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Journalism of Courage
Adolescents and youth are particularly vulnerable to suicide on account of their emotional immaturity and temperamental instability. Rapid additions to knowledge, intense competition, examinations and results expose students to tremendous stress, and trigger off depression. Often, high expectations of parents can frustrate them and add to their depression if they are unable to live up to these expectations.
Suicide now ranks as the second most common cause of death for college students in the age group of 15 to 24. At high risk is a person who is isolated with no family or friends; whose family and friends are unwilling to help; who may have broken off communication with his relatives; whose close ones reject his or her efforts to re-establish communication.
Students attempt suicide due to worthlessness, helplessness and to escape the stigma of social disapproval. Failure in examinations is also a common cause of suicide among adolescents. It is an impulsive act arising from a sense of shame and worthlessness, sometimes aggravated by scolding, beating or rejection by parents or teachers. Several investigations show that of all the feelings associated with suicide, hopelessness is predominant. The greatest incidence of suicidal behaviour occurs at the beginning and the end of the term or semester. Generally, females are three times more likely than male students to attempt suicide, but the incidence of fatal attempts is considerably higher among males.
When a college student attempts suicide, one of the first explanations that occurs to those around him is that he may have been doing poorly in studies. However, students who manifest suicidal behaviour are, as a group, superior students. Also, while many lose interest in their studies prior to the onset of suicidal behaviour and their grades get lower, the loss of interest appears to be associated with depression and withdrawal caused by problems often other than academic.
Moreover, when academic failure does appear to trigger suicidal behaviour, in a minority of cases, the actual cause of the behaviour is generally considered to be loss of self-esteem and failure to live up to parental expectations, rather than the failure itself.
For most suicidal cases, both male and female, the major participating stress appears to be either the failure to establish one’s credentials, or the loss of a close interpersonal relationship. Often, the breakup of an affair is the key precipitating factor. There are significantly more suicide attempts and suicides by students from families where there has been separation, divorce or death of a parent. A particularly important precipitating factor among college males appear to be the existence of a close emotional involvement with the parent that is threatened when the student becomes involved with another person in college, and due to this new relationship, tries to break this "parental knot".
In the present educational system, teachers are an extension of parents for the students in schools or colleges. The teacher plays an important role in students’ development in terms of confidence and with healthy interpersonal relationships. The teacher is a leader, parent, friend, philosopher and guide. Teachers appear to be non-judgmental and unbiased, with respect and understanding for an individual’s limitation and capacities.
Earlier, joint families would compensate for an individual’s needs. This was followed by nuclear families with working parents. Today, in a changed scenario, overindulgence of an individual by the media takes him away from traditional human growth process, where the values and principles of life like tolerance, patience and respect are learned, rather than acquired.
Values of life are being replaced by overexposure to violence, sex and competitiveness. There is no room for tolerance and understanding of self or others. Materialistic greed gives youth a false sense of security. The need of the day is the awareness of problems of the youth in a present environment that is competitive and commercialised. This, it becomes the moral duty of parents and teachers to reach out and help them.
Although most college and universities have mental health facilities to assist distressed students, few suicidal students seek professional help. Thus, it is of vital importance for those around a suicidal student to notice the early warning signs and try to obtain assistance when he attempts suicide. This may occur in certain forms of drug intoxication, schizophrenia, psychotic depression, and states of extreme anxiety and panic.
When there is nobody to share the pain and anxiety and even moments of joy, a person undergoes stress, because what children need is love and caring from parents in their day to day activities; a sense of feeling wanted and appreciated for what they do. Negligence on the part of parents is very harmful, through which children undergo frustration and loneliness, and to move away from which they get hooked on to drugs, alcoholism and wrong company, which ruins their life.
— DB Kadam, Dr R D Pandit & Ambrish Bhatt
