Saturday, September 29, 2018

Promoting mental health in colleges - The Hindu

Promoting mental health in colleges

Janane Venkatraman

SEPTEMBER 28, 2018 15:18 IST

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The Hindu Weekend

Millennials love hanging out on the Internet, which is where this non-profit aims to start a conversation about mental health on college campuses. But the plan is also to take things offline

No parent sends a child to school or university expecting it to be the last time they see him or her. Yet, the Lok Sabha estimates that in 2016 alone, 9,474 students (a number which many believe is grossly underestimated) died in India due to ‘accidental deaths and suicides’, many of them triggered by poor performance in examinations.

This is not a problem exclusive to India. College campuses and other educational institutions across the world have invited criticism for not doing enough to address the mental health conditions that led to these suicides. Earlier this year in the US, a group of students filed a class action lawsuit against Stanford University for allegedly pressuring them to take a leave of absence when they reported suicidal feelings. The statistics are, however, even more alarming in India, where a 2010 study stated that suicide is the leading cause of death among 15-to-26 year-olds, particularly women.

Exams, peer pressure, the stress of landing a career, and even the pressure to get married: it is no surprise that young adults are one of the most vulnerable age groups when it comes to mental illness. “Symptoms for a majority of mental health issues crop up in early childhood,” shares Dr Lakshmi Vijayakumar, founder of SNEHA and co-author of a recently-published Lancet Report on suicide. “But since this age group is otherwise physically healthy, they don’t usually access health services.”

Some educators are beginning to address the urgency of the issue, recognising the importance of early action. USA’s National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) states that 50% of individuals afflicted by a mental health issue experience onset by age 14. Just this July, New York became the first American state to make mental health education in its schools mandatory.

Virtual solace

It is this vulnerability that led Bhairavi Prakash, an organisational psychologist and mental health advocate, to begin her passion project that addresses the mental well-being of young adults, specifically college students. The Mithra Trust, her initiative which combines online activism with community engagement, will launch on World Mental Health day on October 10.

The website, Prakash says, will consist of “information that you can engage with” — articles, illustrations and videos targeted at three categories of individuals: those seeking help, those looking to help someone else, and those who are interested in spreading awareness about mental health issues. The organisation will also provide subsidised online counselling and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) by trained professionals exclusively for college students. Mithra seeks to bring community engagement and dialogue to the fold of mental health, using a platform that millenials live on: the Internet.

The long-term vision of the non-profit is to ignite a democratic, grassroots conversation about mental health on college campuses. This is the reason why Mithra is building an army of ‘digital ambassadors’ or representatives from Indian universities who will be provided with regular online training on peer counselling and awareness building. “We train them to interact with somebody who might need help,” she shares, adding that Mithra will also provide social media tools to help students build offline campus clubs, making it a first-of-its-kind in India, emulating peer-counselling models such as Jack.org (Canada) and Headspace Australia. “It is much easier to get the students talking first,” she says, explaining her decision to engage directly with the youth, and not university administrations. “Some universities don’t believe that this subset matters.”

Mithra will draw from Prakash’s experience working with educational institutions such as IIT-Madras to establish and improve campus counselling centres and student-run clubs that provide peer-to-peer counselling services.

Truth matters

In India, which faces an 87% shortage of mental health professionals, and where systemic shaming is heaped on those seeking psychiatric help, access to information is hard to come by. This includes information about the resources that are available, and Mithra’s web content will engage the services of psychologists, writers and designers to produce easily-digestible information on the topic of mental health. The non-profit currently has funding from two foundations. “Just to get the ball rolling, but that’s not enough,” says Prakash.

For more details, contact bhairavi@mithratrust.com

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

IIT student hangs self in hostel room in Chennai - News Today Net

IIT student hangs self in hostel room in Chennai

Posted on September 22, 2018 by NT Bureau

Chennai: A student of IIT-Madras ended his life in his hostel room last night.

According to the police, Shahid Gurmut (23), son of Shajahan Gurmut, took the extreme step by hanging self inside his room.

A final year dual degree student (five year course), he was pursuing Ocean Engineering and was an inmate of Jamuna Hostel in the sprawling campus of the IIT.

He was a native of Palakkad, Kerala. Preliminary investigations revealed that he ended his life due to a family dispute.

He often fought with his parents and brother over the phone, it is said. He was said to be upset last night as his phone calls to them were unanswered. He did not leave any suicide note behind.

The police are waiting for the family members to reach the city. His body was sent to Government Royapettah Hospital for post mortem. Kotturpuram police have registered a case.

How Are The Students In Delhi Trying To Prevent Suicides Among The Youth?

No, you're not alone.

By Nivedyta Khanna -

September 21, 2018

Suicides continue to be a major problem with teens. But several students in Delhi are trying to prevent suicides among the youth because this is a serious issue related to mental illness.

About 8,00,000 people commit suicide worldwide every year, with 1,35,000 (17%) of these being residents of India. In every 100 minutes, a life is taken by suicide.

In July 2018, a student of Bharati College in Janakpuri area allegedly committed suicide in the institute’s washroom. There was no suicide note found.

How people are trying to reduce the suicide rates?

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among teens. According to the CDC, it results in about 4400 deaths per year.

Teen suicide linked to bad parent behaviour

Izhaar is a peer to peer mental health support group of Gargi College. It aims to create awareness among the students of Gargi College about suicides and mental health. Recently, the students dedicated 8th and 10th September for suicide prevention awareness within the college.

