The large number of student suicides in the past year is not something of an anomaly
Arundhati Swamy
Chennai: Bullying may have driven R. Karthika, the 15-year-old girl from Kodungaiyur, to end her life. But hers is not an isolated instance of a student committing suicide in the state.
According to the Accidental Death and Suicides in India - 2014 report, as many as 853 students in Tamil Nadu took their own lives for various reasons.
The large number of student suicides in the past year is not something of an anomaly. In 2013, Tamil Nadu recorded 866 student suicide deaths while the same was 795 in 2012. In 2011, this figure was 849.
One of the prominent reasons for student suicides, failure in examination, throws up shocking numbers. In TN, 247 students cited the aforementioned reason in ending their lives. Of this, 134 were boys and 113 girls.
As a city, however, Chennai has recorded lesser number of student suicides. With 15 of 247 casualties in Chennai, TN’s other three cities — Madurai, Coimbatore and Tiruchy — have 14 casualties combined. Bengaluru with 49, Delhi and Kota with 45 and Pune with 40 all have significantly higher numbers than Chennai.
So, what is going wrong? Child counsellors argue that the onus is on ‘pre-occupied’ parents to provide a platform in their home for the child to express his/her opinion. “Often, parents are not clear about the problem. It could be lack of knowledge. They think that it is part of the children’s growing up phase. The pattern of communication of the child changes when he/she is troubled and sometimes the hints may be subtle,” said Arundhati Swamy, child counsellor and member of Indian Psychiatric Society.
A child that is driven to take the extreme step is usually carrying extreme stress and on the verge of a mental breakdown. “The trigger is when they feel helpless and hopeless,” she said.
Similarly, a spate of suicides by persons classified under ‘unemployed’ category is raising questions on the capacity of the state to address mental health issues among its population. In 2014, TN saw 1,730 unemployed persons end their lives. In 2013, this figure was 1,509 while in 2012, the same was 1,938. The highest number in recent past was recorded in 2011 when 2,234 unemployed persons ended their lives.
In among those who cited ‘unemployment’ as the trigger for committing suicide last year, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra rank as equals with 312 deaths. In TN, 281 of the 312 were males while in Maharashtra, 284 of the 312 were males.
Chennai (55), along with Pune, is the third highest in the list of cities with most ‘unemployment’ related suicides, behind Mumbai and Surat. Inability to handle rejection and failure can be the primary reason why teenagers and young adults resort to suicide, consultant psychologist, Dr Vasuki Mathivanan, said.
“Every year, when the class ten and 12 board exam results are announced, there are reports how ‘x’ number of students phoned the helpline numbers or worse, committed suicide,” said Mathivanan. It is down to an individual’s ability to handle criticism. If one considers criticism as feedback, then all is well and good. On the other hand, those with tendencies to internalise and personalise criticisms are prone to such steps, she said.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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