Teen Suicide In India

DISCLAIMER: This blog post discusses the observed causes of teen suicide in India along with potential risks.

Most adolescents experience an increased risk of depression, anxiety, and stress due to hormonal changes in their bodies. These changes along with growing tension and pressure being put on them, make teens more vulnerable to suicide than any other age group.

Suicide rates are rapidly increasing, from 9413 in 2018 to a soaring high number of 13,089 student deaths in India in 2021 according to NCRB. Suicide is a topic we often refrain from talking about due to the social stigma around it or because it might initiate certain morbid memories of the past. Even though this is often neglected in our Asian culture, mental health, and suicide need to be discussed in our households. This is an important factor to be addressed because family issues including parents’ divorce, unsupportive family background, and parental pressure lead to suicide ideation with 4006 cases out of 11,396 being due to family problems in 2020. The rise in divorce rates has certainly impacted young teenagers who are unable to cope with the change. Therefore parental guidance and constant communication between a child and the guardian can build a healthy state of mind. Although it can't be guaranteed that a teen will not experience such tendencies even if their relationship with their parents is healthy.

Suicide is not just a commonly used gen-z phrase, it is something that creates an ever-lasting agony and guilt for family members and friends. The root cause of teen suicide in India has been academic pressure for several years- it’s something we’ve heard of often but doesn't see any action being taken against it. Students of our generation struggle to compete in exams with the mindset of achieving 99.98% at the least. Academic validation for Indian students is much more important than having peace of mind and achieving their true passion, with the statistics proving 864 out of 10,732 students under the age of 18 taking their lives due to “failure in examination” according to the Times of India report. Considering the data, it is justifiable to say that parents should prioritize their child’s mental health over the mere qualification provided by the faulty education system. Another report claimed that 27 students from prestigious institutes such as IITs committed suicide, allowing us to question the state of the education system.

Another major cause of suicide in 2020 was harassment on social media apps. Along with technology’s perks comes its most critical drawback, cyberbullying. Social media can be a great source of entertainment, however, children under the age of 18 with free access to the internet can be victims of online harassment. According to Comparitech’s study, 37% of parents who reported the most cyberbullying were from India. This startling number compels teens using social media apps to be aware of the potential signs of cyberbullying and take certain actions to prevent it. Learning how to safely participate in online activities is one of them.

During the stage of adolescence, teenagers are bound to explore their sexuality and come out as a person from the LGBTQIA+ community. This could be significantly stressful given the fact that it is not commonly accepted by people of the older generations. A judgemental attitude from the ones they love could lead to a mishap. A survey from NIMH claimed that members of the LGBTQIA+ were more likely to report suicidal thoughts. Thus, keeping an open mindset becomes increasingly important for members of all age groups.

The most common way we can help prevent suicide is by noticing signs shown by people who have been showing consistent signs and expressions of depression and other worries. Self-harm, withdrawing from social activities, and keeping unusually to themselves could be clear signs of suicidal behaviour. It is often better to report such signs to an adult who can take necessary action before it is too late. Suicides also take place due to the victim experiencing a life-altering event that could trigger a sense of hopelessness, hence it is essential for family and friends to be there during one’s toughest times. A casual checking up on a person can save a life.

Suicide needs to be talked about, especially by those whose loved ones face such tendencies so they can learn and understand how to be there for them.

Seeking help isn't always easy but it can be a necessary step to take. Please call this nationally available suicide hotline: 9152987821

Written by: Dhrithi Karanth

Edited by: Ananya Narayan