate tasks. Many serious injury claims against the victims have resulted from it. In India, ragging is subject to strict legal restrictions.
Today’s ragging has made a comeback under the cover of cyberbullying. Children have been ridiculed and made a spectacle of through cyberbullying. This causes low self-esteem, which eventually causes various other issues to arise, including depression as well as other psychological disorders. This could ultimately result in their killing themselves.
Breaking The Silence: The Impact Of Social Stigma On Accepting Sexual Orientation
One’s sexual orientation becomes more clear mostly while they are young. If they come to terms with their sexuality—gay, lesbian, bisexual, or any other—it presents its own set of challenges. Because to the stigma attached to it, it is very tough to accept and to communicate with family, friends, and classmates. The young person is under tremendous strain because most parents and family members do not understand their sexual orientation.
In addition to the high prevalence of bullying and jeering directed at LGBTQ children by classmates in schools and universities, the following factors have been linked to high suicide rates among this group of young people.
– Lack of emotional support when relationships fail;
– the belief that a relationship cannot progress to its logical conclusion;
– concern that a partner will submit to family pressure and get married;
– concern that one will never find love again given the low number of LGBT people in society;
– The pressure to keep the relationship a secret at all times.
Dr. Shreyas Magia, a psychiatrist, argues that because their relationship was viewed as “abnormal” by society as a whole, a Gay person was unable to communicate the specifics with their family or friends, which intensified their distress and made them emotionally more frail and susceptible. The fact that the relation can rarely progress to a point of resolution worries these kids a lot. This adds to the chaos and lowers the person’s self-esteem.
Financial Pressure And Emotional Neglect
Students may experience emotional neglect, identity issues, social isolation, and financial strain to maintain their studies.
Due to their busy schedules, parents frequently disregard the warning indications of suicide. The emotional pressure is increased by the teen’s sense of emotional deprivation and neglect, combined with his or her sense of being abandoned and forgotten. They feel as though their absence won’t even be noticed if they disappear because of this emotional neglect.
Lack Of Adequate Support
When it comes to their children’s educational choices, parents in Indian families frequently have significant influence and may even put pressure on them to choose certain subjects or professions that they perceive to be more prestigious or socially acceptable.
In Indian society, there is often a pervasive “Log Kya Kahenge” mentality that can affect school and university going students as well as aspirants preparing for competitive exams. This mindset is the result of a ubiquitous stimulus for behaviour and decision-making in people: fear of social rejection or judgement.
Instead of letting their children pursue their interests and passions, parents often push them to pursue jobs in engineering, law, or medicine, for instance. Given that their families may have higher hopes for their academic success and in their careers.
Parents may object when their children indicate interest in choosing a different course of study or career because they are concerned about what other people may think or say. For students, this pressure can be detrimental because it can result in a loss of autonomy as well as more stress and worry.
It is critical to foster an atmosphere where students may follow their hobbies and interests without worrying about being judged or criticised by their family or society. This can improve students’ general wellbeing by lowering anxiety and psychological stress among them.
Forced Career Choices And Not Speaking Up
In general, a lot of children in our nation give in to intense pressure, particularly from their household and professors, regarding their academic pursuits and job choices. In India, it has long been a problem that young people are frequently pushed in a particular direction by family and societal pressures irrespective of their own inclinations or abilities. This might cause kids who are required to do well academically and find well-paying careers to feel forlorn and dejected, in particular.
Many incidences of student suicide in recent years have been related to the anxiety and stress of being compelled to make a professional decision. Students who don’t live up to their families’ or society’s expectations may feel like failures, which can lead to melancholy and feelings of futility. These emotions may be made worse by the fierce battle for employment in some industries, which may prompt some students to act in an extreme manner.
This issue is exacerbated by a number of variables, such as a lack of vocational counselling and assistance, limited or no access to educational and employment possibilities, and cultural mindsets that place a high value on academic and financial achievement. High tuition costs and outstanding student loans are two additional financial struggles that many Indian students experience, which can increase the pressure to perform.
Socio-Economic Factors
Socioeconomic issues, like poverty, inequality, and social standing, can have a significant impact on a student’s educational prospects and performance in India. It can be extremely difficult for students from low-income families to get the education and resources they need to excel academically.
