Student Suicide in India: An Analysis of Newspaper Articles (2019–2023)

Abstract

AimStudent suicide is one significant public health concern across the world, including India. In recent years, the surge in suicide cases has further worried mental health professionals and policymakers. The current study analysed the reported student suicide cases published in four leading Indian newspapers.MethodBased on the analysis of newspaper reports published between 2019 and 2023, the study detected a total of 491 suicidal deaths of students.ResultThe result revealed that academic reasons (academic dissatisfaction, academic stress and academic failure), institutional reasons (bullying, caste discrimination, ragging, harassment and toxic institutional culture), mental health issues (depression, psychological stress and anxiety), financial crisis and online gaming are the most commonly reported reasons behind student suicides. The majority of suicide victims were within the age range of 16–21 years. The highest number of suicide cases are reported from Kota, a city often referred to as the coaching capital of India.ConclusionThe study highlights considering changes in the academic curriculum to make academic programs less stressful for students. More importantly, policies should ensure that the academic campuses are free from harassment, bullying or similar aggressive experiences. Furthermore, emphasising students' mental health should be the education system's biggest priority.