India’s shocking suicide rate: More than 35 students end life every day

Nine students have died by suicide in Andhra Pradesh after results of class 11 and 12 exams were declared on Wednesday by the Andhra Pradesh Board of Intermediate Examination. The shocking news comes amidst a spate of suicides in India's premier colleges. Four students have died in suspected suicides this year at various campuses of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

As per National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI) report, over 13,000 students died in 2021 in India at the rate of more than 35 every day, a rise of 4.5 per cent from the 12,526 deaths in 2020 with 864 out of 10,732 suicides being due to “failure in examination.” 

The number of deaths by suicide among students saw an increase of 4.5 per cent in 2021, shows the latest data from the NCRB. Maharashtra had the highest number of student deaths by suicide in 2021 with 1,834 deaths, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 1,308, and Tamil Nadu with 1,246 deaths.

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Speaking on this issue, Dr Ashima Shrivastava, RCI Registered Child and Adult Psychologist told WION, “As we all know that there is a stigma related to mental health issues. Many times people are not able to approach professional help. So, in such a scenario there are Govt helplines and NGO helplines which are very helpful. First of all, they are free of cost and easily accessible and children could keep a note of these emergency numbers. These helplines provide a very confidential and non-judgemental support to the children when a person is in a high level of distress. To name a few in India, there is Sanjeevani and Sneh, run by NGOs, there are proper timings and languages present on their website.”

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“There are a lot of strategies which one can use to keep a check on their emotions. Like firstly, it could be journaling their thoughts on a paper which gives them an outlet and then process them in a better manner and other could be recognising your triggers and be mindful of the things that are stressful and find the right ways to be with, identifying right coping mechanisms. A healthy sleep cycle is the most important thing. There are many grounding exercises that can be helpful in dealing with overwhelming stress and anxiety,” she added.

Suicide which accounts for the fourth leading cause of death amongst the youth is an alarming issue in the country, for a population where 65 per cent of people are under 35 years of age. It is one of the leading causes of fatalities. A national policy on suicide prevention is an imperative step towards fulfilling India’s commitment to health in general and mental health in particular as well as towards achieving the World Health Organization’s Sustainable Development Goals.
 

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