In India, as the word ‘suicide’ is heard, one assumingly conclude the reason to be some exam failure. However, in the recent years, the pandemic was quite traumatic for the students as their number of suicides spiked to high numbers pointing to some entirely different facts. In India, the rate of suicides among the youth is one of the highest worldwide. According to various surveys, it has been observed that about 72% of the students (today even more) are not capable of handling pressure and as a result have fragmentated relation with family and friends. The pressure of the society has seemingly been reduced to near 14 years from 19 years of age.

• Mental Illness

Today, one of the important cause of suicide is mental illness. Mental health was earlier considered a taboo subject in India but few recent instances has made it the talk of the town. The lives ended by students were more in the recent pandemic years as stated by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The mental health issue was identified as due to COVID lockdown, the students were compelled to stay at homes being debarred from emotional socialisation and physical classrooms for about more than a year. The students were traumatized by uncertainty of things happening around. They were unwillingly compelled to deal with fear and tension.

• Forced Career Choices

The decision to choose the specific course or career has always been very pressurizing for the students. As a result, many submit to such pressure made by the family and teachers. The students must be allowed to lead a dream of their desire. It is believed by the parents that medical, engineering and law are the only prestigious career options. However, they fail to recognize that Arts and other courses are also interesting and they also offer a well paying career ahead. Thus, it can be inferred that in the society, there may be awareness about new subjects but the basic acceptability is still absent.

• Silence

In many suicidal cases, the cause of suicide remains undiscovered. The students fail to communicate or rather express their emotions to anyone. They find it difficult to share their feelings and the pressure bothering them even to their parents. The gap between the generations sometimes seems so wide that the child feels uncomfortable in expressing their concerns to their parents even for once. Many questions arises, such as why was silence chosen by them, why they had to suffer, why could they not seek help even from their closed ones?

• Poor Education System

Our education system is also a cause for such suicides. The desire to get admission in the top-notch universities build so much pressure inside the students that some succumb up to such stress and are forced to take some serious steps. The exposure of the students to such do or die situation and the fear to end up doing nothing haunts them terribly. The measure to secure a seat in a decent college by requirement of minimum percentage effects the students in large scale.

The deep rooted problems such as the pressure of the society and the various loopholes in the system of education needs to be concentrated thoroughly. The colleges should provide a friendly and healthy environment and also there is a need for a counselling center in every institution. The capability and caliber of every individual must be understood by their teachers and parents. The students should not be judged on their poor academic performance, rather they should be encouraged to perform better. As blaming and holding them responsible would only add up to their miseries and they might suffer in silence lonely. The students must be made aware of the various possible outcomes in life and also the methods to deal with problems. They should understand that suicide is not a solution to such problems, rather it brings much more miseries. Apart from subjective studies, great emphasis should be given on emotional strength. If one seek for help, look around there are psychologists, counsellors, special friends who are more than willing to help in order to endure it.

” Suicide doesn’t solve problems. It only makes them infinitely, un-countably worse.”

– Sinead O’ Connor