A seminar was also conducted on this theme to make people aware of the conditions. They also had events like slam poetry and poster making on the theme of mental health. Spoken word was one of the successful part as it brought people together, sharing their deepest and most personal thoughts.

This group is about creating a safe space for anyone and everyone who needs it.

There have been other colleges who have been trying to prevent the increased suicide rates.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi had decided to revamp its curriculum in such a way that helps the students tackle study pressure effectively and keep suicidal tendency low.

In 2017, Sumaitri, a crisis intervention center operated a suicide prevention helpline at Bhagwandas Lane in Delhi.

Also Read: The Pioneer Of IVF In India Who Was Rewarded With Suicide: Subhash Mukhopadhyay

IIT Kharagpur has come up with a simple solution to prevent student suicides by pulling them out of loneliness and depression. The hostel authorities simply switch off the power in the evenings. It is expected to create healthy social life on campus to potentially tackle depression.

The ‘Happiness Curriculum’ launched by the Delhi Government aims at increasing mental health awareness among school children. The classes have been started to reduce depression and other mental illnesses among children that are on the rise.

Apart from that, Roshni is a comprehensive resource for the prevention of suicides. They offer a hotline to help anyone who’s thinking of ending his or her life.

Suicide is a growing public health concern among teens

Sneha Foundation India also offers unconditional emotional support to the depressed, desperate and suicidal. You can even write to them on their email.

Finally, Help Guide is a website that gives information on mental health issues, including suicides. The website has a list exposing common myths about suicide.

Why do people try to kill themselves?

Depression is one of the most common reasons for committing suicide, especially among teens. They might be doing poorly in school and staying on the social margins. Depression is frequently ignored or untreated.

There have been many cases of students committing suicides because of unhealthy competition, child abuse, peer pressure, romantic relationships, and poor time management

A suicidal person often feels like death is the only relief from their problems. However, unlike popular opinion, it is not something that people just do without any thought or taking their coward’s way out. Instead it comes with deep inner conflicts about taking one’s own life. Sadly, without a proper support system or help, they cannot see an alternative and commit suicide.

There are many other factors like social isolation, active alcohol abuse, mood disorder, and conflict over sexual identity.

I think if you are facing any trouble, you should talk about it. Talking about it might provide people with a great sense of relief.

Image Credits: Google Images

Sources: PSYCOM, KidsHealth, Wikipedia

IT-B’s Techfest aims to smash stigma around mental health - Mumbai Mirror

IT-B’s Techfest aims to smash stigma around mental health

Mumbai Mirror | Updated: Sep 21, 2018, 03:00 IST

Actor Yami Gautam was the chief guest at the IIT-B Techfest

This year, the festival takes its theme, SPEAK: Stand to Express, to more than 50 colleges across India.

The annual science and technology festival of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) has a unique aim this year: to eradicate the stigma surrounding mental health disorders by initiating conversations among the youth.

In its 22nd year, Techfest is part of IIT-B’s diamond jubilee celebrations, and is taking its theme – SPEAK: Stand to Express — to more than 50 colleges across India. Workshops will be held in colleges in more than 18 cities, such as Delhi, Dehradun, Jaipur, Tumkur and Indore, reaching nearly 4,000 students.

The team has collaborated with organisations like Befrienders India, Suicide Prevention India Foundation and Khushi Life Learning to provide support and trained professionals to conduct these workshops. Workshops have already been conducted at 46 colleges across 16 cities in five states.

At the launch event on September 19 at IIT-B’s Powai campus, the organisers said the aim was to create awareness among students about mental health. “Mental wellness is a key factor in overall development,” said Soumyo Mukherji, dean of student affairs, IIT-B, at the event.

There was also a panel discussion with panelists like renowned music therapist Roshan Mansukhani and Nagesh Sood, India head, Befrienders India, which touched upon mental health.

“Mental wellness is a very sensitive issue and should be treated with care. A way to tackle it would be to change the perspective from which we look at the issue,” said chief guest, actor Yami Gautam.

Suseendran Baskaran, manager at Techfest, said suicides are on the rise among students. “The main reason for this is students do not open up to others about mental issues,” said Baskaran, a third-year student at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT-B.

Earlier this month, an MTech student at IIT-B committed suicide in a hotel by overdosing on anti-depressants. Police said he suffered from depression.

Sunday, September 23, 2018

IIT Scholar Commits Suicide In Jharkhand - NDTV

IIT Scholar Commits Suicide In Jharkhand

Ranjan Rathi, a resident of Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh, was pursuing his Ph.D from the mechanical engineering department.

All India | Indo-Asian News Service | Updated: September 21, 2018 16:06 IST

A probe to ascertain the motive behind the suicide is underway.

RANCHI: An IIT-ISM research scholar committed suicide in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Friday, police said.

Ranjan Rathi, a resident of Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh, was pursuing his Ph.D from the mechanical engineering department.

According to the police, Mr Rathi was alone in the hostel while his roommate was away.

When the victim did not return his roommate's calls, other colleagues were asked to contact him.

The door to Mr Rathi's room was opened early Friday morning and his body was found hanging from the ceiling fan, the police added.

COMMENT

A probe to ascertain the motive behind the suicide is underway.

Dear PM, Are Success and Intellect Confined within IIT and AIIMS Premises? - The Citizen

BHAVNA JHA | 20 SEPTEMBER, 2018

Dear PM, Are Success and Intellect Confined within IIT and AIIMS Premises?

We should try to enjoy learning without boundaries instead of making it a ‘status symbol’.

