A freelance school counsellor
Bengaluru is no stranger to suicides as the city has seen many, especially students, take their lives in the past owing to failure in exams and so on. And now a recent study disturbingly reveals the trend is only growing with a large number of teens and young adults in the city having either considered suicide or attempted it for entirely avoidable reasons.
A survey of school and college students, and young workers in Bengaluru , Chennai and Mumbai, by the Podar Institute of Education says 59 per cent of 1,900 teens and young adults covered by had considered ways to put an end to their lives and an appalling 47 per cent had attempted it.
Of the respondents spoken to 500 were from Bengaluru, 650 from Chennai and 750 from Mumbai. President of the Podar Institute of Education, Dr Swati Popat Vats, believes one reason why the young consider or attempt suicide today is because they find people are either unwilling to listen or understand their problems. Comparing the results to a similar survey done in 2015, in which stress had emerged as a major factor for suicide, she says the helplessness that the young face when they fail to meet the expectations of parents, their peers or companies also drives them to think they have no other option but to end their lives.
Mr Nagasimha G. Rao, president of the Child Rights Trust ( CRT) warns that if the situation is ignored, Bengaluru could eventually emerge as the suicide capital of the world. “Parents and elders of the family are to blame in most cases as they fail to listen to their children when it matters. Teenagers face such trouble when they are left in isolation and are deprived of attention at home as they transform into adolescents. Parents often fail to handle the rebellious nature that they display during these years and this later has an adverse effect on their mental health and thought processes,” he says.
Noting that surveys have found more people suicidal in Tier- 1 and metropolitan cities, Mr Joseph K, a freelance school counsellor, also blames the preference for gadgets over interpersonal communication in the world today. “Youngsters always want to share their views and experiences with someone who can help them realise whether they are on the right track as they often face confusing situations on how to progress from any given situation. As family time has reduced over As family time has reduced over years with both parents working and teachers being mere academic facilitators, youngsters often fall into online traps, which they hardly recognise.” the years with both parents working and teachers being mere academic facilitators, they often fall into online traps , which they hardly recognise,” he rues.
“Children have also confessed to feeling rejected when parents show no interest in anything other than their academic performance as this adds to their mental stress,” he cautions.