Life interrupted

17-year-old commits suicide due to exam pressure:

by Husna Inayathullah

A 17-year-old girl from Pussellawa committed suicide last week. When the G.C.E Ordinary Level results showed she had failed. This was her second attempt to commit suicide.

According to police media spokesman, Ruwan Gunesakara, the incident occurred on March 30, 2015 at around 1.00 p.m. In a country ranked as having the fourth highest rate of suicide in the world, the death of a 17-year-old, doesn't create too many waves. Still the manner in which the teen ended her life and the reason for such an action is cause for grave concern.

Chairperson National Child Protection Authority, Natasha Balendra said, "At present we have organised many educative and awareness programs at divisional level to educate parents not to exert pressure and force children to succeed at examinations.

"Parents are ambitious and don't give a thought about the consequences. Their only thought is that children should pass examinations, come hell or high water! They feel that their children should excel in everything they do. Many parents today put pressure on children and they are tense and unable to cope with the pressure."

She said these days they were focussing on parents and were explaining to them the mistake they are making. It is not a moderate issue, now. Parents too have to be dealt with.

Children should be given the courage and encouragement if they have skills and talent. If a child cannot excel in studies, he or she would be talented in some other field such as sports, aesthetics and the arts.

Achieve

Examinations are not the be all and end all of life. A child can achieve success in some other field.

"Parents think that children should excel in studies as well as extracurricular activities. This is a wrong notion. A child who is good in studies will sometimes not be good at sports and vice versa," she said.

Clinical psychiatrist at a government-based hospital in Kiribathgoda, Dr. N.Kumaranayake said, "Today children committing suicide is a huge problem in our country. In the past few years, 3500 people have committed suicide in Sri Lanka. The age group is between 15 and 35. A large number of children were also among them."

"Most parents were under the impression that children will not be depressed if their material needs are found.

Wrong notion

This is a wrong notion. There is a chemical change which takes place when anyone is depressed, where the seratonin, a hormone that is secreted and gives a sense of well-being reduces. This leads to suicidal thoughts."

He said signs of depression were anger, change in personality, irritable, uncontrollable, cannot eat or drink, sleeplessness and nightmares. They think that life is a waste and meaningless. At this stage the depressed person should be taken to a psychiatrist as soon as possible.

According to Dr. Kumaranayake there are so many vulnerable factors which lead to suicidal attempts. Domestic violence, inferiority complex, violence in society and the environment leads to suicide.

Today most parents exert unwanted pressure on children. They force them to do things which children cannot cope with. This is wrong. Children should be taught to be independent.

"Depression is not being mad but is a mental condition which can be easily treated. It is an uncontrollable feeling. and once the school authorities detect it, counselling should be done at school level. schools don't handle this aspect in a proper manner.

If counseling is carried out at school level and parents take good care of their children, phycologically such suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts among children could be reduced," he said.