It has been more than a month and still the words of the prime minister reverberate in my mind. On August 15 India’s 72nd Independence Day was celebrated with zeal and fervour. It is one of the most awaited days every year as it reminds Indian citizens of the dawn of a new beginning. It is a day which witnessed the handing over of the reins of control to the country’s leaders who struggled hard to attain this freedom.

Being a patriot at heart, I was excited this Independence Day, especially for the prime minister’s address to the nation, his last before the 2019 parliamentary elections. I was anxiously waiting to know whether this government, which came to power four years ago proclaiming ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’, had been able to meet its targets and implement its larger than life schemes. As a newly turned adult, with lots of ambitions and aspirations, the major focus point for me in the entire address was to be the progress achieved in the field of education.

The prime minister began his speech soon after the hoisting of the flag, and gradually mentioned each of the government’s achievements in almost every sector, from technology to sanitation and hygiene. It was a long speech, but still I waited for my point of concern. The prime minister discussed the reforms made in Jammu and Kashmir, where he mentioned the ongoing construction of IITs and IIMs (not at all discussing any other college) as an instance of the ‘developments’ worth mentioning in the field of education.

The prime minister’s achievement once again shattered all my expectations, leaving me stunned and disappointed. As a student of the humanities I felt somewhat inferior after his address, as it introduced me to yet another ‘class differentiation’ which sets the hierarchy of courses and subjects, keeping the science and technology students at the top of the ladder, rather like the Brahmins who lead the hierarchical order of the caste system prevalent in India. It compelled me once again to accept the fact that educational institutions which produce scientists, engineers and managers are the epitome of excellence, hubs of intellect and synonyms of success, and therefore it is a sensible idea to ‘invest’ in them and increase their number, rather than wasting money on other useless institutions which will only engage students in courses that can never secure their ‘future’ and guarantee them the desired ‘success’.

Any student in India who hails from a middle class family must choose from a limited range of career options. They can be an engineer or a doctor. It doesn’t matter at all what they really want to do. Their liberty can extend up to choosing ‘commerce’ instead of ‘science’, but never dare to think of studying ‘social science’ as this is something only dumb people left with no other options do.

The private engineering and medical colleges in India charge a huge amount of fees which is not easy to afford, so it becomes really necessary to pass the entrance exams to gain entry into reputed institutions like the IITs, IIMs and AIIMs. Here begins the cutthroat competition for reaching the ‘success centre’. Every year, millions of students willingly or unwillingly involve themselves in this reckless preparation for ‘success’ and undergo a lot of anxiety, tension and pressure.

No barometer in the world could measure the amount of pressure any medical or engineering aspirant goes through. And, in this way ultimately the joy and curiosity of learning loses its essence. When after all this ‘racing’ the students finally make their way to their ‘dream place’, they are introduced to a much more cruel and selfish world. They encounter endless problems on a daily basis, which at times depress them, and they end up taking their lives. Across the country IITs have seen a rash of student suicides and depression turns out to be the major cause behind this. According to a National Crime Records Bureau report, in 2015 in India 8,934 students committed suicide – that’s 25 every day – and according to another report in 2012 the suicide rate in India was among the highest in the world. A large proportion of these suicides were in the age group 15-29.

But, even after so many unwanted consequences, why do people still desire to reach these institutions? If we analyse it carefully, three major reasons come to the picture. The first two are ‘career security’ and the ‘status and intelligence symbol’. According to thousands of families across India, the IITs, IIMs and AIIMs are the utmost parameters of success and only people with high levels of intellect can reach there.

The third and the most important reason is the ‘investment concept’.

Many people are heard making sexist remarks like, ‘Women are not very good at subjects like science and mathematics. They are not made for engineering.’ And the data boost their confidence to make more such comments. According to recent statistics only 6.7% girls passed the IIT advanced joint entrance exam in 2018 out of the 31,021 who appeared for it, which clearly means the rest of them were boys who will now get into IITs and become ‘successful’ professionals with a good pay package after completing their graduation.

There exists a deep rooted conservative, patriarchal mindset in Indian society that Science is for brilliant students, primarily boys. Avijit Pathak, who teaches sociology at JNU writes in his article ‘A Sick Society that Manufactures Failures: the True Face of Education in India’ that ‘Science/ commerce is seen to be superior, practical and lucrative, but a negative orientation is attached to arts/ humanities – these ‘soft’/ ’feminine’ disciplines, it is thought, have no ‘future’, and ‘intelligent’ students are not supposed to opt for these branches of knowledge.” He stresses the fact that the humanities are considered to be feminine in nature and is mostly not for males.

A desirable salary after graduation makes the males eligible enough to bring forth their bride with wealth, as there exists a completely different barter system in India in which one must give money as well as their most precious asset, and get nothing in return. In Indian society we have a defined ‘rate chart’ of boys at the time of marriage, and the guys from IITs, AIIMs and IIMs are at the topmost positions followed by others. Indian parents take a lot of trouble to teach their sons and wait for this day to compensate their expenses from the parents of the girl.

In this way, boys with engineering and medical degree are major investments for their parents. In a nation where the propitiousness of the star under which a girl is conceived still decides her conjugal prospects, this is not really astounding, but it is extremely shameful, and it is the need of the hour to abolish such malpractices and to have a much broader horizon of thought, one that doesn’t confine success within the premises of IITs.

