As many as 513 students of different educational institutions committed suicide in the country in 2023. Of them, 165 students took their own lives out of hurt feelings.
In the previous year, 2022, the number of school, college, and university students who committed suicide across the country was 532.
Trouble with romantic relationships, family abuse, sexual abuse, academic pressure, mental instability, and family problems were the factors, study finds.
Accordingly, the number of students committing suicide in 2022 and 2023 is close. This information revealed by the Aachol Foundation, a youth-led social organization dedicated to promoting mental health and well-being in Bangladesh.
The data regarding student suicides, according to Farzana Akhter Labani, team leader of the Aachol Foundation's Research and Analysis unit, was gathered and examined from 105 local and national newspapers as well as internet portals across the nation.
According to the data, 513 students committed suicide from January to December 2023. Among them, 227 are school students, 140 are college students, 98 are university students, and 48 are madrasa students.
Out of the total number of students who committed suicide, 204 were male students and 309 were female students.
There were 532 students who committed suicide in 2022.
In 2023, pride was the biggest reason behind student suicides, which accounted for 165, or 32.2 percent. After that, 14 out of 8 percent committed suicide due to love related affairs. 9.9 percent of students chose to commit suicide due to mental problems. Besides, 6.2 percent of the students committed suicide due to family quarrels, and 1.4 percent of
the students were victims of family violence.
Study shows, 4.5 percent of students committed suicide due to the pressure of their studies. Besides, 3.5 percent of students failed the exam, and 1.8 percent of the students failed to achieve the desired results in the public examination. 2.5 percent committed suicide after sexual harassment. 10.8 percent committed suicide due to humiliation.
According to Prof. Kamal UA Chowdhury of the Department of Clinical Psychology at the Faculty of Biological Sciences at the University of Dhaka, the suicide trend in recent years is undoubtedly concerning, as stated to the Bangladesh Post. Among students, girls specifically score higher than boys. It must be duly acknowledged by the state, non-governmental groups, and educational establishments. It must then create a policy for prevention.
Prof. Chowdhury proposes that teachers nationwide must receive advanced training to enable them to recognize the warning signs of possible suicide cases. They could notify the students' families and guardians if they are successful in identifying the students who are suicidally inclined. In addition, all higher education establishments must have a specialized, qualified mental health unit.
Dr Helal Uddin Ahmed, associate professor of Child, Adolescent, and Family Psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health, said emphasis should be on the development of personal resilience and mental health to prevent student suicides. "When students face breakups or academic challenges, fostering their mental resilience is crucial. If they withdraw, showing signs like eating alone and in isolation, initiating a conversation and offering counselling is essential," the professor said.
Several suggestions were given by the experts and psychologists to reduce suicide. These include mental health screening for students from school to university level at least once a month, appointing a mentor for each student and taking steps to build good relationships between mentors and students, and introducing teacher-student mental health corners in educational institutions.
Inclusion of mental health issues in the training system, launching various campaign programs by government and private initiatives to break the taboo on mental health, teaching students emotional control techniques and patience lessons in families and educational institutions, teaching students about strategies to deal with any negative situation, stress management and emotional intelligence, Educating teachers, students, and family members about the warning signs of suicide, bringing mental health services under insurance, and launching a toll-free national hotline number will make mental health care quick and accessible.
According to World Health Organization approximately one million people commit suicide every year and 60% of all cases of suicide in the world occur in Asia while 39.6 per 100,000 in Bangladesh.
