A study published by Lancet states that India has one of the highest suicide rates on the planet, with a significant proportion between the ages of 15 and 29 years old.Early this month, in an unfortunate event, a young NEET aspirant committed suicide. Recent news about student suicide is not limited to this. Numerous places, including Telangana, Maharashtra, Kochi, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, and others, have reported student suicides in the previous week. The student suicide crisis in India has been an issue for the past few years now. However, now death by suicide in students' context is emerging as a full-blown major public health crisis as it has become the leading cause of death amongst them.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) accidental deaths and suicides in India (ADSI) report, 2020, more than 12,500 students died by suicide in the country in 2020 at a rate of more than 34 a day. Moreover, a study published by Lancet stated that India has one of the highest suicide rates on the planet, with a significant proportion between the ages of 15 and 29 years old. There could not be a bigger wake-up call for all school authorities, parents, and education policymakers. While farmer suicides have been the subject of numerous regional and national conversations, student suicides are typically swept under the rug despite the fact that their numbers are higher. It is time we address the grave crisis and take affirmative actions to prevent these deaths.Gaps in the data collection framework in India
Why are there so many suicide cases in India?
The issue of student suicides in India is a multidimensional and multifactorial one. There are many socio-economic factors that come into play. With whatever limited data we have, we can infer that more than half of student suicides in India are not related to mental health problems, which is the more popular narrative in the West. However, depression and mental health issues in India continue to remain largely undiagnosed due to the social stigma attached to them, and hence the rate of correlation between the two is still highly undetected. One of the biggest and most repetitive reasons stated for student suicide in India has been failing exams. Exam pressure drives millions of students each year towards desperation. While there is a plethora of opportunities for students to explore, at most times, their world just seesaws between pass and fail. Their identities are often just linked to their mark sheets. They are often pressured by both school authorities and parents at home to follow tight study schedules, which ultimately leaves them depressed and helpless.
While achieving good grades is a stress faced by many, on the other hand, school is also an escape for many students. Many teenagers experience verbal, or physical torture at home. Additionally, many girls are under pressure to be married young or are asked to help with domestic chores, resulting in high school dropouts. The pandemic, which brought many other challenges, also forced students to stay at home for a very long period of time, making them vulnerable to all such forms of torture.
How can India address the issue?
Just like in most parts of the world, student suicides in India are preventable. They are, at most times, affected by the social and cultural environment. With its present actions, we are focusing on healthcare services to save lives after a student has attempted suicide, but this does not help in preventing them in the first place. We need to look at the broader structural issues and focus on the blindspots.
Millions of students across the country are dealing with academic distress. The fear of failing in the cutthroat educational environment coupled with a lack of social accountability causes students to find it easier to end their lives. Adding to that now is this injected need to be skilled in all domains to be fit for the job market. It is time we revisit the functioning of our educational institutions, structures, and systems. Many premier educational institutions have taken actions like removing ceiling fans that can take more than 40 kilogrammes of weight. It is like they don’t care about deaths but only about deaths at their institutions. With such an attitude, we are going the wrong way.
Evidence-based interventions targeted toward the most vulnerable population can not only save lives but also provide students with a more secure, safe, and holistic growing environment.
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