Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Three students commit suicide

C. Maya

Deaths attributed to distress following poor performance in examinations

Thiruvananthapuram: Three girls committed suicide, while two others who tried to kill themselves are battling for their lives at the Government Medical College Hospital here on Wednesday.

Coming close on the heels of the announcement of SSLC and Plus Two examination results, the deaths and attempted suicides are being attributed to poor performance or failure in the examinations.

Counselling

The deaths — four in the district in the last three days — have brought into focus an acute need for Government-level machinery to give round-the-clock counselling to distressed children, and psychiatric care to those who require it, by tracing and following up cases.

At present, several non-governmental organisations in the district give counselling over telephone. However, none of them is equipped to keep track of callers who show suicidal tendencies to give follow-up care and support.

On Wednesday, a 15-year-old girl from Chittattumukku, Nemom, burnt herself to death.

She had failed in the SSLC examinations. A 17-year-old girl from Kulasekharam, Vattiyoorkavu, also set herself aflame and was brought dead to the hospital.

She had failed in the Plus Two examinations, the results of which were declared on Tuesday.

A 16-year-old girl from Nedumam, Kallayam, hanged herself, reportedly following her poor performance in the SSLC examinations.

A 16-year-old girl from Puthukurichy, who had failed in the SSLC examinations, and a 17-year-old from Palode, who had failed in Plus Two, tried to kill themselves by consuming poison.

On Monday, soon after the declaration of SSLC results, a 17-year-old girl from Palode set herself aflame and was killed.

Experts say that suicides happen because of a multitude of reasons and examination results are often the last straw for children who may be stressed, depressed or going through an anxiety trip. Only a psychological autopsy, to trace and study each case history carefully, will reveal the cause of death.

400 distress calls

The telephone counselling service started by the psychiatry department of the Government Medical College Hospital on the eve of the announcement of SSLC results has received over 400 distress calls.

Of these, 50 callers were children in real need of psychiatric support, and some had even expressed serious suicide intent, doctors say.

Need for support

Most of the children called late in the night and were mostly worried about how to face their parents, indicating that parents needed to give continued support to their children.

The department, however, is not equipped to trace these calls and give follow-up care.

According to Health Department sources, a proposal for suicide prevention machinery for every district, with round-the-clock counselling service and medical and psychiatric teams to give support and care, is pending with the Government.

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