A recent study revealed that at least 101 students of tertiary educational institutions died by suicide last year and two-thirds of them were male students. The figures reveal the dire need for better access to mental health services for all levels, particularly for the students. During the pandemic, increased social, financial and family pressures were some of the major drivers behind committing suicide by male students, while romantic relations and emotional instability were the major factors for girl student’s suicide.
The study, conducted by a social organisation, was prepared with data collected and compiled from approximately 50 newspapers and online portals. At least 79 died by suicide in 2020. The figures might suffer from underreporting. At least 62 of the deceased were students of public universities. Another shocking finding was that Dhaka University had the highest nine of such deaths, Jagannath University had six, and Shahjalal University of Science and Technology had five. It was also found that 12 medical students had committed suicide last year. Final year students caught up in uncertainty, career-related worries, and social pressure that led to frustration and mental health issues among them.
Experts opined that the inability of students to adapt to uncertain future may be classified as the primary catalyst of the deaths. The study recommended incorporating mental health issues and services into primary health care. Other recommendations include the inclusion of mental health-related lessons from primary to university levels, the establishment of a national hotline for those at-risk, launching of a special app that allows anyone to quickly seek the advice of a psychologist, providing basic mental health training to community health workers, and lowering the cost of psychiatric counselling and medications.
We do suggest the university authorities should train essential job skills to students, thus they can cope with the growing market necessity, while the government should revisit national talent management policy for making it student-friendly.
