Focussing on suicide prevention, mental health professionals stress the need for parents and teachers to engage with students and provide emotional support to those who are undergoing a range of psycho-social distresses.

“Every suicide is a cry for help,” says C. Ramasubramanian, a renowned psychologist and founder of M.S. Chellamuthu Trust and Research Foundation. “Suicide is a culmination of psychological turmoil. The victims often do not have anyone to listen to their grievances,” he says.

He says teachers and parents are important stakeholders who must be sensitised to identify any behavioural change in their students at the earliest. “Suicide victims often display clear signs of unhappiness. Every suicide can be prevented if symptoms are identified and treatment is initiated at an early stage,” he says.

G. Gurubharathy of M.S. Chellamuthu Trust, says parents must stop thrusting unrealistic expectations on their children, as it leads to anxiety among students. “It is important to understand that marks do not define the capability of any person. Parents must rather provide emotional support to their children,” he adds.

Dr. Ramasubramanian says teachers must identify the strength of each student and help them to excel in them. “There must be a separate curriculum on stress management for students. Every school must have counsellors to provide mental support to those students who are suffering from psycho-social distress,” he says.

Nandhini Murali, director of SPEAK and a survivor of suicide loss, says the media must refrain from sharing personal details of suicide victims and avoid sensationalism. The resilience of students must be improved to ensure that they can handle any failure in life.

It is important to undertake a psychological autopsy of every suicide, says Dr. Ramasubramanian. “It is crucial to understand the circumstances and sequences of events that led a person to take the extreme step,” he adds.

Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline ‘104’ and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044 24640050.