An analysis of 190 suicide cases involving school students has found that issues related to pride were the leading cause, accounting for 32.61% of the incidents.
According to the data, academic pressure was the second most significant factor, responsible for 23.69% of the cases. Depression accounted for 19.47% of the suicides, indicating a high prevalence of untreated or unaddressed mental health concerns among students.
The study further revealed that 8.95% of the students died by suicide over romantic relationships, while 8.42% were linked to family tension. Sexual abuse was identified as a factor in 4.22% of the cases, and 2.64% were attributed to mental instability.
Researchers noted that a lack of emotional regulation, limited coping skills and inadequate family support systems significantly contributed to suicidal behaviour at the school level. The findings underscore the need for early psychological intervention and stronger family engagement in students’ lives.
Five recommendations from Aanchal Foundation
In response to the findings, Aanchal Foundation has put forward five key recommendations to address student suicides and strengthen mental health support systems:
- Introduce psycho-social services in all educational institutions: Bring schools under a structured psycho-social support framework and implement regular mental health screening to identify at-risk students at an early stage.
- Capacity building for teachers and peers: Provide training for teachers and classmates to help them recognise early signs of stress, depression, anxiety and behavioural changes among students, enabling timely support and referrals.
- Reduce stigma through awareness campaigns: Launch coordinated awareness initiatives through news media, posters and social media platforms to reduce social stigma surrounding suicide and mental health issues, and encourage open conversations.
- Psychosocial training for primary school teachers: Extend mental health and psychosocial training to primary-level teachers so that emotional and behavioural challenges can be addressed from an early age.
- Strengthen parent-student engagement: Organise regular mental health awareness programmes in educational institutions to foster better communication between students and their parents and build supportive family environments.