SHASHWAT GUPTA RAY
When two stu dents died by suicide on Wednesday, it left families and educators questioning exactly what’s going wrong with our society. Howev er, analysts warn this is not an isolated phenomenon; a deep-running social malice has persisted for years—a crisis starkly illustrated by National Crime Records Bu reau (NCRB) data showing 282 student suicides across Goa in 2024. The data highlights a wor rying pattern. The maximum victims are board-exam-facing teenagers in Classes X and XII. A whopping 106 victims belong to secondary standards up to Class X. According to mental health experts in Goa, students’ inability to bear the immense pressure from parents and society has led to an alarming rise in student suicides in the State and across India. Dr Abhijit Nadkarni, Co-director of the Addictions & re lated Research Group in Sangath, Goa, said that suicides have occurred for a long time in Goa and across the coun try. “The problem lies in our education system and society, which puts pressure on these young people. It’s about the parents who want their kids to go to these elite high pres sure institutions in the hope that they will then go on to get high paying jobs after they become professionals.
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It’s a structural problem. People should stop thinking about suicide as a mental health problem. It is the last link in the chain,” Dr Nadkarni said. He said the immediate step needed is a change in socie ty’s and parents’ attitudes—their obsession with the IITs, IIMs and top medical colleges. To fulfil their unfulfilled de sires, they push their children at a tender age to crack the competitive exams and pursue high paying professional courses. “We need to train the faculty on how to take care of youngsters, how to communicate with them, and how not to put unnecessary pressure on them. Create spaces for these young people where they can vent their emotions,” he said. Consultant psychiatrist, Dr Akshada Amonkar said that rising peer pressure and a lack of emotional warmth are causing severe stress among children. “There is also a lack of stability in the society. Students start preparing for the competitive exams like the NEET or JEE from at least couple of years prior to the actual exams. They along with their parents make a lot of emotional and financial investment.
So, when suddenly the exam gets cancelled due to no fault of theirs, their hopes shatter and guilt takes over,” Dr Amonkar said. She also flagged the stress-coping mechanism of the youngsters, who resort to substance abuse for relief. “Drugs abuse, cigarette and cannabis smoking are com mon stress-coping measures adopted by the youth. This is doing more harm than good, as it is leading to addiction. Maybe, it’s because of the absence of parents, friends and an absent society,” she said. Urging the government to take mental health issues seriously, Dr Amonkar recommended formation of a task force headed by a senior psychiatrist, which can look into the mental health issues in all the educational institutions. Counsellor and psychologist, Shobhika Jaju said that a thorough investigation should be done on the reason for suicide. “It is unfortunate that despite so much of awareness to day on mental health, suicides are still occurring.
It means that there is still a lot to do. We have to address the root cause of the problem. Also, people should seek help from expertsinstead of taking any extreme step, as every life is precious,” Jaju said. Prof Joydeep Bhattacharjee, former principal of Gov ernment College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Quepem, said that although counsellors are mandatory in educa tional institutions, students are still taking their lives. “Today’s students don’t have the stress bearing capaci ty. Also, there is very little verbal communication between children and parents because they are too busy. So, due to a lack of communication, parents don’t learn about their children’s underlying mental condition. Also, stigma at tached to mental health prevents them from seeking help of counsellors within the campus,” he said.