A student’s academic success and mental health may suffer as a result of poverty restricting access to needs like food, shelter, and healthcare. Another important socioeconomic aspect influencing pupils in India is educational inequality. Students from underrepresented groups may experience bias and discrimination, which will restrict their access to resources and high-quality education. Additionally, a student’s social standing can affect their educational chances and achievements, with a higher social standing granting them access to more opportunities and resources.
Impact Of Student Suicides On Society
A. Impact On Families
The death of a child to suicide is a painful experience that can cause the members of the family left behind to feel overwhelming grief, guilt, and anger. Relatives of children who have committed suicide could feel a variety of things, such as shock, bewilderment, and extreme sadness. They could feel bad for missing the red flags or not supporting their child enough. They might also experience blame and stigma from society, which would make their suffering and loneliness worse.
Families who lose a child to suicide may suffer long-term effects on their psychological health and general wellbeing. Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression are all possible among parents and siblings (PTSD). They might also experience monetary and interpersonal difficulties.
B. Impact On Educational Institutions
When a student takes their own life, it can affect the institution’s academic performance as well as cause trauma and mourning among the students, professors, and staff. Lower attendance rates, less involvement in leisure activities, and a lack of a desire to study can all be caused by a drop in student morale.
Following a student suicide, institutions may also be subject to legal and financial repercussions. If they don’t give the kid enough help or resources, they can be held accountable, which could result in legal action and financial losses.
Measures To Prevent Student Suicides In India
Government Initiatives
The National Mental Health Program (NMHP)
In order to address the issue of mental health and prevent suicides, the Government of India introduced the National Mental Health Policy in 2014. The goal of the policy is to raise awareness of mental health issues and improve mental health services.
The National Suicide Prevention Strategy
The National Suicide Prevention Hotline was established by the Indian government in 2018 to offer those who are having suicide thoughts round-the-clock emotional support. The phone number to call is 080-46110007.
The Mental Healthcare Act
It was approved in 2017 to establish a legislative structure for the nation’s promotion and defence of mental health. The act has provisions relating to the advancement of mental health services and the prevention of suicide.
Youth Red Cross
It is a nonprofit group that collaborates with the government to stop teen suicides. The group supports those who are dealing with mental health problems and raises awareness about preventing suicide.
Data on Student Suicides:
According to NCRB Statistics, 12,526 students committed suicide in 2020, and 13,089 did so in 2021. The report omits mentioning the precise causes. Nonetheless, it claims that 864 out of 10,732 children under the age of 18 committed suicide as a result of “failure in exams”. “Family issues” was the leading factor in suicide among individuals under the age of 18.
According to the most recent report for 2021, suicide cases also rose. 13,089 pupils, 56.51 percent of whom were men and 43.49 percent of whom were women, committed themselves.
• People under the age of 25 make up 53.7% of India’s population, which includes adolescents and young adults. However, because they lack the necessary skills, the majority of these youths are not employable.
•In 2020, a student committed suicide every 42 minutes, or more than 34 students committed suicide each day, according to the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB).
13,089 student suicides, or 8.4% of all deaths, reached a record high in 2022.
Conclusion
In India, student suicides in higher education institutions have become a significant social issue. The causes of student suicides are a complex web of problems and influences. What drives someone to make such a drastic choice as ending their life? What is it about this age, which is viewed as the most exciting and hopeful time of life, that makes life not worth living? Is the youth’s tolerance waning or are mistakes not being accepted with grace? Such inquiries on student suicide are numerous. Suicides are caused by many socioeconomic, psychological, and cultural factors.
To reduce the danger in India’s higher education institutions, several actions have been started. Nonetheless, the aforementioned debate amply illustrates the fact that risk factors for student suicide are not limited to academic institutions. There are a number of other factors that are outside of educational institutions’ purview. Hence, macro and micro level interventions are required for suicide prevention programmes. Also, it is necessary to conduct detailed study on the efficacy of various therapies. This will make it easier to strengthen the interventions that work.
It is crucial to realise that suicide is not a reasonable solution. It destroys many other lives in addition to their own. There is assistance out there. There are those who are more than willing to support them in coping with it, including counsellors, psychologists, and even close friends.