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“Don’t read success stories, you will get only message. Read failure stories, you will get some ideas to get success..!!” Dr. APJ Kalam
They say that suicide is the permanent solution to a problem that is very temporary, alas, one realizes this fact mostly when it is too late, whether it is depression, anxiety, fear or pressure a young mind which is not as evolved due to the lack of experience is sadly the most vulnerable to this menace.
You will be shocked to know that approximately 75,000 students have committed suicide in India between 2007 and 2016. The last official annual report of Accidental Deaths and Suicides by the National Crime Records Bureau released in 2015 states that one student commits suicide every hour in the country.
It is appalling that the fear of academic failure is such a prevalent cause for suicides that it is listed as a category – ‘Failure in Examinations’ and NCRB states that 2% of all suicides in the country in 2015 belonged to this category and the worse is that these numbers are only the rise and have seen a 52% rise from 17 every day in 2007 to 26 every day in 2016 which many believe is an under representation and the reality of this crises is likely to be much higher than what is registered.
One of the strongest reason that can significantly affect a child’s mental is the societal or parental pressure to perform well in exams. Behavioral issues and suicides amongst children have become an increasing Psychological concerns. Almost 12 % of Indian students between the age of 4 and 16 suffer from psychiatric disorders. 20 % show signs of mental disorders, out of which 2-5 % have serious concerns like autism or bi-polar disorder. With complicated emotional eco-systems, children and young adults are easily aggrieved by behavioral, emotional, learning or mental disorders, including – depression, anxiety, bi-polar disorder, disruptive behavior disorders, Intellectual Disability, Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD.
It’s our responsibility to handle these situations more sensitively, however, on the contrary, going in to a denial mode when it comes to their child’s mental health comes naturally to Indian parents and they usually resort with statements like, “My child has no such problems!” Times today require a drastic shift in this attitude and Parents must understand how fragile their children’s mental well-being is and should be proactive in assessing it and addressing it.
A step forward towards discussing our professional and personal failures with these susceptible young minds may prove to be a game changer. There should be no fear or shame in accepting our own failures in front of the crowd, especially in front of our children.
On the retrospect one might think that this may set them up for failure and they might not take success seriously. However one must understand the collateral damage of their fear from failures and its impact on their social and behavioral aspects, because in the long run one failure should not decide the course of their life or for that matter ‘DEATH’
YES I FAILED AND ITS OK!! Let’s face our fears, shoot some videos, comment about it, share it, tweet about it, and spread the word. #faileditsok. #Saveurchild. Article inspired by: The economic times