Why Children Commit Suicide
(Shanoo Bijlani)
Children should feel wanted and loved. Children who get love and affection are happy and feel secure. A sense of security helps them to bloom like beautiful, fragrant flowers and blossom into normal, responsible and successful adults.
Happiness is thier birth-right. Anyone denying them their ligitimate right, commits crime against humanity. A Child belongs to everyone and it is the bounden duty of every adult on this earth to protect the child and safeguard its rights. As children are the most vulnerable section of the society, they need love, understanding, protection and support all through their growing years.
When kids are physically and emotionally isolated at an early age by their parents, who are so wrapped up in their own busy schedules and cannot give the vital nurturance that their children need, those kids have no one to turn to, when they have a problem. There is a huge communication gap. They feel very lonely which is extremely stressful. Young children cannot handle stress on their own. They enter a phase when they feel they cannot confide in their parents, for they will not be understood. At this point, the children feel very dejected and nothing to look forward to and hence, decide to end their beautiful lives. If only there was help at hand ! Someone to listen to them. It doesn?t take an expert to make a suicidal youngster feel loved and wanted.
Many reasons contribute to this heart-rending decision of a teenager. Most parents feel they are providing everything their children want, so where have they failed. They don?t realize that material things can?t replace the quality-time that parents should spend with their kids.
Educational stress is a major drain on the mental health of teens. Not only do they have to cope with a vast syllabus, but are always under great pressure to do well. The competition and comparisons, take their toll on the young minds. Children ought to do well, for, the prestige of their parents is at stake ! Hence, the total break-down of the child, when faced with failure.
Conflict with parents or step-parents, punishment they thought were too severe, unhappiness resulting from broken homes and chronic illnesses, including mental problems, are too much for the youngster to handle.
To compensate for poor family life, teenagers often fall in ?love?. When this attachment turns sour, they see no future for themselves. Frustration sets in. Prolonged resentment compounded with low self-esteem, leads to depression, which results in suicides.
Whatever the reason for suicide, potential warning signs can be seen. Parents, teachers, friends, siblings and employers should watch and differentiate between adolescent tantrums and abnormal behavior. Youngsters often mask their real feelings in ?bad? behavior like ? running away from home, delinquency, promiscuity, truancy, tardiness, bullying other youths and being accident-prone. Elders should watch for boredom, restlessness, fatigue, concentration problems ? and most importantly, inexplicable changes in behavior such as withdrawal, lack of appetite, sleeplessness, general sadness and ignoring things that usually bring pleasure. Other warning signs include, increased anxiety and tension, alcohol and drug abuse, disposal of valued possessions and, of course, any attempt to secure the actual means to commit suicide ? sleeping pills, poisons or a rope.
Verbal threat should be taken seriously. Depressing statements like ?who cares whether I live or die?, ?what?s the good of living?, ?How do I donate my body after death?. etc., reveal their intentions. It should not be construed as attempts to gain sympathy. They are, cries for assistance. Professional help should be sought immediately ? from a family doctor or a psychiatrist. In an emergency, virtually anyone can offer emotional support. Suicide prevention centers can offer help.
1. Sneha ? Chennai (India) - 044 ? 827 3456
2. Sumaitri ? New Delhi (India) ? 011 ? 371 0763
3. Maitri ? Kochi (India) ? 0484 ? 396 272/396 273
4. The Samaritans ? Sahara ? Mumbai (India) ? 022 ? 307 3451
5. Prerna Counselling Centre ? Mumbai (India) ? 022 ? 590 5959
6. Aasra ? Navi Mumbai (India) ? 022 ? 754 6669 / 754 6667
7. Saath ? Ahmedabad (India) ? 079 ? 630 5544
8. Lifeline ? Calcutta (India) - 033 ? 474 5255 / 474 5886
9. Roshni ? Secunderabad (AP) (India) ? 040 ? 7814646
10. Maitri ? Thrissur (India) ? 0487 ? 44 4472
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