The epic story of tomorrow can’t be written if it ends today “
What could be more tragic than children ending their own lives with their own little hands ?
In today’s time, the youth often choose this path as a way to end the overwhelming hopelessness and dread in their lives for which they are unable to find any other solutions.
The fact that suicide claims more lives than war,murders and natural disasters put together is disturbing. Over 13,000 students that consisted of adolescents and minors committed suicide by the year 2021 at the rate of more than 35 everyday and globally every 40 secs one person commits suicide. If these numbers weren’t absurd enough some elite universities in India decided to remove ceiling fans from the dorms of their students so as to prevent suicides by hanging instead of focusing more on the cause and prevention of this growing problem.
Factors that affects youngsters to the point of taking their own lives range from parental expectations, peer pressure, bullying to severe depression and self harm.
Parental intimidation in question
Parental pressure is the emotional stress parents tend to put on their children and is often related to academic success, cultural and social standards, and other factors. The leading cause of parental pressure comes out of concern for the welfare of their children which is valid but when it goes out of control that’s when the problem start with some cases wherein the parent be taking leave from their work just to focus on their kid’s exams or accompanying their wards till the exam hall and pouncing on them with questions when they finish their paper, Parent need to understand that their child would love to discuss their papers with their pals then parent. As the kids be already going through their puberty and hormone wreckage along with peer pressure which is hard to deal with on its own. Apart from this when the child grows old and goes out in the world on their own for the first time they find it very difficult to fend for themselves after having been spoon fed for most of their lives and are left feeling like a failure with no sense of self-reliance
Banish Bullies
Bullying can also play a role in child taking such drastic step in their lives.Bullying occurs when words or actions are repeatedly used to harm someone’s wellbeing. While there are times we can accidentally say or do things that are hurtful, it’s important to understand that bullying is deliberate behaviour. It’s done on purpose to make a person feel intimidated, threatened or powerless and is often ongoing. And these can be dealt with when the faculty and parent come together and deal with the bullies maturely instead of brushing it under the rug as bullying can also lead to further decline in mental health. Its now the high time when our society needs to be sensitive towards depression and mental health. According to the recent studies conducted 9.3% of the youth population in India is diagnosed with depression and bipolar disease, there are numerous factors that leads to mental illness – for eg. Physical/ emotional abuse, loss of a loved one, traumatic events, substance abuse, chronic illness etc.
Fight that Low Self-esteem monster
Low self esteem is another evil that youngsters have to deal with day in and day out. Social media is one of the main culprit that brainwashed today’s youth into thinking they lack in everything while people around them are living their best lives. Everyone needs to understand that social media and the influencers sitting across the screen are mere web of lies created for commercial use and they are doing quite great by hitting where it hurts the most – propogating perfect body images, engraving the idea that if you don’t go to fancy places everyday and use luxurious products you are failing in life, alcohol and clubs are only ways to have fun and other bizarre things into the minds of youth making them question their own living conditions and the demon of low self esteem slowly creeps into their minds. We need to understand that what we see on Instagram is a perfect picture created by lot of planning, makeup and photoshop to sell the idea that you are not perfect till you use their products and it’s all a marketing game. Even the Bhojpuri film’s hero is capable to be a scholar, good looking, compassionate and capable of fighting 6 goons in a street fight.
Down the stigma street
When someone with mental health issues get called crazy and dangerous instead of unwell. It is an example of the stigma people face, which also makes them avoid medical help. People are also called weak when they choose to seek help from therapy. These mocks often come from our own close people that makes it even more difficult to seek help. Girls are called crybabies for being oversensitive while boys are ridiculed for showing their emotions. Hence more awareness is required among people regarding mental health.
Fight back don’t avoid
Government is taking initiative to provide help with children’s Mental health by appointing counselors in schools and colleges. Parent and teachers should encourage kids to speak up with their counselor if they have any problems they find difficult coping up with, parents should maintain a healthy relationship with their child where the child won’t be afraid to talk with them, every small achievement in their child’s life needs to be appreciated, children should be encouraged to take on book reading habits instead of social media and children shouldn’t be given access to smartphones and social media platforms till they are mature enough. Maybe they too realized removing ceiling fans certainly won’t help…
YOU MATTER !!!
Lastly, Never underestimate the void your absence will leave behind cause each one of us are special in our own ways and it is our duty to offer something to the world and people we love and everytime we move a little away from the paradise when that doesn’t happen. Maybe it’s hard for you today as some combination of events occurred in a way that made you experience the tragic truth of life or the sudden realization of how meaningless our world is and the indifference that universe reflects upon humanity….always remember you are the universe attempting to figure itself, give it its own time cause sometimes when things are falling apart they may actually be falling into place
About the Author :
Khushi Chodankar is a student of Goa College of Art specialising in Illustration . She did her schooling in Pednem. Her other interests are exploring nature outdoors, reading books on mythology, anthropology, and classical literature. She also love poetry and music.
khushichodankar15@gmail.com