EDUCATION AS A RISK TO YOUNG PEOPLE

Education as a risk to young people: perspectives from youth suicide in India

Education As A Risk To Young People: Perspectives From Youth Suicide In India

This section reviews the literature available on youth suicide in India. Ideally, for this research, it would be sound to evaluate literature on suicide and academic pressures in India, however; unavailability of sufficient data stressed on the lack of research in the field. As a result, I decided to divert focus to literature on suicides in India and to youth suicides experiences of other developing countries. In due course, I identified that there was an acceptable amount of work done to relate academic stress and pressures on young people in India. I decided to use literature on anxiety, place it within suicide literature to understand how the two interact to create the phenomena of student suicides. More importantly, I recognised that to understand the impact of society on individuals and their need to end their lives requires an understanding of suicide as social phenomena given alternative views that explain it as a rather personal phenomenon. This paper aims to provide an understanding of the transition from anxiety to suicide through the literature on suicide, i.e, through an understanding of the theories on suicide, I aim to establish how the anxieties experienced by students translates to suicide and fits into studies of suicide. As a base for my assumption, I utilise Durkheim's groundbreaking study on suicide. Given that Durkheim's suicidology is one of the most popular works on the subject, and although it has faced considerable criticism, it is still widely by researchers as a basis for their study. Finally, in reviewing my findings, I pose a few questions that arise while analysing whether causes stated by students themselves relating to suicide amongst students in India can be related to Durkheim's suicidology, or whether the modern day suicidology requires serious attention in another direction.

Introduction to Suicides in India

Much academic research has been done on suicides in India with a large proportion on them analysing the incidence of “Sati” and “Jauhar”, both of which were forms of religious suicide and that of mass suicide amongst farmers. Other literature ranged from analysing differences between male-female suicide rates, studying higher incidence of suicides in south India to causes of and methods used to commit suicide in India.

It is estimated that over 100,000 people die by suicide in India every year. India alone contributes to more than 10% of suicides in the world. The suicide rate in India has been increasing steadily and has reached 10.5 (per 100,000 of population) in 2006 registering a 67% increase over the value of 1980. Majority of suicides occur among men and in younger age groups. Despite the gravity of the problem, information about the causes and risk factors is insufficient.

Year

Suicide Incidence

Estimated Mid-year Population (in lakhs)

Suicide Rate (per 100,000)

 

Male

Female

Total

1989

40212

28532

68744

8118

8.47

1990

43451

30460

73911

8270

8.94

1991

46324

32126

78450

8496

9.23

1992

47481

32668

80149

8677

9.24

1993

49851

34393

84244

8838

9.53

1994

52752

36443

89195

8999

9.91

1995

52357

36821

89178

9160

9.74

1996

51206

37035

88241

9319

9.47

1997

56281

39548

95829

9552

10.03

1998

61686

43027

104713

9709

10.79

1999

65488

45099

110587

9866

11.21

2000

66032

42561

108593

10021

10.8

2001

66314

42192

108506

10270

10.6

2002

69332

41085

110417

10506

10.5

2003

70221

40630

110851

10682

10.4

2004

72651

41046

113697

10856

10.5

2005

72916

40998

113914

11028

10.3

2006

75702

42410

118112

11198

10.5

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