Rising Rates Of Suicides Among The Youth: Will The State Wake Up To The Situation?
Neglected. Rejected. Uncontrolled. Youth suicides is one of the many evils where India tops the list at a global level. While Odisha does not figure as high as many other states in the national scenario with respect to this issue, the emergence of Bhubaneswar as an educational hub has most definitely brought to the fore, this hidden evil. With the youth population being the highest among other age groups in the state, the issue has faced serious ignorance from not only the government, but the public as well.
“It is often the case that educational institutions do not involve the media in a student suicide case in order to prevent bad publicity. I feel over the years, with the pressure of study, family’s expectations, relationships; many youngsters are driven to commit suicide. Almost every educational institute might have witnessed the suicide of its students, most of them just don’t reveal it, and those cases, which garner attention often fade away later, like everything else,” says Sagarika Panda, an alumnus of KiiT Group of Institutes. She further adds, “I also feel this is a problem that can be solved, if only people communicated better. Better counsellors, parental support, it all helps! What Odisha needs is a little perspective and open-mindedness.”
According to the National Youth Policy 2014, a youth is defined as anyone between 15 and 29 years of age. Apart from adolescents and college students, this group includes college graduates and working professionals too.
Academic stress has often been cited as the major cause of youth suicides in the state. “In today’s scenario, schooling and academics is a major cause of concern. With students trying to balance the academic and familial pressures, they often forget to take care of themselves. Yes, appointing psychologists and counsellors in schools is definitely a stepping stone, but the child also requires parental understanding and support. Communication is essential,” says Dr. Ankita Sharma, an occupational therapist specialising in Child and Adolescent Psychology.
Take into account the suicide case of C. Yogith Krishna of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bhubaneswar. The news was reported in most major newspaper publications all across the state, but was not reported with the police. “Statistics only show the number of cases reported. There could be several cases, which probably never come into the light. The causalities behind youth suicides must be studied, and the message must be spread. Only if we know the cause can we work on the effect,” says Smita Padhi, a concerned parent.
Picture Courtesy: My Guntur
Dr. Sharma also enlisted several other causes of youth suicides – the most common of which include relationships and peer pressure. Elaborating on the former Dr. Sharma says, “It is somehow always suspicion of some sort that results in either one or both parties in the relationship ending their lives. It is important to understand that one must never resort to suicide for life is precious and there are other ways to deal with problems. Therapy is one, but justice must be served while one is still alive especially in cases pertaining to youth suicides.”
In the recent case of Santanu Patra’s live suicide, the victim cited his wife’s alleged affair and blackmail as the cause of death. Upon investigation, the police did find this to be true. Justice was served, nevertheless. Apart from this, the spurt in the circulation of obscene and viral videos has also led to blackmail emerging as a leading cause of suicide in the state.
Over the past year, Odisha has seen several suicide cases driven by peer circumstances, be it due to a trend like the Blue Whale Challenge or an accusation of petty theft such as the Tanaya Bannerjee suicide case. According to a report released last month by the Union Health Ministry titled ‘India: Health of the Nation’s States 2017’, suicide and violence among other reasons accounts for around 27.2% of deaths in the 15-29 years bracket. The report provides detailed statistics of the surveys conducted in all states of the country and is available online for free. Even though Odisha does not account for high suicide rates on a national level, it does make it to the top of the list when it comes to suicides of a particular religious community. In India, Odisha has the highest rate of Muslim suicides standing at 36.1 per lakh, most of them, youth.
“Odisha, though it claims to be secular, is not a very tolerant state. One can see hints of subtle discrimination everywhere, be it in the workplace or the marketplace. The caste discrimination is so deep-seated in the state that religious tolerance seems an extremely legitimate problem here,” says Pinaki Mohanty, a final year Law student from Utkal University. Youth suicides in Odisha continue to grow more obtuse with each passing day. It could be academic stress, parental and peer pressure, chasing trends, desperation, blackmail, or even religious intolerance, but one must ensure that suicide never becomes a last resort for either oneself or anyone else.
Another reason why youth suicides have not been successfully prevented in the state is because Odisha does not have a suicide helpline as such. One can always dial on the National Emergency number 112, or the Police helpline 100, but both the national and state governments need to focus more on the mental health development of the public, particularly the youth. Odisha witnesses a lack of psychologists and other mental health practitioners for mental health has never been a major area of focus. With a mere sum of Rs. 10,000 allotted for Mental Health Care by the state government in BE 2017-18, Odisha definitely has an immeasurably long way to go when it comes to suicide prevention!
Feature and Banner Image Courtesy: Times Live