Suicides rising, how to make young Indians mentally resilient
Experts suggest multiple strategies that parents and educational institutions can employ to prepare children for the real world
by Shelly Anand · India TodayA suicide hailstorm is hitting young Indians. Data drawn from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reveals 13,044 student suicides in the country in 2022, with cases rising annually at 4 per cent.
The findings using NCRB statistics have been compiled in the report ‘Student Suicides: An Epidemic Sweeping India’ by IC3 (International Career and College Counselling), a non-profit organisation.
Various factors are responsible for the grim situation. Harish Menon, founding chair of the Student Mental Health Taskforce at the IC3 Institute, cited a fear-based education system, the Covid-19 pandemic, play-based vs phone-based childhood and stigmas or taboos as some of the triggers.
“India’s education system often promotes fear and pressure. With a large, ambitious young population, the competition for opportunities is intense. While some level of competition can be motivating, it often starts early in childhood with constant comparisons. By the time students reach middle and high school, these comparisons can become extreme, leading to unhealthy competition. In the worst cases, this pressure can result in tragic outcomes like suicide,” explains Menon.
Experts say students are often taught subjects without context or a sense of purpose, leading to frustration and stress. At a time when young minds should be encouraged to think creatively, they are pushed to follow rigid paths.
Earlier, children would spend hours in free play, exploring their environment and learning to handle risks on their own. With the rise of smartphones and social media, their social interactions have shifted online, making them less acquainted with the real world.
“Despite being more digitally connected, many children lack a sense of true belonging. They are constantly comparing themselves to idealised portrayals of others’ lives—whether it is a classmate’s exotic vacation or a neighbour’s seemingly perfect family. This sense of inadequacy and isolation is contributing to a sharp rise in anxiety, depression and even self-harm among adolescents,” observes Menon.
Add to that the extreme protective attitude of parents these days. While keeping children safe is important, research shows that when children are overly protected from risks and challenges, they may struggle to build resilience and problem-solving abilities. Overprotection can also lead to higher levels of anxiety and make it harder for them to handle stress.
In a Gallup survey conducted for Unicef in 21 countries, 80 per cent of young respondents said they would seek help during mental health struggles. “India stood out, with only 41 per cent of youth saying they would do the same. In a separate study of over 550 secondary school teachers in southern India, more than 70 per cent viewed mental health challenges as a weakness, not illness. Mental health remains a taboo topic in the country,” points out Menon.
Even though the Mental Healthcare Act of 2017 has decriminalised suicides related to mental health struggles, there is hesitation around these discussions. Students and parents should feel comfortable taking time off for mental health reasons and reporting it to school authorities without fear or stigma.
Not just that, based on very early findings from a pilot survey, students reported to IC3’s Student Mental Health Taskforce some top reasons impacting their mental health: academics, including schoolwork, homework, grades and test scores; family pressures, such as meeting parents’ expectations to excel, domestic violence and relationship breakdowns; body image, both in terms of their own perceptions and what others perceive; and career future, such as whether they will get admission in their dream college or if their parents can afford their education.
Menon says educational institutions can play an important role here. Schools, for instance, can provide counselling and shift the education system from competition to competence. “Make academics meaningful, purposeful and, equally importantly, fun. Subjects like math and sciences can be taught and learned in a fun way on the football field, in one’s bedroom or even kitchen. Shifting our focus from competition to competence will create a healthier and more supportive learning environment,” he suggests.
Counsellors, teachers and educators should help students discover their strengths and interests. This self-awareness can help students understand their strengths, weaknesses, interests and abilities, which is vital for making informed decisions about their academic and career paths and, in turn, improves students’ mental wellbeing.
This holistic approach prepares students to meet the challenges of higher education and the professional world better. Providing gatekeeper training could be another solution. India has less than one mental health expert for every 100,000 people. The ideal number is three. Some high-income countries have even six.
“We need a community-driven mental care model. This includes every stakeholder in the child’s ecosystem (parents, friends, teachers, school leadership, other school staff, student council leaders) being groomed for gatekeeper training. Just like many have learned the basics of CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), given the surge in mental health illnesses, we all should also undergo gatekeeper training to detect students with mental health struggles as well as at-risk students,” explains Menon.
Some other possible solutions could be providing safe and inclusive spaces for students to openly discuss their mental health struggles and strong student support systems, such as access to mental health experts, on school and college campuses.