Cases of students ending lives rise by 26%

The rate of student suicide between 2006 and 2010 has increased by 26% according to the National Crime Records Bureau, with Maharashtra having the highest rate.

“This issue has become a matter of grave concern,” said professor BR Shejwal, head of the psychology department at the University of Pune. “People commit suicide for various reasons but it is increasing at an alarming rate.”

Shejwal said that students are committing suicide because they are depressed. According to him, depression could be caused due to mismatched expectations with parents, failure to see meaning in life and relationships, but the biggest factor seems to be academic pressure.

“Generally, standard X and XII exams are considered to be very important examinations in a student’s life,” Shejwal said. “The rate of suicide goes up immediately after the examination results are declared.”

Malati Kalmadi, a student psychologist who works as a secretary of Kannada Sangha and volunteers with NGO Connecting, sees the contribution of academic pressure to student anxiety and depression. She also thinks the rapid societal change and technology is impacting students.

“No doubt our lives have become simpler due to advancement in technology but at the same time it makes you a loner and isolates you from the real world.”

Connecting started a peer education programme a year-and-a-half ago to address the issue of student suicide.

The programme has a trained volunteer team that works with self-selected students. The students are trained to understand their own stress so they can easily understand others and reach out to those students who are struggling as well.

“One thing that we find to be extremely useful is that somebody’s available to listen to them,” said Bobby Zachariah, CEO of Connecting. “In schools, a caring presence makes all the difference. And the peer education programme helps in creating a secured atmosphere for students and they can reach out to our volunteers and discuss their issues.”