These conditions demand our immediate attention and it is very necessary to take the action required to change them. We need more and more educational institutions like JNU, Jamia Milia Islamia, and the IIMCs, which apart from producing successful professionals keep the core of education intact. This core is none other than the ‘space of learning and exploring’, and for that, first of all, we need to eradicate all sorts of bias and prejudice that exist against the humanities and social sciences.

We should try to enjoy learning without boundaries instead of making it a burden or a ‘status symbol’.

(Bhavna Jha is a student based in Ranchi, Jharkhand)

Saturday, September 15, 2018

UP: Surendra Das cremated, friends grieve their “commando’s” death - Hindustan Times

UP: Surendra Das cremated, friends grieve their “commando’s” death

Indian Police Services officers from the 2014 batch gathered at the Baikunth Dham in Lucknow to attend the cremation ceremony of their ‘commando’, Surendra Das, 30.

LUCKNOW Updated: Sep 11, 2018 15:09 Ist

HT Correspondent

Hindustan Times, Lucknow

UP director general of police OP Singh paying homage to late IPS officer Surendra Das in Lucknow.(HT Photo)

Indian Police Services officers from the 2014 batch gathered at the Baikunth Dham in Lucknow on Monday to attend the cremation ceremony of their ‘commando’, Surendra Das, 30.

The IPS officer, last posted as superintendent of police (east) of Kanpur, died on Sunday after consuming pesticide in an alleged suicide bid on Wednesday.

WORK STRESS CAN’T BE THE REASON FOR SUICIDE: DGP

Interacting with media persons after Surendra Das’ cremation ceremony at Baikunth Dham on Monday, UP DGP OP Singh said that stress could have been a reason behind the officer’s suicide. “Stress may be a reason but it cannot be work-related, as he had a very short career,” he said.

Remembering Das as a jovial person, Dinesh Gupta, his batchmate posted in Nagaland at present, said, “We gave him that name because of how he handled difficult tasks assigned during our training. He always had a positive attitude towards problem-solving, which motivated all of us.”

Around a dozen batchmates of Das from across the country were present during the cremation.

The deceased officer was given a guard of honour before the DGP and other officials carried his bier to the cremation ground.

“Everyone in our batch loved his nature. It is difficult to accept the news of his death -- that too in this manner,” said Prabhat Kumar, another 2014 batch officer who was Das’ ‘buddy’ during their training days.

UP director general of police (DGP) OP Singh, additional director general (ADG) Rajeev Krishna, other senior officials from the police fraternity, and Das’ friends and relatives were also present to pay homage to the departed soul.

The deceased officer was given a guard of honour before the DGP and other officials carried his bier to the cremation ground. His elder brother, Narendra Das, lit the pyre and performed the last rites.

“We have lost a very bright officer of our force. The police department is with the family in this difficult time,” said the DGP.

Das was admitted to a private hospital after allegedly attempting suicide by ingesting a lethal amount of celphos --an agricultural pesticide -- at his official residence. His wife Raveena Yadav was with him when he took the extreme step.

A visibly shocked Raveena was also present at the cremation ground with other women of the family.

Although Das did not accuse anyone in the letter he left behind, his family has blamed Raveena for abetting his suicide. A doctor by profession, Raveena married Das in April 2017. The couple reportedly had a troubled relationship. However, Das’ father-in-law Ramendra Singh has refuted the claims of differences between the couple. “They loved each other and were very happy together,” he told media persons after the cremation.

A visibly shocked Raveena was also present at the cremation ground with other women of the family.

Before joining the police services, Das worked at a public sector enterprise after completing his graduation from IIT Kharagpur.

The youngest of seven siblings born to an Armyman, Das completed his basic education from his home town, Ballia.

Relatives, especially youngsters, from Das’ home town said they greatly admired him. “He was a role model for everyone. He always motivated us to do better in life,” said Dinesh Kumar, a 23-year-old from Ballia who attended the cremation.

India accounted for 37 per cent of global suicide deaths among women, 24 per cent among men in 2016 - New Indian Express

India accounted for 37 per cent of global suicide deaths among women, 24 per cent among men in 2016: Study

Suicide ranked first in India as the cause of death compared to its third rank globally in this age group, it said.

Published: 12th September 2018 06:42 PM |

Image for representational purpose only. (File | EPS)

By PTI

NEW DELHI: India accounted for 37 per cent of global suicide deaths among women and 24 per cent among men in 2016, according to a study published Wednesday.

The Global Burden of Disease Study 1990-2016 published in the Lancet Public Health journal said 63 per cent of all suicide deaths reported in India were in the 15-39 age group.

Suicide ranked first in India as the cause of death compared to its third rank globally in this age group, it said.

ALSO READ: IIT-Guwahati student from Karnataka commits suicide

There was an increase of 40 per cent in the number of suicide deaths between 1990 and 2016, with an estimated 2,30,314 deaths in 2016 indicating that "disproportionately high suicide deaths in India are a public health crisis", according to the lead author of the study, Professor Rakhi Dandona from Public Health Foundation of India.

"Having said that, the suicide death rate (SDR) has reduced by 15 per cent from 1990 to 2016," she said.

The study found wide variations in suicide death rate across states in India.

Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal and Tripura had high suicide death rates for both men and women, in addition to Kerala and Chhattisgarh which had high suicide death rates for men.

The suicide death rate for women in India is 15 per one lakh women, double that of the global suicide rate for women in 2016, which is 7 per one lakh women.

Married women account for the high proportion of suicide deaths in India, the study stated.

Marriage is known to be less protective against suicide for women because of arranged and early marriage, young motherhood, low social status, domestic violence, and economic dependence.

