Recently, a student jumped to her death from a building because of problems associated with her education. The death prompted questions as to whether she was harassed by teachers in her college. The death led to lot of speculations and controversies.
While we need to probe any dubious intent or action that could have prompted the girl student to jump to her death, we also need to probe why children are becoming sensitive to a fault. What prompts them to throw away the gift of life for something that could best be termed as trivial once the moment of its importance passes? Why do they feel that suicide is the best solution to overcome crises in life?
While we need to accept that new-age social and financial circumstances could encourage suicide under certain situations, the causes that prompt one to take extreme measures are not insolvable. In the debates that considers the pros and cons of such factors that impact the society, the individual is often forgotten and the merit of individual efforts are often lost to often-pointless debates and discussions. The outcome is that timely intervention, which can mitigate mental problems and even prevent untimely death, is never resorted to. While the society needs to devise ways to prevent the suicide of any student, most of us are happy to use a suicide as a weapon against the system or anyone who are not acceptable to us.
Recently, students who were protesting against deficiencies in the way entrance exams are conducted came draped in black cloth with a rope dangling from their necks. Rather than giving the message that they are proactive enough to fight wrongs in the system, the students gave the impression that they are ready to seek easy succour in death in order to escape the system that has wronged them. Is this not similar to the teenager who threatens to commit suicide if he/she is not provided with a cell phone of his/her choice? How can we genuinely discern this behaviour- considered as the immature rant of an impetuous teenager in his/her home- from the one that is touted as revolutionary when it is being displayed on the streets under a flag and supporting ideology?
Young people are not expected to be touch-me-nots and should not seek refuge in substances or suicide to confront seemingly insurmountable problems in life. Rather than giving in meekly to the urge of the moment that motivates self destruction, teens need to resist their problems and deal with them in a positive manner. They need to talk to someone who has their trust and who can be their mentor.
The author is a senior psychiatrist in Kochi
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