The alarming rise in suicidal deaths among India’s youth can be attributed to an interplay of factors such as workplace stress, financial pressure, stress related to family life, inability to cope with societal expectations, and depression. Collectively, young Indians are facing enormous pressures resulting from competing pressures at home and in the workplace. These pressures may be coupled with academic and professional failures that result in expectation gaps between perceived expectations and perceived capacities leading to stressful lives.
Loneliness: The main cause of suicide is loneliness which leads one to have suicidal thoughts. The most dangerous times are when there are changes in life. Huge factors that lead us to loneliness are: going off to college, leaving for the first time, and when we have health troubles and are unable to do our daily tasks. It’s hard for young adults to make friends in our age, thus leading us to feel lonely the most.
Family problems: Family problems are a major reason behind the rise in suicide among Indian youth. As more and more young people become more progressive, their traditionalist households become less supportive of this.
Unemployment: India’s unemployment rate is 6.1%, the highest in 45 years. Unemployment, the inability to find a job after graduation, tops the list of reasons for committing suicide for youth in India.
Failure in exams: Unable to handle the pressure of studies or exams, many Indian students end up taking their own lives. Students aged 16-18 are often subjected to undue pressure at home to succeed. Academic pressure, social pressures, and the breakdown of support systems is major cause of suicide among youth.
Lack of professional help: It is a national tragedy that there is a huge shortage of psychiatrists and mental health professionals in India, which makes it difficult for young people to find professional help. According to the report by India Spend, India has an 87% shortage of mental health professionals. The situation is further exacerbated by the low public spending on mental health.
Substance abuse: Suicide is a complex issue with many social, psychological and biological factors involved. Factors like substance abuse too are a significant factors in young suicides. According to the National Mental Health Survey (2015-16) more than 22% of India’s population over 18 years suffers from a substance disorder, including alcoholism, use of tobacco and drug abuses.
Social neglect: The stigma attached to mental health disorders is the primary reason for the social neglect faced by people suffering from it in India, giving rise to severe consequences like suicide.
Teacher training: The most effective way to address the problem of suicides in schools is to create an environment where children feel free to communicate their problems with teachers and friends. Teachers can easily gauge suicidal tendencies among students. They must be trained on how to communicate with children and make children talk about their problems with them.
School reforms: There are numerous measures that schools and colleges can take to mitigate the risk of suicides among students. These include enhancing mentoring programs, or encouraging open communication among students and teachers.
Promoting coping skills: It is certain that our society would be a better place if we did not have to deal with suicides. Coping skills are important in making sure that one’s mental health is sound. No one likes uninvited guests, especially when it comes to depression.
Spending on mental health: The government needs to educate people about depression and stress management. India does not spend enough on mental health. Currently, it spends 0.06% of its health budget on mental health. Government must spend more on mental healthcare. It is important to increase medical seats pertaining to mental health professionals.
Employment generation: Governments need to promote job creation by ensuring that infrastructure development such as road and rail networks are viable. Policies including for self-employment require to be framed, quality of education needs to be strengthened, and the feeling that education has not made them employable needs to be addressed.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Japan has experienced a sharp rise in suicide rates. Japanese Prime Minister appointed Tetsushi Sakamoto as its first-ever Minister for Loneliness. Besides this, Sakamoto is also in charge of managing the nation's falling birth rate and strengthening regional economies.
