SAVING THE YOUNG IS A COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY

We are losing young lives to suicides and accidents. Parents must wake up and support their children, while schools and colleges must be remodelled to become pupil-friendly

- PROF K SRINATH REDDY

MEDIA reports bring us the sad news of teen suicides every day. We also hear about young people dying in road accidents, drowning, or falling from heights while taking selfies. These tragic losses, while heartrending to families and friends, are also serious losses to society, which loses potentially productive human resources and creative talents.

These tragedies result from a combination of many factors, including personal attributes of young people, the biology of brain development at different stages of life, and importantly, the social environment in which people are leading their lives.

Shy, sensitive and introverted individuals are more likely to suffer emotional hurt, succumb to depression and develop suicidal ideations. Those with physical or mental disabilities are also often ostracised or mercilessly taunted. Children who are bullied, harassed or ridiculed can be driven to suicide due to loss of self esteem. Acceptance by peers always matters to young people, but rejection and bullying have risen to a whole different level on social media. When youngsters are digitally hyperconnected but emotionally disconnected, the will to live can be quickly shattered by feelings of isolation.

The pressure cooker of parental expectations often creates huge stress, and failure to meet these expectations becomes the trigger for self harm in the absence of patient hearing, emotional support and unconditional love.

The storyline of suicides in coaching centres is of an entrapped young person who desperately wants to escape from an oppressive, insulting and unforgiving environment and pleads with parents, only to be told to carry on for the sake of a career. How deaf can parents be when the plaintive pleas of their emotionally wounded children do not reach their hearts? The child who feels abandoned seeks escape through suicide.