"The trends in SDR in women in this study suggest the need to further assess the complex relationships between gender and suicidal behaviour to facilitate women-specific suicide prevention strategies," Dandona said.

At the same time, she stressed the high SDR among men in India has not changed over time and needs immediate attention.

For suicide among men in India, it appears young adults are a vulnerable group, and marriage does not seem to be protective for them either.

Personal and social reasons, financial problems, poor health are known as major reasons of suicide in India and the most-used means of suicide are poisoning, drug overdose and hanging, as known from previous research, Dandona said.

The study found that the suicide death rate is increasing in the elderly, especially among those above the age of 80 years, which will pose additional challenges.

For the elderly, social isolation, depression, functional disability, and the feeling of being a burden on their family have been cited as reasons for suicides globally, however, not much is known about reasons for suicides in the elderly in India, Dandona said.

With their increasing proportion in the population, the reasons for suicide and mental health issues in the elderly need to be explored urgently within the National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly in India to address the increasing suicide deaths in this age group, Dandona stated.

There is an urgent need for a national suicide prevention strategy, that is data-driven, gender-specific and takes the state variations into account.

Fed Up With Engineering, IIT Guwahati Student Commits Suicide In Hostel - India Times

Fed Up With Engineering, IIT Guwahati Student Commits Suicide In Hostel

Indiatimes Updated: September 13, 2018

The family and peer pressure to become an engineer seems to have taken yet another life. An 18-year-old IIT Guwahati was found dead in her hostel room on Wednesday.

Nagashree SC, a first-year mechanical engineering student, who is originally from Hosanagara near Shimoga in Karnataka was found hanging from the ceiling fan of her Dhansiri hostel room.

IIT G officials said Nagashree had joined the institute only in July. On Wednesday she stayed back in the hostel telling her roommate that she was not feeling well.

"Nagashree's roommate had left to attend classes in the morning. When she returned, she found the door of the room was locked. No one responded. She alerted the institute's security and local police. The security guards broke the door's lock and found her hanged inside," IIT-Guwahati spokesperson Labanu Konwar said.

Pressured by family to join IIT-Guwahati, student from Karnataka commits suicide - New Indian Exporess

Pressured by family to join IIT-Guwahati, student from Karnataka commits suicide

The body of Nagashree SC, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in her room in Dhansiri hostel, said the police.

Published: 12th September 2018 05:03 PM |

By Prasanta Mazumdar

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: An Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IIT-G) student from Karnataka allegedly killed herself in her hostel room on Wednesday, leaving behind a note that said it was better to die than fail to live up to her relatives’ expectations, the police said.

The body of the first-year B Tech mechanical engineering student, Nagashree SC, was found hanging from a ceiling fan. “She didn’t go to college today (Wednesday), and later, her roommate found the door locked from inside. On being informed by the IIT-G authorities, the police came in, broke open the door and found the body hanging,” IIT-G spokesman Labanu Konwar told TNIE.

The police recovered a piece of paper which reportedly said she wanted to be a teacher and not an engineer. Konwar said Nagashree underwent counselling a few days ago and nothing peculiar was found about her.

In Shivamogga, Nagashree’s grandfather Sridhar Udupa had a different take. “She was a very bold girl and very intelligent too. Before moving to Guwahati, she said she got the same discipline – mechanical engineering – that she was aspiring for,” he said.

This is the fifth incident of suicide by an IIT-G student in the past five years.

18-year-old BTech Student Commits Suicide at IIT-Guwahati - News 18

18-year-old BTech Student Commits Suicide at IIT-Guwahati

Police said Nageshwari SC, who hailed from Karnataka, hanged herself from the ceiling fan of her room.

News18.comUpdated:September 12, 2018, 2:20 PM IST

Guwahati: A first year BTech student committed suicide at IIT Guwahati on Wednesday.

Police said Nageshwari SC, who hailed from Karnataka, hanged herself from the ceiling fan of her room.

“She wrote that it was better to die than fail to live up to the expectation of her parents and family members,” Rana Bhuyan, in-charge of Amingaon police outpost, told The Hindu.

The security guards at Indian Institute of Guwahati spotted her body from outside the window and informed the police.

An IIT-Guwahati spokesperson said Nageshwari told her roommate she was not feeling well and wouldn’t attend class. The roommate informed authorities once she found the door of the room locked after returning from her class.

First Published: September 12, 2018, 2:19 PM IST

IIT-Guwahati student commits suicide, leaves note saying ‘engineering sucks’ - Hindustan Times

IIT-Guwahati student commits suicide, leaves note saying ‘engineering sucks’

The student, who was in her first semester, was discovered hanging from the ceiling fan in her hostel room. She allegedly left a brief suicide note.

INDIA Updated: Sep 13, 2018 18:05 Ist

Sadiq Naqvi

Hindustan Times, Guwahati

The student had joined IIT Guwahati’s mechanical engineering course barely one-and-a-half months ago.

An 18-year-old student of IIT Guwahati allegedly committed suicide on Wednesday as she was unhappy about having to study engineering, police said.

The first-year mechanical engineering student, who belonged to Karnataka, was found hanging from the ceiling fan of her hostel room at the IIT campus on the outskirts of Guwahati.

The police said a brief suicide note written in English was found in the room.

“Engineering sucks,” the student wrote in the suicide note, said Sanjib Saikia, Additional Superintendent of Police, Kamrup, adding, “She seemed to be depressed that she had to pursue engineering. She also wrote about how she could not fulfill the expectations of her parents.”

