In today’s fast-paced world, everybody seems to be a part of the rat race to make their lives ‘better’. By striving for success even at the cost of their health, happiness and personal relationships, people are becoming increasingly disillusioned. Discontentment has become commonplace, often as a result of comparison with others, which seems to have acquired a normative quality.
The 26th American President, Theodore Roosevelt had said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” The youth in society are especially vulnerable, hoping to create a secure future for themselves through means of a decent education, which one believes would be a key to financial security in the long run.
Unfortunately in the Indian education system, more often than not, marks are considered to be the indicators of one’s ability or success. As a result, the failure to meet certain expectations (either others’ or one’s own, the latter often arising from the former) may give rise to a considerable amount of frustration, hopelessness, and despair.
This can result in a pronounced loss of self-esteem, which might lead people to view themselves as incompetent and as a liability to others. A culture that propagates working round the clock often results in individuals taking on much more than they can handle, sometimes even to an extent that may prompt them to take their own lives, in order to end their ‘suffering’.
Youth Suicides: An Overview And Insight
The newspapers nowadays are flooded with reports of individuals across ages and from diverse backgrounds taking the extreme step almost every single day. Though the reasons that compel them to do so may be many and varied (mental health issues, feelings of loneliness, medical illnesses, financial problems, problems in interpersonal relationships, etc.), one common factor that drives all such decisions is a sense of failure and hopelessness: the belief of having failed oneself or others and seeing little or no way out of a situation. While most adults advise children with the common maxim, “Failure is the stepping stone to success”, this adage is slowly being forgotten and losing its meaning at a time when failure is seen as a shameful and instant success is most desired.
Many young individuals nowadays are gripped by the fear of lagging behind in the competition that they have little choice to opt-out: they are constantly grappling with the sense of not being ‘good enough’. The youth is believed to be the backbone of a society, hence it is extremely essential that their health, both physical and mental, be made one of the topmost priorities of any nation.
Youth suicides in our country point to a particularly disturbing fact: in the process of carefully building the very tempting future that they dream for themselves, the youth are losing themselves in its pursuit, driven by the strong urgency of the present. The intense pressure and confusion experienced by adolescents during their transition from childhood to adulthood, the dilemma experienced by young adults as they strive to form meaningful relationships, take responsibilities, assume different roles and achieve a work-life balance leave the young population predisposed to self-destructive behaviours and mental health issues such as depression and extreme anxiety.
Feelings of worthlessness and guilt can lead to a loss of pleasure in everyday activities and interfere with their daily routine. This can then plunge them into a seemingly infinite pit of despair, a fall that many don’t survive. What contributes to the severity of the problem is that depressive symptoms and the warning signs of suicide often go unnoticed. Mental health issues remain a taboo subject for many, and the prevailing misconceptions about them only add to the problem. For instance, a very common myth regarding depression is that it doesn’t happen to successful people.
However, depression does not discriminate and can happen to anyone. American actor and comedian Robin Williams’ suicide in 2014 shocked the world. He took his own life after battling with an incapacitating disease. He was also reported to be suffering from chronic depression. American rock band Linkin Park’s frontman Chester Bennington died by suicide in 2017. He was struggling with depression too. His death again highlighted the pressing need to have open conversations about mental health. Following are some notable facts about depression and suicide:
- Approximately 15% of people with major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder kill themselves each year (Oxford Dictionary of Psychology, 2015).
- According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), risk factors for suicide include having depressive symptoms or feelings of hopelessness and being unemployed, and the risk is higher, also, in the period after a psychotic episode or hospital discharge. In a major depressive episode, recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide are common. They may range from a passive wish not to awaken in the morning or a belief that others would be better off if the individual were dead, to transient but recurrent thoughts of committing suicide, to a specific suicide plan. More severely suicidal individuals may have put their affairs in order (e.g., updated wills, settled debts), acquired needed materials (e.g., a rope or a gun), and chosen a location and time to accomplish the suicide. Motivations for suicide may include a desire to give up in the face of perceived insurmountable obstacles, an intense wish to end what is perceived as an unending and excruciatingly painful emotional state, an inability to foresee any enjoyment in life, or the wish to not be a burden to others.
The following facts listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) bear testimony to how large the magnitude of the problem is:
- Close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year.
- Suicide occurs throughout the lifespan and was the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year-olds globally in 2016.
How Can We Tackle The Menace Eating The Hope And Belief Out Of Our Youth?
Though it is difficult to predict the occurrence of suicide, it can be prevented through timely intervention. Everyone seems to be aware of the potentially devastating consequences of suicide, but its prevention poses a challenge. The first step in addressing the issue is to sensitize people towards it. This can be achieved through spreading awareness about suicidal behaviour and ideation and cultivating a non-judgemental attitude towards people preoccupied with such thoughts.
This would encourage an attitude of empathetic listening and enable people to recognize the warning signs of suicide which can go a long way in saving many lives. It is also our collective responsibility to remove the misconception and stigma associated with mental health issues which make suicide a ‘silent killer’.
Giving more emphasis to one’s physical health than mental health or dismissing the severity of mental illness prevents those who experience such issues from reaching out and asking for help. This can drive them to deliberately take their own lives when the stress becomes too overwhelming to handle. It is equally essential to do away with the tendency of labelling people who take their own lives as ‘cowards’, ‘weak’ or ‘losers’, who choose the ‘selfish act’ as an ‘escape’ from their problems.
A strong social support network can be a beacon of hope for people struggling with self-destructive thoughts and feelings of hopelessness, by letting them know that they are loved, valued and cared for. There are several suicide prevention helplines and suicide intervention centres available in different countries. These provide professional help and emotional support to those who have lost their loved ones to suicide or those who want to seek help for a loved one who is undergoing a suicidal crisis, in addition to those who are seeking help to cope with suicidal thoughts or the emotional anguish associated with them.
World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD), organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), is observed on 10th September every year to raise awareness about the contribution that every individual around the globe can make in preventing suicide. Every voice, every effort matters; now more than ever.
Hence, we should all join hands and pledge to play our part in preventing suicide, not just on one specific day, but every single day. By dispelling misinformation about mental health issues and busting the prevailing myths around them, we can create a global community of people who care enough to break the shackles that bind so many people around us, thus enabling them to live happier and healthier lives. After all, being a source of support for each other is the need of the hour, isn’t it?