Preventing suicides

The incidence of suicide in Bangladesh is increasing day by day. What is alarming is that most of the people who are attempting to or committing suicide are students. Achol Foundation is a social and voluntary organisation that looks into the causes of suicide in the country. According to it, a total of 446 students committed suicide in 2022. Among them, 340 are students of school, 106 are college students and at least 86 study in university. In 2021, as many as 101 students committed suicide in higher educational institutions, including universities in the country.

Today's youth are the future of tomorrow. They are the future leaders. When a young graduate struggles to get a job, the failure of their family members and loved ones to support him or her creates extreme frustration among them. In this situation, a lack of institutional mental health support and social stigma around mental health and psychological crises prompt people to take their lives. There is no denying that unemployment has become a major concern, particularly after the pandemic.

Every death is a tragedy. But when a young boy or a girl commits suicide, the tragedy shocks the entire community. Researchers attribute the suicides to depression caused by deteriorating relationships as well as social, financial and familial pressures. Suicides among our students needs immediate attention. It is time to increase awareness about suicide prevention. We must highlight the mental health factors that can lead to suicide and work towards alleviating those. While mental health professionals can play a major role in this regard, all citizens -- friends, parents and teachers -- 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 attached to psychologicaldisorder as it might one day become a matter of life and death.

Zely Khatun,

Student of Department of Botany,

Kurigram Government College, Kurigram,

jellyakhter403@gmail.com