Last week, Anitha, a 17-year-old Dalit girl who hoped for a medical college seat, committed suicide in Kuzhumur village in Ariyalur district, days after she lost her fight against the national common entrance exam for medical colleges in the Supreme Court. Anitha’s suicide caused widespread protests across Tamil Nadu, giving voice to many of the disappointed youngsters who lost their chance of taking a course of their choice or calling. Ever since, people from different opposition groups have been targeting both the State and the Central governments for their apparent failure in getting exemption from NEET for medical admission.
Clearly there’s a lot of frustration and pain. However, during the last few days, Anitha’s decision to end her life has been so politicised that we fail to acknowledge her agony and struggle on a personal level. Anitha’s death may be used as a symbol for serving some political agenda but this does not make the loss of her life any easier to bear. Nor does it give us any idea about how she came to see no end other than death, after losing her chance of becoming that ‘Dr Anitha’, as her close relatives used to call her. If we really care to understand and gain some awareness, we should look at the facts and the ground realities from an overall mental health perspective.
India has one of the world’s highest suicide rates for people aged between 15 and 29, according to a 2012 Lancet report. Additionally, Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of suicide deaths in 2012 and second highest in 2013 and 2014 of the total such deaths in the country. Among caste groups, Scheduled Tribes have the highest suicide rate at 10.4 followed by Dalits, at 9.4, according to the data.
Being a Dalit girl at age 17, Anitha belongs to a demography that is therefore highly vulnerable. Unfortunately, as the blame game continues, we keep ignoring that there are many other students out there still living with triggers that may drive them to end their lives too. In fact there are media reports stating that a group of students who failed the NEET exam threatened to kill themselves and emulate Anitha.
So, at this point shouldn’t our focus be on providing mental health assistance to these children? Isn’t this the moment when we ought to think about ways to create suicide awareness, adding mental health and wellness to the school curriculum? Sadly it’s rare to come across a debate that links Anitha’s suicide to a public health issue. Additionally, in one of the widely read Chennai dailies, a so-called “top psychiatrist”(sic!), proclaimed in what only can be called cringe-worthy: “She had the courage to face everything but she went out of human control. It is not a suicide… they forced her to die”.
So, according to this authority, a person with self-control wouldn’t kill herself, suicide is only about lacking the courage to face life, and we can redeem Anitha’s honour or memory by saying she didn’t kill herself and blame the Central or the State government. I would like to warn against this trend of making assumptions about other people’s lives and realities so casually and diagnosing people off the cuff.
Rajini got it right
Interestingly, it was then not a mental health professional, but a filmstar, Rajinikanth himself, who chose to use counselling words to recognise Anitha’s psychological suffering rather than going into the blame game. He said “… my heart goes out to all the pain and agony she would have undergone before taking this drastic step.” Yes, the only assumption we can make is that Anitha went through deep suffering before she took this step.
According to media reports no psychologist or social worker talked to her and she didn’t leave a note behind. She left all the people with assumptions and an un-lived life, just like many who commit suicide. We don’t know if there were any warning signs, that if attended to, could have prevented her suicide.
Lack of professionals
Unfortunately, there is no national hotline for suicide yet in India. Some volunteer organisations are doing regional work and trying to address the needs. The shortage of mental healthcare workers makes the role of the family very important in recognising the warning signs of suicide.
Just to clarify a few points on suicide: every suicide, like every individual, is different. Clinical depression surely is immediately associated with suicide, but it need not be present for suicide to be attempted or completed. Anxiety, significant loss, personal crisis, lack of social support, even being exposed to suicidal behaviour of family or peers can increase an individual’s risk for suicide in the short term. Basically all people who interact with a suicidal child need to be informed and guided to help them by supporting and encouraging them.
What to do?
Here’s the minimum we all can try to do. Take them seriously: Some people feel that kids who say they are going to hurt or kill themselves are “just doing it for attention.” But if a child, friend, or family member confides thoughts of suicide, believe them and get help.
Listen with empathy and provide support: A fight, a loss, a break up might not seem like a big deal, but for a young person it can have immense impact. Sympathise and listen. Minimising what a child is going through can increase his or her sense of hopelessness.
Learn the warning signs: People sometimes let friends know if they are thinking about suicide or dying. Other times, changes in behaviour may show that someone is struggling.
Don’t keep suicide a secret: If you know someone is considering suicide, don’t promise to keep it a secret. Tell him or her you can help, but you need to involve other people, like a trusted adult. Neither of you have to face this alone.
Let’s remember that every hour, a student is committing suicide in this country and we all can do something — if we admit there’s a problem and start work on gaining some awareness.
(Didem Atahan-Fabig, a psychologist and Gestalt therapist, specialises in trauma and violence against women. She is currently a research scholar at VIT, Chennai)