Preventing suicide among university students

More than 100 students of different universities in Bangladesh took their own lives last year, according to a survey. The tendency to committing suicides does not seem to have seen any letting up this year among our university students. Instead, it is increasing day by day. A number of university students have already committed suicide this year. And the list may go on further. Every death is a tragedy. But when a young boy or a girl commits suicide, there is almost always a deeper level of empathy. Researchers attribute the suicides to depression caused by deteriorating relationships as well as social, financial and familial pressures.

The great incidence of suicide among our university students needs immediate attention. Now is the time to spread awareness on suicide prevention. We must highlight the mental health factors that can lead to suicide and work towards alleviating them. While mental health professionals can play a major role in this regard, each citizen -- friend, parent and teacher -- should be aware of the signs that indicate a person is contemplating suicide. We must encourage people to seek psychiatric help if they feel they need it. As citizens, we must also work to eliminate the stigma revolving around mental health as it might one day become a matter of life and death.

Zely Khatun,

Student of Department of Botany,

Kurigram Government College, Kurigram,

[email protected]