Tackling rising suicide cases among the young

Renu Sud Sinha

THE pandemic has seen a rise in mental health issues. There has been a corresponding increase in the number of suicide cases as well, with the age group of 18-30 years coming across as the most vulnerable, contributing to 34.4 per cent of the total deaths by suicide, according to data in the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report for 2020.

Of the total 1,53,052 persons who died by suicide in 2020, an alarming 12,526 were students. This has, perhaps, necessitated another set of draft guidelines by the University Grants Commission (UGC), mandating dedicated cells, with mental health counsellors, in colleges and universities to help students tackle academic and peer pressure, stress and depression.

Most government institutions, including premier ones like IITs, already have some mechanism such as Student Wellness Centres (SWC) in place to help students deal with the highly competitive atmosphere prevailing in these establishments.

The NCRB report called ‘family issues’ as a major factor (33.6 per cent) in all suicide cases. The lockdown only aggravated the problem. “Other factors, including social and emotional isolation, lack of peer interaction and support systems left no escape route for the young,” says Ashita Mahendru, a Delhi-based clinical psychologist who has served with SWCs at various IITs. “Self-harming behaviour, suicidal thoughts and attempts were at an all-time high. Among these cases, engineers, doctors and PhD students formed a major chunk. A surprising trend was the sudden increase in the number of attempted cases as well suicides after actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. The only positive note was that the ease of access that online therapy provided and the resultant privacy encouraged a large number to seek help,” she adds.

The awareness has also added to a rise in the number of those going in for counselling. The SWC at IIT-Bombay saw a 100 per cent jump in cases in 2021-22 as compared to the previous year. While SWCs are a welcome initiative, the massive number of cases and low salaries make it an unattractive option for most experts, adds Mahendru.

Medical colleges, on the other hand, despite having psychology/psychiatry departments in place, leave no time for students to tend to their own physical and mental health. The 48-hour shifts and gruelling class schedules often leave most students sleep-deprived and stressed. Away from comfort zones and support systems, most first-timers find it tough to adjust to hostel life. Adding to the stress is the infamous ragging in most professional institutions despite a 2009 Supreme Court judgment banning it.

Karnal-based Nishant Kumar (18), a first-year medical student at Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital, Balangir, Odisha, reportedly fell to death on April 22. His uncle, Ravinder Kumar, says, “Nishant had been feeling disturbed due to ragging and increasing harassment by seniors and had told his parents about it, but forbade them from lodging a formal complaint with the college authorities, fearing more harassment.” The college authorities call it a case of suicide, denying all allegations of ragging. The family terms it murder and has been demanding justice.

The much-needed help for Nishant’s family has come from Prof Raj Kachroo, another affected parent and now a flag-bearer of justice for victims of ragging. His son Aman, a medical student in Himachal, died of head injuries sustained due to ragging in March 2009. Till March this year, he had been working in partnership with the UGC and the Ministry of Education to reduce ragging across colleges in India. An awareness movement and software designed by him was helpful in instances of ragging coming down drastically from 42 per cent in 2009 to 5 per cent in 2017. He has also been instrumental in establishing a UGC helpline for students and played a key role that led to the landmark 2009 SC ruling. Unfortunately, he says, the helpline has been floundering for over a month now.

Earlier, the UGC had a basic system in place called a mentor-mentee programme, which is still being followed by most universities. Under this system, a professor is assigned 20 to 25 students. Dr Bharat, Assistant Professor of Law, University Institute of Legal Studies, Panjab University, says, “Apart from these mentees, other students have also approached me to discuss or seek guidance on personal matters, hostel problems, career counselling and even break-ups. Sometimes, just listening is enough.”

Prof Viney Kapoor Mehra, Vice Chancellor, Dr BR Ambedkar National Law University, Sonepat, offers another suggestion: “Parent-teacher interactions should continue, at least in early college years, as this is a tough transitory phase for youngsters.”

The mentee-mentor programme has its critics among the teaching community. Prof Ratna Raman of Delhi University finds it an ‘eyewash’. “DU has started something quite inappropriate. Students are randomly assigned to a teacher in colleges. We are not equipped or trained to handle them. We are subject experts and in our own specialisation we do a lot of mentoring. This sort of rule is just being blindly implemented and is dangerous for teachers and harmful for students.”

Kamna Chhibber, who is a clinical psychologist and heads the department of mental health and behavioural sciences, Fortis Healthcare, New Delhi, agrees. “Formal training is a must. An untrained person may not be able to recognise the basic signs in a suicidal patient. However, there is a huge shortage of mental health experts in India. The alternative is to give training to selected mentors/teachers and this should be continuously updated. Apart from this, the motivational levels and willingness of the mentors also matter, which, coupled with their skills and right information, can provide early help. Students’ return to campuses is very good as it is a sign of normalisation of life. But our guard should remain up as the pandemic has added new stressors like uncertainty about life and economy, while the old ones such as failure in exams, parental expectations, substance abuse and unemployment will come back with time.”

If the pandemic was a catalyst for mental health issues, there was a silver lining. The young have become more open about mental health challenges. “During the pandemic, the uptick was the outreach on social media. There is more awareness and acceptance now,” says Harsh, a young IITian from Delhi.

Dr Sarabjeet Singh, head of the department of agricultural journalism at PAU, Ludhiana, has been working on a project by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), under which experts would create a stress index and psychological resource index of farmers in Punjab to prevent rising agrarian suicides.

“The factors behind young suicides are not much different. Conflicts, stress, loneliness, social isolation, failed relationships, toxic surroundings, peer pressure, acceptance, instant gratification, helplessness, hopelessness, mental health issues, unemployment and substance abuse. The solutions, too, mostly based on common sense, are similar — support by family, friends and social connectedness, building resilience to enable solutions through self. Above all, the media should do responsible reporting — never normalising the tragedy or publishing pictures or reporting methods.”

Himachal Pradesh at 46.7 per cent has seen an alarming rise in suicides from 2019 to 2020. It is the second leading cause of death in the age group of 15 to 25 years as unfulfilled expectations/ambitions lead to impulsive behaviour resulting in self-harm and suicides, says Dr Sanjay Pathak, CEO, HP State Mental Health Authority. Drugs and relationship issues are the other reasons behind suicides.

Many experts and teachers feel that several students are either suffering from depression or are nearing that stage. A survey conducted by the State Mental Health Authority to assess the psychological impact on people during Covid-19 in 2020 revealed that 42.92 per cent were worried about their future and family, 40.46 per cent were under stress due to financial loss and 50 per cent felt depressed after reading and watching content regarding the pandemic. While 8 per cent had put their suicidal ideas into action, 2.42 per cent reportedly contemplated the idea. Only 4.17 per cent had sought psychiatric consultation.

Haryana, too, saw a rise in suicides by students. As per the NCRB’s data of classification of suicides by profession, a total of 257 students ended life in 2020, including 92 females. In 2019, the number was 179.

New UGC guidelines

• University Grants Commission has prepared draft guidelines to promote mental health wellness cells in colleges and universities.
• These cells will have trained counsellors to help student tackle academic and peer pressure, stress and depression.
• These cells will maintain separate records of students appearing to be more stress-prone. This will help check the dropout rate.
• Recommendations: Good teaching-learning environment, judicious assessment systems, fair treatment to all, more opportunities related to academic as well as co-curricular activities, besides having linkages with society and ecology through field training, job placement activities, educational tours, and summer internships.
• Creation of Students Services Centres in all institutions has also been proposed. These will work as a single-window system to address relevant student issues.

(Inputs by Bhartesh Singh Thakur and Bhanu P Lohumi)