An IIT spokesperson said, “Her roommate had gone to attend classes. When she returned she found the room locked. She made phone calls which went unanswered. She then informed security.”

IIT security officials got in touch with the local police who broke open the door of the room and found the first semester student hanging from the ceiling fan.

“It has been barely one-and-a-half months since she joined the course,” the IIT spokesperson said adding that she had undergone mandatory counselling session for first-year students recently.

“Nothing abnormal was noticed in the interaction,” the spokesperson claimed.

IIT Guwahati has four counsellors for around 6,000 students, according to the spokesperson.

First Published: Sep 12, 2018 18:17 Ist

IIT-Guwahati student from Karnataka commits suicide - The Hindu

IIT-Guwahati student from Karnataka commits suicide

Rahul Karmakar

GUWAHATI, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 13:31 IST

Leaves note saying she wanted to be teacher, not engineer

A first year student from Karnataka, pursuing B.Tech course in Mechanical Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati, allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself for a ceiling fan on Wednesday morning.

Police said the student, 18-year-old Nagashree S.C. from Hosanagara near Shivamogga, left a note behind saying she wanted to be a teacher, not an engineer.

“She wrote that it was better to die than fail to live up to the expectation of her parents and family members,” Rana Bhuyan, in-charge of Amingaon police outpost, told The Hindu.

The police from the outpost broke open the door of Nagashree's hostel room about 10:30 am after IIT-G security guards spotted her, from outside the windows, hanging from a ceiling fan. A doctor of the institute declared her dead.

“She told her roommate she was not feeling well and would skip class. Her roommate left but returned after the first class and found the door locked from inside. She informed the security guards, who informed the police at Amingaon,” an IIT-G spokesperson said.

IIT-G is located at Amingaon, about 20 km from the heart of Guwahati across the Brahmaputra.

“We have informed the girl's family, but we are not sure if they would be able to arrive today,” the spokesperson said.

Police said Nagashree's body has been sent for post mortem.

IIT-Guwahati helpline for students in collaboration with Saathi: 8486814024

World Suicide Prevention Day: It’s okay for men to cry - Tribune India

Posted at: Sep 9, 2018, 6:10 PM; last updated: Sep 9, 2018, 6:10 PM (IST)

World Suicide Prevention Day: It’s okay for men to cry

New Delhi, September 9

Following an episode of sexual harassment at school by a senior, a sobbing Vikas Aggarwal, then a boy of 14, expressed his anguish to his parents, only to be thrashed by his father.

Unable to cope with the trauma, he decided to put an end to his misery by jumping into a nearby lake.

“Their son getting assaulted seemed like a matter of shame to my parents. They asked me to forget the incident and move on. When I had no one to talk to, ending my life seemed like the only option,” Vikas told PTI on the eve of World Suicide Prevention Day.

Although he was saved in the nick of time, his assault was never raised with the school authorities. Instead, his parents decided to hush up the matter, and he was moved to a new school.

According to Johnson Thomas, director of Aasra — a Mumbai-based mental health NGO, Indian men grow up in households that teach them to present a “macho” image, that often entails hiding away their vulnerabilities.

“Indian men have been conditioned to hide away their emotions and build up a macho image lest they be considered wimpy and unmanly,” Thomas said.

According to NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) data, a total of 1,33,623 incidents of suicide were reported in 2015, out of which 68 per cent (91,528) were men.

Vyom Sharma, had decided to end his life in 2010, over a failed relationship.

Then a 3rd year engineering student, he sat on the edge of his hostel terrace, ready to jump off, hoping the fall would bring an end to all the “pain”.

“I felt helpless. I did have my friends, but I felt nobody could understand what I was going through, and suicide seemed like the only solution,” Vyom, who was saved by a friend, said.

Factors inducing suicidal thoughts remain almost the same for men and women—stress, distress, and prolonged depression, said Delhi-based psychologist Nimesh Desai.

The director of the Institute of Human Behaviour & Allied Sciences (IHBAS) added that while more number of women attempted to take their own lives, it was the men’s choice of suicidal methods that resulted in higher incidents of male deaths.

The number (of suicide deaths) is higher for men because of their modes of attempt. The means women choose—consuming medicines, slashing wrists—are not immediately likely to succeed, and the chances of being rescued are much more,” Desai said.

Men, he said, resorted to methods like guns, or jumping on railway tracks, which were most likely to be fatal.

Empathising with the victims, supporting them emotionally and psychologically, and most importantly, encouraging a “gender neutral emotional expression”, was the way forward, both Thomas and Desai agreed.

“Young boys and girls must be trained to not hesitate and have false pride in expressing distress. And whenever you see someone disturbed, never make fun and never challenge. Instead, offer help in a supportive manner,” Desai said.

Eight years on, Vyom is now pursuing his dream of “understanding and teaching about language” as a PhD student of linguistics at IIT Delhi.

Although, he had recurring suicidal thoughts in the years that followed the attempt, but conscious efforts to get over the problems and a circle of supportive family and friends helped him cope with his bouts of depression. —PTI

IIT-B student’s death: 27 empty tablet strips found in hotel room - Mumbai Mirror

IIT-B student’s death: 27 empty tablet strips found in hotel room

By Asif Rizvi, Mumbai Mirror

Updated: Sep 5, 2018, 05:29 IST

A day after the decomposed body of an M-Tech student who studied IIT Bombay was found in a hotel room he had booked online, the Amboli police have learned that as many as 27 empty strips of tablets suspected to be antidepressants were retrieved from the room where Jaideep Swain checked in on August 31.

