By Haroon Rashid Bhat
“It is up to us to imbibe new energy and hope among our youth so that they will not take such a drastic step.”
Suicidal deaths are not confined to any particular society or group. It is a global phenomenon that emerges out of a dynamic interaction involving biological, psychological, and social factors. Earlier this suicidal behavior was common in particular societies or groups. But for the last few years, it has been showing an upward trend even in those societies where the rate of suicidal deaths was zero. Various sociological and psychological research reports highlighted the various causes of this problem. Psychologists considered Suicide as a highly complex and multifaceted phenomenon, with many contributing variables. It may be determined by the interaction between various factors, such as neurobiology, personal and family history, stressful events, and sociocultural environment. A renowned Clinical Psychology J Thomas Joiner put forwarded his interpersonal theory of suicide in 2005 in which he highlighted two major interpersonal structures —perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness—as critical features that may lead to suicidal ideation and eventually to suicide.
The WHO recognizes suicide as a public health priority the first WHO World Suicide Report “Preventing suicide: a global imperative”, published in 2014, aims to increase the awareness of the public health significance of suicide and suicide attempts and to make suicide prevention a high priority on the global public health agenda. It also aims to encourage and support countries to develop or strengthen comprehensive suicide prevention strategies in a multispectral public health approach but nothing concrete happens on the ground, this problem is increasing with each passing.
Much has been said and written on this issue so far. But it is time to adopt the pragmatic approach to check this social menace. Institutions like family, government, religious groups, and NGOs can play a dynamic role to change this suicidal attitude.
The Role of a Family: It is beyond any doubt that modern inventions, discoveries, and our social and economic needs changed our life drastically. We don’t spare any time for our growing kids or senior family members. Therefore, there is a need to frame a proper timetable within the family. Spending at least half an hour with your growing kids and senior members. During this time, ensure that no family member will use any artificial gadgets like cell phones, TV, Radio, computer, etc. Dedicate this whole time either to have a personal dialogue on any topic or to read out any moral story. This particular time will provide parents ample time to understand the mindset of their children. They can express their wishes and other matters. Enjoying this short spell of timing together surely minimizes the stress level and will yield the best results. Usually, we use the term “Time Table” for informal establishments like offices or schools but the time demands that there should be a proper timetable within a family as well.
The Role of Government: First and foremost, the government should establish counseling centers in schools because educational institutions can play a pivotal role in shaping the overall personality of an individual. As children grow, so do their emotional, intellectual, and social needs. School counselors can play an active part in helping individuals to develop healthy relationships with their peers, cope with academic challenges, and create a resilient sense of self during this critical developmental period, Therefore, there is a need to develop counseling centers in each school. When I talk about counseling centers, it doesn’t mean a highly well-established separate infrastructure even though we can utilize the already available infrastructure and human resources for this very purpose. The functional part of this center should be to keep every student under supervision. If the concerned teacher selected for this job notices any unusual behavioral changes due to any stress or anxiety, he/she should counsel him/ her. If the teacher realizes that the situation is beyond his control, he/she can inform the school authorities so that the services of expert psychologists can be utilized accordingly. It should be mandatory for every institution to keep a detailed family and medical record of each student. Furthermore, the states must ensure a safe future for our youngsters in terms of their social-economic life so that they can become the best contributors to society.
Role of Our Religious Leaders: To put a complete halt to this socio-psychological menace and to change this mindset, our religious orators can play a very important role. During any religious gathering be it the weekly congressional prayer (Friday Prayer) or any other religious occasion, they should at least dedicate a few minutes out of their long speeches and make the common masses aware especially our young once so that they will think hundred times before taking such a drastic step that not only ends their precious lives but also ruin many families.
Role of NGOs: NGOs can play a transformative role by developing specific programs on mental health or integrating mental health into existing programs. Apart from befriending desperate individuals, the NGOs can also undertake the education of gatekeepers, raising awareness in the public and media through some intervention programs. As there is wide variability in the expertise of their volunteers and in the services they provide. It is up to us to imbibe new energy and hope among our youth so that they will not take such a drastic step.
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are institutions, recognized by governments as non-profit or welfare oriented, which play a key role as advocates, service providers, activists and researchers on a range of issues pertaining to human and social development.
Haroon Rashid Bhat is a teacher and columnist , can be reached at minamharoon123@gmail.com
