Mumbai has witnessed a spate of suicides of young people in the last few days. DNA tries to find out what the possible triggers and remedies could be...
Mumbai has witnessed a spate of suicides of young people in the last few days. DNA tries to find out what the possible triggers and remedies could be...
IIT student bypassed the support system
Vijay Nakula, the final year IIT student who hung himself from the ceiling fan in his hostel room last week, had three papers to clear from the previous year. Instead of visiting the resident faculty advisor on how best to cope with the backlog, he chose to end his life.
It is to help students like Vijay cope with pressures of academics and cut-throat competition that IIT has equipped itself with in-house faculty advisors and counsellors. However, in spite of institutes putting in place systems to combat depression and suicidal tendencies among pupils, academic pressure continues to force students to end the chapter of their lives.
According to Professor Prakash Gopalan, dean of student affairs at IIT-Powai, the premier institute has a reasonably good mechanism to reach out to students reeling under pressure. “Today, however, an increasing number of students are getting addicted to external distractions, which divert their attention from the academic goals and thereby make mundane tasks seem impossible.”
IIT-Powai has a full-time counsellor to counsel students from different streams. The institute also has faculty advisors, who monitor their wards’ academic performances and give advice on how to cope with their work. There is one faculty advisor for every 30 students, which is a fairly healthy ratio, say academicians.
The Ghatkopar police investigating Vijay’s suicide said he might have felt that he could not cope with the academic pressure and hence ended his life.
Professor Gopalan said the department had informed Nakula’s parents about his declining academic performance. “Apart from the counselling centre in place, peer groups also help students overcome psychological problems. As Nakula was staying alone in his hostel room, he had nobody to share his problems with. More than the academic pressure, students find it difficult to cope with the expectation from their families.”
When faced with a student in need, the faculty advisor conducts personal sessions with the student. In case the problem is beyond the faculty advisor, he refers the case to the counsellor attached to the dean of student affairs.
But psychologists and psychiatrists feel such a support system is not enough to help students handle academic pressure in educational institutions. City psychiatrists have also suggested that teachers should be trained to recognise students suffering from stress.
Dr Ajay Tamhane, consulting psychologist and counsellor, said, “Nowadays, looking good has become more important than feeling good. Everywhere people are facing stress related to family and professional life. Subsequently, the feeling of insecurity in the competitive society makes it difficult for the person to cope with the psychological disturbance. Apart from positive thinking and stress management skills, people must learn to accept reality.”
Dr Prassanna Tendulkar, consulting psychiatrist, said suicide was the culmination of a continuous process, whereby the student’s mental capacity was not recognised. Educational institutions should not just set-up counselling centres, but should provide a reality oriented view, she said. Students should be encouraged to enhance their skills and the fact that examinations were just meant to evaluate the academic performance, she added.
The warning signs
Suicide is rarely a spur-of-the-moment decision. Suicidal tendencies in a person manifest themselves as subtle indicators. The most obvious signs are verbal. Remarks like, “I can’t go on”; “I won’t be a problem much longer”; “If anything happens, I want you to know…”; “I want to kill myself”; “Who cares if I live or die”; or even “I’m thinking of ending it all” should always be taken seriously.
Preventive steps parents can take
- Get your child professional help (medical or mental health)
- Support your child (listen, avoid undue criticism, remain connected)
- Become informed (use library, local support group, Internet)
Preventive steps teens can take
- Take your friend’s actions seriously
- Encourage your friend to seek professional help, accompany him/her if necessary
- Talk to an adult you trust. Don’t be alone in helping your friend
Suicide helplines in Mumbai
- Childline: Phone no. — 1098 n Maitra: Phone no. — 25385447
- Mashaal: Phone no. — 26485777 n Prerna: Phone no. — 25905959
- The Samaritans: Phone no. — 23073451
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