Senior Police Inspector of Amboli Police station, Bharat Gaikwad, said, “The body of the deceased was on Tuesday handed over to his family members.”

The police said the family was unaware about him being suicidal, and he used to speak to them almost each day.

He had shifted to Mumbai about a month ago and was living in a hostel on the IIT-B campus.

Jaideep had a couple of friends in IIT, and two of them had even visited the hotel on Monday after learning about his death. They told police they were unaware of any problems he was facing.

The police suspect Jaideep overdosed on the tablets, which could have led to his death, since the body had turned blue and bloated. “The final postmortem reports are still awaited,” a police officer said.

IIT-B student’s body found in hotel, suicide suspected - The Asian Age

IIT-B student’s body found in hotel, suicide suspected

THE ASIAN AGE.

Published : Sep 4, 2018, 2:09 am IST

Officials are now probing into the incident to ascertain the reason.

Mumbai: The decomposed body of an IIT-Mumbai student (23) — who allegedly committed suicide in a hotel room at Amboli over unknown reasons – was found on Monday.

The police said that the deceased was suffering from depression as they have found related medication from the hotel room. The student hails from Chattisgarh and used to stay alone in Mumbai.

The deceased, identified as Jaideep Swain, stayed at the IIT-Mumbai hostel in Powai. His body was found in a decomposed state on Monday after the hotel staff experienced a foul smell emanating from his room and sensed something was amiss.

When the room was opened, Swain was found hanging inside it. The Amboli police was informed which reached the spot and the body was sent to a public hospital for conducting an autopsy.

“We have not found any suicide note in the deceased’s possession. When his room was checked, medicine prescribed for depression was found. There is no clarity on the motive for his extreme step. He had checked into the hotel on Friday,” said Bharat Gaikwad, senior inspector of Amboli police station. Citing the condition of Swain’s body, the police suspect that he ended his life the same day he checked into the room. Preliminary probe has revealed that his family is based in Chattisgarh and they have been informed about the tragic incident.

Officials are now probing into the incident to ascertain the reason. The investigators will record the statements of Swain’s friends and family to get clarity on the incident.

A case of accidental death has been registered by the Amboli police station and further investigation is underway. The deceased, a first-year student was doing his Masters in Technology at IIT-Bombay.

According to N.S. Dabholkar, chief manager hospitality and PRO, IIT-Bombay, he stayed at Hostel no. 1 of the campus, did not leave any note or evidence of his death at his room.

Tags: iit-bombay, committed suicide

IIT Bombay student found dead in hotel, police suspect suicide - India Today

IIT Bombay student found dead in hotel, police suspect suicide

Saurabh Vaktania
Mumbai
September 4, 2018
UPDATED: September 4, 2018 10:28 IST
FOLLOW
EMAIL AUTHOR

The 22-year-old is originally from Chattisgarh and moved to Mumbai in July
Police found depression near the dead body
No suicide note was found

Jagdish Sawain was studying mechanical engineering in IIT Bombay.

On Monday, the dead body of a 22-year-old IIT Bombay student was found from a hotel in Jogeshwari, Mumbai.

Jagdish Sawain was a mechanical engineering student in IIT Bombay. He was originally from Chattisgarh and had come to Mumbai in July.

The police did not recover any suicide note from the scene and are waiting for the post-mortem report. According to police officials, on August 31, Jagdish checked in to Treebo hotel in Jogeshwari West area. On Saturday morning, he ordered breakfast; this was the last room service he ordered.

On Monday, the hotel staff complained of a foul smell coming out from Jagdish's room. The hotel staff opened the room with the help of a duplicate key and found Jagdish lying dead. The hotel staff instantly informed the Amboli police station. Depression tablets and bottle were found lying near Jagdish's body in the hotel room. The dead body was sent for post-mortem.

A police officer said, "We are awaiting for family members of Jagdish to come. We suspect it to be a case of suicide due to unknown reasons. No suicide note was found. But we found depression medicines. We will take statements of his friends and people known in Mumbai. Further investigations are on in the matter."

Rajasthan's Kota: The killer coaching hub - Indian Express

Rajasthan's Kota: The killer coaching hub

Kota’s fame as India’s ‘coaching capital’ is also the reason for its notoriety as a ‘suicide city’ and the measures taken to bring down the stress and competition have been inadequate.

Published: 02nd September 2018 09:31 AM | Last Updated: 02nd September 2018 09:31 AM

|By Rajesh Asnani

Kota’s fame as India’s ‘coaching capital’ is also the reason for its notoriety as a ‘suicide city’ and the measures taken by administration and institutes to bring down the insane stress of competition, which proves too much to handle for many teenaged students, have been inadequate, finds Rajesh Asnani

On August 5, 15-year-old Devesh Kumar from Nalanda, Bihar, hanged himself in his hostel room in Kota. A suicide note found in the room read, “Before coming to Kota, I did not know that preparing for IIT-JEE would be so tough.” The JEE aspirant had scored only 20-40 per cent marks in the internal tests at his coaching institute, which drove him to end his life. On August 7, 16-year-old Sakshi Maratha from Buldhana in Maharashtra hanged herself from the ceiling fan in her room. She left no suicide note. But she was the 13th student this year to commit suicide in Kota.

The rise in the number of student suicides in Kota this year after a dip in 2017—which saw seven cases—has rattled India’s coaching capital once again. Since 2013, 77 students have committed suicide in the city in Rajasthan, as per the data compiled by the district administration. A spike in the number of suicides in 2015 and 2016 had forced the district administration to introduce remedial measures and last year saw lesser suicides. But the measures have obviously failed to have a lasting impact for lack of sincere implementation.

The administration had taken steps which included issuing guidelines to the institutes to give weekly off to students, fees refunds, facilitating recreational activities etc. Former district collector Ravi Kumar Surpur had taken a personal interest in the issue and made sure that screening of students is done prior to admissions.

But these are just guidelines and there is no regular monitoring to ensure strict compliance. “We have appointed counsellors and mentors, set up indoor games and started yoga classes on alternate days, as per the guidelines. But it’s not mandatory and we can’t force the students to attend,” concedes Pramod Mewara of Allen Institute, the leading coaching institute in Kota. Thousands of students come to Kota every year with a dream to gain entrance to the prestigious IITs and medical colleges. But for many, the pressure of intense studies is overwhelming. Teenagers who have hardly been away from home before this have to live on their own, cramming 14-16 hours a day in the hope of a secure future. The grueling daily schedule, the rigorous cycle of internal tests at the institutes, the intense competition and the “insane” pressure to succeed proves too much for many youngsters to handle — especially in the absence of continuous emotional support from parents.

Unfortunately, neither the parents nor the coaching institutes are sensitive to the emotional cost of chasing the medical or engineering dream. Kota once used to be an industrial town. But in the early nineties, the industries started shutting down. V K Bansal, who was an employee with the JK Industries then, started teaching mathematics to IIT aspirants in 1987-88. IIT-Delhi graduate Pramod Maheshwari started teaching physics. The two men, with their innovative style of teaching, made 49 students from Kota clear IIT entrance in 1995. That put the city on the map as a top choice for IIT and medical coaching.

And within a few years, ‘coaching’ became the biggest industry here. Today, there are about 40 big and small institutes in the city catering to nearly 1.5 lakh engineering and medical aspirants.

With over 10 lakh students from all over the country appearing for JEE Mains to secure about 11,000 seats in 23 IITs, the competition is fierce. The deep-rooted bias in India for engineering and medical professions makes ambitious parents bring their children here so that they can make it to the IITs or medical colleges.

The coaching institutes are taking full advantage of this mad race to make a killing. Maheshwari, the owner of Career Point, says this was not the case initially. “Both of us (he and Bansal) started teaching and our students were common; we used to have a healthy atmosphere. That was a different Kota... at that time, the focus was on education, students and ethics,” he says.

The competition among the coaching centres is as intense as among the students, with each of them vying to attract the best and brightest students and to ensure that maximum students of their students qualify for IIT-JEE and NEET with top scores. In their bid to outdo each other, they offer up to 100 per cent scholarships to the top scorers in their screening tests — which means, their coaching is free of cost. The main aim of every institute is to admit maximum students as it means more profits. But at the same time, there is a thrust on churning out toppers and therefore, the institutes focus on only those students who are already bright and have the aptitude for engineering or medical studies.

From the rest of the students, they charge hefty tuition fees — `1,00,000 per year, on an average. There is also a competition to hire the best faculty and the institutes pay anything between `20 lakh and `1 crore per year to the teachers, many of them IITians. Poaching of bright students from other institutes is common because “for aspirants and their parents, the main criterion for taking admission is the number of toppers selected from an institute” says Nidhi Gupta, who is doing her PhD on Kota suicides.

The coaching centres’ obsessive focus on potential toppers, as also their strategy to segregate the students in batches according to their capability, has a damaging impact on rest of the students, who start feeling they are incapable. Less marks in internal tests lower their self-esteem. Many students come to Kota because of parental pressure. Apart from the stress of studies, the students also face the pressure of ‘return on investment’. Parents spend Rs 2.5-3 lakh per year on their tuition fees, stay, food etc. and a feeling of being unable to pay expected returns drives many teens to despair.

Psychologist Dr M L Agarwal, who was instrumental in starting a helpline service for students, blames parents. “Forcing them to prepare for IIT or NEET against their desire will only push the children to the edge,” he says. Dr B S Shekhawat, a psychiatrist at Government Medical College, says the counsellors hired by the institutes are often untrained. “They are giving so much money to the faculty. Why can’t they appoint professional counsellors and psychiatrist who can screen students at the time of admission and keep a tab on the emotionally vulnerable ones?” he asks.

Kriti Tripathi from Ghaziabad, who committed suicide last year despite scoring well in internal tests, advised her younger sister, in her suicide note, “Only what you love brings happiness and that is the only thing you can excel in.” It’s time parents and the coaching industry realised this.

Reasons for suicides
As they find themselves all alone in a city without any emotional or moral support from parents, students — many of whom have moved away from home for the first time — find it difficult to cope with the stress of studies and competition.

According to experts, when students arrive in Kota for coaching, they suddenly find themselves amid unknown people. With each one of them competing with lakhs of others, it’s difficult for the students to strike a close bond of friendship.

The coaching institutes organise periodic tests, generally once every three weeks. The results are communicated to parents via messages and letters. A lot of student can’t face the embarrassment of bad results. Students who got high percentages in school start scoring poor marks in review tests. They don’t know how to explain this to parents.

Test performance decides the batch a student is assigned. When the rank of a student slips, he or she is put to ‘lower’ batches, which hurts his or her self-esteem.

Parental expectations are often responsible for driving children to end their lives.

Sometimes, issues like love affair, alcohol/drug addiction etc. are also responsible.

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